Are you interested in state-level policymaking? Do you wish there was a way to present research to state legislators in your state – research they might use to make decisions about policies that affect children and families? If so, then you need to know about Family Impact Seminars!
What are Family Impact Seminars?
Developed as a way to connect research with state-level policymaking, Family Impact Seminars are a “series of seminars, discussion sessions, and briefing reports that provide state policymakers with nonpartisan, solution-oriented research on family issues” (according to the Family Impact Instituteopens in new window website). More specifically, the seminars present social issues and policies in a “family impact lens”. A family impact lens explicitly considers the family-level (i.e., above and beyond the effect on individuals) consequences of social issues and social policies. Why is the family impact lens important? The Family Impact Institute explains it this way: Most policymakers would not think of passing a bill without asking, “What’s the economic impact?” FII encourages policymakers to ask, “What is the impact of this policy on families?” “Would involving families result in more effective and efficient policies?”
How are topics selected?
The family issues chosen for seminars are decided each year in each state by state policymakers, staffers and Family Impact Seminar leadership within each state – topics have ranged from education-related issues to child protection and foster care policies to the impact of substance use on children and families. A brief listing of topics from the Family Impact Institute website reads:
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Child Abuse and Exploitation/Family, School and Community Violence
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Child Care and Early Education/After School Programs
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Families and K-12 Education/Dropout Prevention
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Child and Family Health
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Family Poverty
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Foster Care/Family Services/Military Families
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Juvenile Crime/Corrections Policy
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Strengthening Families/Parenting
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Teen Pregnancy
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Aging and Long-Term Care
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Family Economic Security/Jobs/State Economic Growth
Who attends Family Impact Seminars?
The target audience of the seminars is state-level policymakers, including legislators themselves, as well as legislative staffers (e.g., legislative aides or legislative assistants) and state-agency leadership. The traditional format of the seminars is a two-hour seminar consisting of two or three non-partisan research presentations by (a panel of) experts (e.g., researchers, academics, policy analysts, etc.), typically including time for questions from policymakers. Seminars also typically include a “briefing report” on the background or “landscape” of issue in that state, presented in a succinct, accessible format.
When and where are Family Impact Seminars happening?
Family Impact Seminars initially began as a federal-level initiative in the late 1980s. In 1999, federal seminars ended and the focus was shifted to “building a network of state Family Impact Seminar sites” (Family Impact Institute). Currently, Family Impact Seminars are operative in 25 U.S. states (Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Utah and Virginia) and the District of Columbia. States typically host one to two seminars per year, and seminars are typically held in state capitol buildings so as to maximize access to policymakers.
Where can I learn more about Family Impact Seminars?
For more information on Family Impact Seminars, see the Family Impact Institute websiteopens in new window and check out the “Frequently Asked Questions” pageopens in new window. To see whether there are seminars happening in your state, and to see details on prior seminars across the U.S. (including the ability to read briefing reports) check out this interactive mapopens in new window. The Family Impact Institute is directed by Shelley MacDermid Wadsworthopens in new window at Purdue University.
Academic publications on Family Impact Seminars include:
Bogenschneider, K. (1995). Roles for professionals in building family policy: A case study of state family impact seminars. Family Relations, 44(1), 5-12.
Bogenschneider, K., Olson, J. R., Linney, K. D., & Mills, J. (2000). Connecting research and policymaking: Implications for theory and practice from the family impact seminars. Family Relations, 49(3), 327-339.