The Conference Management Committee welcomes the submission of abstracts which address at least one of the Conference topics. You must indicate in your submission which topic the abstract addresses. The abstract needs to be relevant to social work in health or mental health.

The Conference will explore many domains of practice and research which are currently prominent in this field, including the following domains and topics:

Practice Domains

Social work in health and mental health is varied and multi-faceted. This Conference will explore many domains of practice and research which are currently prominent in this field:

1.    Acquired brain injury
2.    Cancer care
3.    Renal care
4.    Emergency care
5.    Mental health social work
6.    Disaster social work
7.    Dementia care
8.    Palliative care
9.    Hospital social work
10.  Veteran health
11.  Sensory social work
12.  Community social work
13.  Forensic social work (including in criminal justice settings)
14.  Public health
15.  Social work with older people
16.  Alcohol and other drugs (AOD)
17.  Child Protection
18.  Eating Disorders
19.  Private practice
20.  Disability
21.  School social work
22.  First nations peoples/indigenous health& emerging services for Aboriginal/Indigenous communities
23.  Justice (forensic social work/corrections)
24.  Health – primary & community
25.  Health tertiary

Global Challenges

This international Conference will have contributions from all corners of the globe and will address some key themes affecting social workers working in health and mental health settings across the globe:

26.  Migration
27.  Welfare and work
28.  Trauma
29.  Changing climate and environments
30.  Sexual violence and human trafficking
31.  Stigma, discrimination and shame
32.  Ageing populations
33.  Isolation and loneliness
34.  Family, domestic and gendered violence
35.  Housing & homelessness

Social Determinants

Underpinning social work in health and mental health is a good understanding of the social determinants which impact on our daily work. Among these, the following themes will be explored in more depth during the Conference:

36.  Health inequalities
37.  Income inequality
38.  LGBTIQA+ folk
39.  Gender identity issues
40.  Race, racialisation and ethnic disparities in health
41.  Gender and health
42.  Rural and Remote

Social Work Intervention

This Conference will explore new developments, good practice and new research in all forms of social work intervention in health and mental health, with a particular focus on the following themes:

43.  Social intervention/prescribing
44.  Suicide prevention
45.  Iatrogenic risks of social work intervention
46.  Spirituality and mental health
47.  Artificial intelligence and digital interventions in social work practice

Working with Children in Health & Mental Health Care

Whole family approaches are a challenge in fragmented welfare systems. Social work with children is an important aspect of health and mental health care and this Conference will focus in particular on the following themes in relation to health and mental health:

48.  Child welfare and poverty
49.  Child and adolescent sexual abuse and exploitation
50.  Adolescence
51.  Adverse childhood experiences
52.  Child and adolescent mental health

Knowledge Production & Utilisation

Social workers in health and mental health draw upon a variety of sources of knowledge in their work. This Conference will explore knowledge production, and the use of that knowledge, in:

53.  Service user and survivor research
54.  Indigenous and community knowledge
55.  Social work education in the 21st century
56.  Supervision
57.  Research
58.  Academia

Law & Policy

Social workers often take a leading role in utilising law and policy in health and mental health settings. New research in law and policy relevant to social work in health and mental health will be discussed at this Conference:

59.  Mental health and mental capacity law
60.  Welfare systems, social policy and law
61.  Social Policy
62.  Human rights advocacy 

Any other topics relating to social work in health and mental health.

Abstracts will be accepted for the following presentation modes, though the Committee reserves the right to request a change in preferred mode of presentation following the review of abstracts:

STANDARD ORAL PRESENTATION
Standard oral presentations will be allocated 20 minutes to present their paper in person as part of the main program. (20 minutes including time to take questions from the audience).

STATIC POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Static Posters will be available for viewing in person at the Conference venue by all delegates. Full instructions of the format and display of Posters will be detailed within acceptance notifications sent to the presenting authors.

PANEL
Panels will be allocated 60 minutes each as part of the main program and will run concurrently with other Conference sessions. One 300-word abstract is required with brief information about the panel and the structure that the panel will follow. A minimum of three panellists are required for each panel with the addition of one Chairperson who will lead the discussion. Panellists are expected to present in person at the Conference.

WORKSHOP
Workshops will be allocated 90 minutes each as part of the main program and will run concurrently with other Conference sessions. One 300-word abstract is required with brief information about the discussion papers and each presenter and the activities which the workshop will use to engage the participants. Workshop facilitators and presenters are expected to deliver the workshop in person.

e‐POSTER PRESENTATIONS
e‐Posters will be available for viewing online by all delegates. Full instructions of the format and display of e-Posters will be detailed within acceptance notifications sent to the presenting authors.

If you are interested in delivering a Standard Oral Presentation, Static Poster, Panel, Workshop or e-Poster, you are required to submit an abstract of your paper.

1. Length: The maximum of the main body of the abstract should be 300 words (i.e. excluding title, authors and institutions).

2. Title: The abstract title should reflect the main content and nature of the abstract; do not use abbreviations within the title. The word limit on abstract titles is 25 words.

3. Structure: All presentation modes except workshop must be structured using the following sections:

• Background
• Aims
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion / conclusion

Abstracts relating to Workshops, should include the following sections:

• Background
• Why is the topic important for research and / or practice?
• Workshop format, including participant engagement methods
• Who should participate?
• Level of workshop (beginner / intermediate / advanced)
• Take-home messages / workshop outcomes / implications for further research or practice
• Maximum number of participants

4. Spelling and Grammar: All abstracts should be written in English and thoroughly checked for spelling and grammar before submission. Use standard abbreviations only; place any unusual abbreviations in brackets after the word appears for the first time within the body of the abstract, abbreviations may be used thereafter.

5. Layout and Format: Each abstract must be prepared in Microsoft Word. No other formats will be accepted. If you submit in another format, your abstract will be rejected.

6. Title: The title of the abstract should be written in title case.

7. Please refrain from using printed enhancements such as italics, under lining, bold text etc. Italics may be used for non-English words or scientific names where necessary.

8. Figures, tables, charts, and graphs are not permitted in the initial abstract submission.

9. References should be avoided or, if essential, should be kept to a minimum and presented in Vancouver (numbered) style. Note that all references will be included in the maximum abstract length (300 word total).

10. Please note abstracts may be re‐formatted and edited for publication in the program handbook.

Workshops do not need to be structured in the same way. For Workshops, one 300-word abstract is required with brief information about the discussion papers and the activities which the workshop will use to engage the participants. Please ensure you confirm who the lead Author is within the section, titled Authors and Affiliations. We will assume this person will be chairing your Workshop. If you are proposing an independent Chair, please notify us of this within your Workshop abstract.

• Please note that all presenters on the program must register for the Conference and pay the appropriate registration fee by the stated deadline. It will be assumed any presenter not registered by this date has withdrawn their abstract from the program.
  
  
• All Standard Oral Presentations, Platform Posters, Panels and Workshops presenters must register to attend the Conference face-to-face. Presentations cannot be delivered online. E-Poster authors can register face-to-face or online.
  
  
• Presenters will be responsible for their own costs to attend the Conference (in person or virtually), including registration, travel, accommodation, and transfers (where applicable). All abstract presenters will be able to access early bird registration pricing.
  
  
• Previously published works are welcome although we do encourage the submission of new completed works. Copyright permission must be obtained by author(s) where previously published work is reproduced.
  
  
• All abstracts must be submitted electronically via the online Abstract Submission Portal by the presenting author.
  
  
• Upon submission, authors will be requested to select a maximum of three themes which the abstract falls under.
  
  
• Authors wishing to submit more than one abstract may do so by clicking ‘New Abstract’ in the Presenter Portal. Please avoid submission of several abstracts generated from the same study.
  
  
• Multiple abstracts may be submitted by the same author. In the event multiple abstracts are allocated to the same theme, they should be substantially different enough in content to be considered.
  
  
• The presenting author is required to ensure that all co-authors are aware of the content of the abstract before submission.
  
  
• The presenting author must be listed as the first author.
  
  
• All submissions must be accompanied by a maximum 80‐word biographical paragraph of the presenting author. Biographical details will be used by the session Chair for introductions purposes and may also be published on the Meeting App.
  
  
• All submitting authors / presenters will be required to sign a Talent Consent & Release Deed prior to submitting their abstract.
  
  
• Abstracts will be published online on the website as a supplement.
  
  
• Submission of abstracts implies the author’s agreement to publish the abstract in the online supplement, Conference Handbook, App, Website and other AASW literature as applicable.
  
  
• Please ensure the following required information is available before beginning the online abstract submission process:
  - Your contact details.
  - The title of your abstract.
  - Name and organisation of your co‐author/s, if applicable.
  - Your (the presenting author’s) brief biography (maximum 80 words). Biographies are to be written in full sentences (not dot points) and in third person.
  - Your abstract prepared in the format specified under Abstract Preparation Guidelines.
  
  
• The abstracts will be reviewed by a panel of judges. The panel of judges will decide in which format each successful abstracts be presented in.
  
  
• Failure to meet the specified deadlines or guidelines may result in exclusion from the program.
  
  
• Your abstract is not successfully submitted until you receive a confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail, please contact us.
  

During abstract submission you will be asked to declare the following:

a. I confirm that I previewed this abstract and that all information is correct. I accept that the content of this abstract cannot be modified or corrected after final submission and I am aware that it will be published as submitted.

b. Submission of the abstract constitutes the consent of all authors to publication (e.g. Conference website, App, online supplement, programs, other promotions, etc.)

c. The Abstract Submitter warrants and represents that no part of the information and content provided by him/her (Hereafter: the "Content") to AASW: the "Organisers"), nor the publication of any such Content by the Organisers, on the internet or otherwise infringes any third-party rights, including but not limited to privacy rights and/or intellectual property rights.

d. I herewith confirm that the contact details saved in this system are those of the presenting author, who will be notified about the status of the abstract. The presenting author is responsible for informing the other authors about the status of the abstract.

e. I understand that the presenting author must be a registered delegate.

f. The Organisers reserve the right to remove from publication and/or presentation an abstract which does not comply with the above (or for any reason).

g. I understand that the Committee will allocate the successful abstracts to the program.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST & ETHICAL APPROVAL
You will be asked to declare that you have received ethical approval for your study (if relevant), and you will be requested to confirm that you will declare any conflict of interests in your presentation at the Conference.