Call for Proposals
Proposals are due by December 5, 2025 at 11:59PM Mountain Standard Time.
We invite you to submit a proposal for the 2026 Title IV-E Roundtable, Growing Hope Rooted in Community in Denver, Colorado. This year’s event will emphasize the importance of connections, deep roots, longevity, and future investment in the child welfare workforce and beyond. We are particularly interested in innovative approaches and how they can support hope-centered practice. We encourage proposals that address specific challenges in the child welfare system and give insight into the everyday experiences of children and families, students, child welfare professionals, and educators.
We invite proposals that help strengthen connections among our diverse stakeholders.
It is important that this year’s roundtable creates opportunities for people to share their Title IV-E initiatives, particularly those that introduce innovative approaches or challenge conventional practices. We will structure our sessions to encourage peer discussion by track. We have provided some examples of how proposals may fit each track. These are not exhaustive lists of workshop topics. The proposal review committees are open to all ideas and will review all submissions on an individual basis.
Administration and Finance
Proposals in this category are best suited for individuals who work in the administrative and financial management of Title IV-E programs, either in the partner university or Title IV-E entity (state, county, or tribal). Examples of proposals that could fit in this track are the following, but not limited to:
- Title IV-E nuts and bolts
- University, agency, and Tribal partnerships
- Social work curriculum development & IV-E eligibility
- Examples of current Title IV-E processes and procedures
- Costing allocation development & Title IV-E implementation
- How to use AI and technology solutions in Title IV-E finance and administration
Child Welfare Practice
Proposals in this category are best suited for individuals working in a Title IV-E agency that provides direct child welfare services (state, county, or tribal). Often, this is where students in Title IV-E scholarship/stipend programs do their internships and where they find employment that is eligible for the work requirement after graduation. Examples of proposals that could fit in this track include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Best practices in working with a variety of populations and cultures
- Interviewing skills and tools to engage families
- Approved evidence-based practices from the Clearing House for child welfare staff, such as Motivational Interviewing (MI) or Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)
- Ethical considerations in child welfare intervention
- How technology can support efficiency and and support critical questions.
Social Work Education
Proposals in this category are best suited for individuals who work in partner universities or Tribal Colleges. Examples of proposals that could fit in this track include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Child welfare curriculum development
- Use of Open Educational Resources (OER)
- Effective Title IV-E online pedagogy teaching strategies
- 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) strategies for Child Welfare-related curriculum
- Integrating technology into Child Welfare teaching and learning
- Ethical integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Child Welfare Education
Research and Evaluation
Proposals in this category are best suited for individuals who work as evaluators of IV-E programs or who are engaged in research related to child welfare. This could be professional (faculty or evaluator-initiated) or student-led research. Examples of proposals that could fit in this track include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Evidence-based programs and practices
- Title IV-E program evaluation
- Exemplary student scholarship related to the student’s focused interests in child welfare
- Innovative approaches to research and data collection
- Ways technology and innovative tools can advance social work research and evaluation
Tribal child welfare efforts are deeply tied to cultural traditions, relational networks, and community-defined well-being – all of which reflect the spirit of hope and connection at the heart of this year’s conference. We appreciate the leadership framework that Tribal communities bring to child welfare work. However, Tribal governments and organizations may not yet be fully engaged with Title IV-E funding opportunities or administrative processes. We invite you to share strategies for building sustainable and culturally congruent Title IV-E funding models, navigating Title IV-E eligibility, enhancing cost allocation plans, how Tribal and university partnerships can successfully support Title IV-E program development and operation, how your work advances community-based and trauma-informed child welfare practices grounded in Indigenous values, how Indigenous perspectives can be woven into creating curriculum and professional trainings that support Tribal workforce development, and research and evaluation methods that respect Tribal sovereignty and promote meaningful outcomes.
Your presentation can help demystify Title IV-E processes and offer pathways for Tribes to reclaim space within federally supported child welfare systems – strengthening programs through collaboration, innovation, and cultural affirmation. We welcome sessions that affirm sovereignty, promote inclusive policymaking, and encourage Indigenous leadership shaping future systems of care.
All workshops will be 60 minutes in length and should include time for participant engagement – either by prioritizing participant engagement throughout the workshop or by leaving at least 15 minutes for questions at the end of your presentation.
Special Invitation to Tribal Child Welfare Leaders
The 2026 Title IV-E Roundtable planning committee recognizes that best practice happens when state, county, and Tribal systems work together. As part of our continued commitment to effective practice, shared learning, and honoring the wisdom of Tribal communities, the 2026 Title IV-E Roundtable warmly invites Tribal Child Welfare Leaders to participate as presenters, storytellers, and knowledge holders. This year’s theme – Growing Hope Rooted in Community – recognizes that the strength and resilience of Indigenous traditions and practices are vital to shaping the future of child welfare systems.
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We encourage proposals that highlight Tribal approaches across the four key conference tracks:
- Administration and Finance: Share models of fiscal collaboration, cost allocation planning, or Tribal-university strategies for maximizing Title IV-E funding.
- Child Welfare Practice: Showcase culturally grounded services and interventions that strengthen families, elevate youth voice, and promote resilience in Indigenous communities.
- Social Work Education: Present curriculum development efforts that reflect Title IV-E eligibility while integrating Tribal sovereignty, knowledge, history, and values.
- Research and Evaluation: Offer insights from data-informed Tribal initiatives, community-based evaluations, or research methods rooted in Indigenous frameworks.
This is more than a platform to present – it’s an opportunity to share experiences, learn from diverse approaches, and build relationships with other professionals and Tribal nations and states navigating similar paths. For countless generations, Tribal communities have lived in deep connection with one another and the land, practicing values of care, accountability, and shared responsibility. These timeless principles make Tribes natural experts in fostering belonging and well-being. The Roundtable provides a unique space for exchanging knowledge, fostering understanding across systems, and co-creating solutions that honor Tribal sovereignty, deepen cultural relevance, and invest in future generations. We welcome proposals that challenge conventional models and lift up promising work led by Tribal nations and communities.
Proposals are due by December 5, 2025 at 11:59PM Mountain Standard Time.
Note: We have worked to keep the cost of attendance as low as possible for all participants. There will not be discounted registration rates for presenters.