Grand Challenges for Social Work Roundtable: Going Grander!

The Grand Challenges for Social Work is going grander and beginning a renewal process that we hope will result in new working papers and, even, additional grand challenges. Launched in 2016, after a multi-year planning process, the Grand Challenges for Social Work (GCSW) initiative has made great strides throughout the field, but not without critical feedback and critique. As an initiative for the field and for society, it was imperative to recognize the ways in which the Grand Challenges could, and should, be more inclusive of the societal challenges that social workers have long strived to address throughout the profession's history. Since the initiative began, considerable progress has been made in tackling the thirteen identified issue areas that constitute the Grand Challenges for Social Work. With critical network leadership, state and federal level policies addressed the challenges of our society, which we have seen in the Grand Challenges to End Homelessness and Build Financial Capability and Assets for All. Innovative interventions have been developed and implemented to Ensure Healthy Development for Youth and Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality. There is growing attention and response from the field to the urgency of society's need to Eliminate Racism, Create Social Responses to a Changing Environment, and Harness Technology for Social Good. This next phase of the Grand Challenges presents an opportunity to identify the most pressing issues facing our field in the coming years. With an emphasis on addressing racial, ethnic, and gender disparities that exist within each Grand Challenge, the initiative is ideally designed and uniquely positioned to address the massive inequities and challenges in our communities. The network structure has enabled and supported collaboration across campuses and disciplines, and encourages innovation in research, policy and practice of our field to promote the science and impact of social work. Through partnerships with leading social work organizations (i.e. CSWE, NASW, SSWR, and others), and over 40 universities, the initiative has continued to build awareness and engagement from faculty, students and stakeholders committed to improving the communities in which we live. The momentum of the initiative's success thus far can help make even grander strides against the greatest challenges of our society by embracing the addition of new Grand Challenges for our field. As the initiative continues, GCSW will broaden its impact by continuing to target the social work pipeline, expanding interdisciplinary partnerships, and further supporting innovative and collaborative approaches to solving society's greatest challenges. This roundtable will focus on ways the Grand Challenges framework can increase its impact on research, education, policy, and practice through partnership and collaboration. This session will provide an opportunity to learn more about the call for renewal, what is involved in generating new position papers and grand challenges, and other ways for participants to get involved with the GCSW as the initiative advances into the next generation of Grand Challenges for Social Work. Join us to learn what is Up Next!2.58.191.239 on 4-18-2022-->