Programme
The conference will begin at 8:00 AM (CEST) on October 14th, 2026, and conclude at 4:00 PM (CEST) on October 15th, 2026.
General Schedule for the Conference
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
08:00–09:00: Registration and coffee, F214
09:00–09:30: Opening ceremony, F214
09:30–10:30: Keynote: Professor Carlene Firmin, Department of Sociology, Durham University – From safer students to safer schools: The potential of Contextual Safeguarding for school-based social work, F214
10:30–11:00: Coffee break
11:00–12:00: Keynote: Senior lecturer Sandra Lund, Mid Sweden University – When Place Becomes Invisible, People Do Too: Rethinking Support, Equity, and Professional Practice in Rural Contexts, F214
12:00–13:00: Lunch (Ljusgården, building P)
13:00–14:30: Parallel sessions and workshop
| F214 | G1350 | G1353 | G3216 | |
| School Anxiety and School Avoidance | Professional Practice – Identity & Judgment | Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Education | Workshop 13:00–13:50 | |
| 13:30 | Åsa Backlund: Promoting school attendance – listening to students in Sweden and Germany through a lens of recognition theory | Carolina Ohls: Examining the professional scope of school social work: A comparative analysis of professional guidelines in the United States, Sweden, and Norway | Nicole Scott: The Transformative Care-Education Theory: Addressing the Education Neglect of Children in Care | Ingo S. Hettler: Inclusive Child Protection in School Social Work: Structural Conditions and Professional Competencies for Responding to Child Welfare Concerns |
| 14:00 | Isabelle Törnkvist: Leading School Attendance Work: Principals’ Perspectives on School Absenteeism and the Compensatory Mission of Schooling | Mirjana Zipperle: Social space-oriented school social work as a professional concept for students’ wellbeing in and outside schools | Prospera Tedam: Disrupting Silence: Applying the 4D2P Model to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in School Social Work | workshop in progress |
| 14:30 | Lena Ivarsson: Parental Experiences of School Absenteeism: Support, Responsibility, and Resilience | Pål Christensson: Ecological Professional Judgment: Reframing School Social Work Through Relations, Rhythms, and Shared Objects | Lelanie Steyn: The Language of the Heart: Promoting Linguistic Dignity within Primary School Restorative Discipline | workshop in progress |
14:30–15:00: Coffee break
15:00–16:30: Parallel sessions and workshops
| F214 | G1350 | G1353 | G3216 | |
| Student Health and Well-Being | Professional Practice – Organisation & Governance | Trauma-Informed Practice in Schools | Two workshops: 15:00–15:50 and 16:00–16:50 | |
| 15:00 | Lena Boström: School-based Health Education in Sweden: What´s in it for pupils? | Kathrin Gräßle: School social work in Düsseldorf: structures, practice and impulses for international exchange | Stacy Gherardi: Trauma-Informed Education at a Crossroads: Lessons from Implementation in the United States | Simone Robinson: It takes a village: Group work, attachment, and accountability – a community-based practice framework from South Africa in responding to harmful sexual behaviour |
| 15:30 | Lisa Rydstad: The Role of Schools in Mental Health Promotion and Prevention: A Swedish Interview Study | Jennifer Rafter: Developing the ‘SWIS Practice Framework’: Improving Social Work placements in Schools | Roelf Reyneke: Beyond Exclusion: Implementing Restorative Practices to Foster Inclusive and Trauma-Sensitive School Climates | workshop in progress |
| 16:00 | Ylva Spånberger Weitz: Children’s help-seeking in school | Malin Johansson: Assignment with governance versus empowerment – about school counselors’ practice choices | Jennifer Bearden: Mitigating Trauma in Schools: Supporting School Wellness with an MTSS Framework Focusing on Secondary Traumatic Stress | Angelika Kaffrell-Lindahl: Young people’s climate-related emotions in times of global crisis: school social work as a space for discussion and support |
19:00: Conference dinner (optional)
Thursday, October 15, 2026
08:30–09:00: Coffee and networking
09:00–10:00: Keynote: Caroline Berg, President of the School Social Work Association of Sweden – School Social Work in Sweden: Knowledge, and Professional Practice, F214
10:00–10:30: Coffee break
10:30–12:00: Parallel sessions and workshops
| F214 | G1350 | G1353 | G3216 | |
| Family & Community / Early Intervention | Professional Practice – Future Challenges | Workshop 10:30–11:20 | Workshop 10:30–11:20 | |
| 10:30 | Stina Balldin: Early School-Based Support for Younger Children at Risk: Strengthening Cross-System Capacity Through the MAC Intervention | Ingo S. Hettler: Artificial Intelligence in School Social Work: AI Literacy, Automation Bias, and Professional Decision-Making | Simone Robinson: From YouTube to the Classroom: Training School Social Workers to Facilitate Emotional Regulation Groups | Stacy Gherardi: Global Perspectives on Preparing School Social Workers: Lessons from South Africa and the United States |
| 11:00 | Tarja Väyrynen Börgesson: Hands om Hjällbo model – Collaborative family school social work | Susan Elswick: The Workforce Development Crisis in School-Based Mental Health: A Viable Approach to Supporting the Needs of Students and Growing the Professional Workforce | workshop in progress | workshop in progress |
| 11:30 | Shawn McNally: Who Talks With Youth About Their Futures? Future-Planning Communication and Educational Pathways | Michael Wallengren Lynch: ‘Prepared but Unprepared’: Swedish Social Workers’ Roles in School Attack Preparedness and Response – A Mixed Methods Study | workshop in progress | workshop in progress |
12:00–13:00: Lunch (Ljusgården, building P)
13:00–14:30: Parallel sessions and workshops
| F214 | G1350 | G1353 | G3216 | |
| Student Health and Well-Being | Professional Practice – Practice & Organisation | Professional Practice – Education & Development | Workshop 13:00–13:50 | |
| 13:00 | Marelize Vergottini: A Dog Called Daisy: A Reflective Practice Account of Animal-Assisted Intervention as a Therapeutic Tool in School Social Work | Marek Perlinski: Is 300 a magic number that can make a school counselor's job easier? | Asanda Boboyi: Experiences of school social workers appointed to the school governing body contract in South Africa | Marina Badillo-Diaz: Ethical School Social Work Practice in the Age of AI |
| 13:30 | Maria Kjellgren: When Violence and Victimisation Are Given Voice: A Study Protocol on Theatre and Narrative as a Methodological Approach to Crime Prevention | Jennifer Rafter: Poverty-aware social work – a tri-country comparison | Hannah Meier: Personal Development for School Social Workers Supervising Placement Students | workshop in progress |
| 14:00 | Susan Elswick: University–School Partnerships: Developing an Integrated Wellness Center to Support Global Student Wellness in Public Education | Open slot – track ends 13:55 | Leticia Villarreal Sosa: Integrated Culturally Informed Response to Grief: A Necessary Framework for a Hostile Political Climate | workshop in progress |
14:30–15:00: Coffee break
15:00–16:00: Joint closing session and summary of the conference – closing remarks, F214