News & Events

• Div. 37 was one of the sponsors for a congressional briefing, "School Violence, Safety and Well-being," convened by the National Prevention Science Coalition (NPSC). The briefing covered a full range of science-based strategies to substantially reduce and respond to all forms of school-based aggression and violence, as well as a specific talk on the data-driven strategies to reduce rates of gun-related homicides, suicides and rampage assaults. More information is available online.
• Div. 37 co-sponsored a bipartisan congressional briefing on homelessness delivered by contributors to the 2017 Advances in Child and Family Policy Practice, Children and Family Well-Being and Homelessness. Videos of the presentations are available online.
• A Message From the Division President
  President Jennifer Kaminski discusses her presidential strategy for 2018: Building, strengthening and leveraging our relationships. 
  
• Div. 37 Co-Sponsors Congressional Briefing
  The division recently co-sponsored a congressional briefing on preventing human trafficking. More information and access to videos from the briefing is available online.
• Div. 37 Sponsors Workshop
  The division co-sponsored a free workshop on strategies that research-oriented professionals can use to support the use of research in policy in Washington, D.C., on June 5, 2017. This full-day workshop covered:
    1. Research on barriers and facilitators of the use of empirical evidence in public policy (e.g., trusting relationships).
    2. Ways researchers can seek to engage in the legislative process while avoiding the “slippery slope” of lobbying regulations.
    3. Involve participants in a mock-response practice session with legislative staff.
• Div. 37 Is Now an Affiliate of NPSC
  The Div. 37 board recently voted to become an affiliate of the National Prevention Science Coalition. NPSC promotes "the application of validated, science-based findings to wide-scale, effective implementation of prevention practices and policies" across various areas of concern. The coalition is composed of scientists and professionals across various disciplines, policy makers, community stakeholders, and funders. NPSC works, in a bipartisan manner, with Congress and various federal agencies to incorporate prevention science into their work.
• Statement Regarding Hitting Children 
  The Div. 7 and 37 Task Force on Physical Punishment of Children released a statement on its views against the hitting children. 
  
• Div. 37-sponsored Publication Seeks Board Members
  Advances in Child and Family Policy and Practice, a SpringerBriefs publication sponsored by Div. 37, seeks additional members for its editorial board.
  
• SCFPP and American Orthopsychiatric Association Host congressional staff briefing
  The congressional staff briefing was on the second Healthy Development Summit, which took place on May 21, 2014, in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.
• Advances in Child and Family Policy and Practice is a new publication that will serve as a forum for discussion of issues related to social policy and services for children, adolescents, and their families with a particular emphasis on a psychosocial perspective. All briefs will deal with policy analysis and implications at the local, state, national, and/or international level. Articles will include: literature and conceptual review papers; analyses of policy trends; evaluations of programs, policies, and systems; case examples of public and private policy issues; and advocacy needs, successes and failures, to demonstrate applications where psychological expertise might be applied.
• New book by Div. 37 member
  Robila, M. (Ed.). (2014). "Handbook of family policies across the globe." New York: Springer. Family policy holds a particular status in the quest for a more equitable world as it intersects the rights of women, children and workers. But despite local and global efforts and initiatives, the state of family policy in different areas of the world varies widely. Through a cross-section of 28 countries on six continents, "Family Policies Across the Globe" offers the current state of the laws concerning family life, structure and services, providing historical, cultural and socioeconomic context. The chapters analyze key aspects of family development, marriage, child well-being, work/family balance and family assistance, reviewing underlying social issues and controversies as they exist in each country. Details of challenges to implementation and methods of evaluating policy outcomes bring practical realities into sharp focus. Each chapter concludes with recommendations for improvement at the research, service and governmental levels. The result is an important comparative look at how governments support families, and how societies perceive themselves as they evolve. 
• Welcome new Div. 37 fellows
  Craig LeCroy, PhD; David Brodzinsky, PhD; Mary Haskett, PhD; Beth Doll, PhD; Robert Geffner, PhD, ABPP, ABN; Charles Grayson Guyer II, EdD ABPP-CO, ABPP-FM; David J. Hansen, PhD; Marsali Hansen, PhD, ABPP; Felicisima C. Serafica, PhD; Rick Jay Short, PhD; Myrna B. Shure, PhD

126th APA Annual Convention
Aug. 9-12, 2018
San Francisco