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Call for Papers: Journal of Family Strengths

The Journal of Family Strengths is currently seeking manuscripts submissions for three theme issues scheduled for publication in 2016-2017:

  • Building and Sustaining Partnerships through Organizations and Systems Change: Facing the Challenge - Fall, 2016
  • Innovative Practices to Eliminate Health Disparities - Spring, 2017
  • LGBTIQ Families and Violence- Fall, 2017

Organizational Partnerships: How Collaboration Strengthens Families and Communities - Fall, 2016

Special Issue Editors: Russell Wolff (Northeastern University); Rebecca Pfeffer (University of Houston - Downtown)

Editors-in-Chief: E. Christopher Lloyd (University of Arkansas at Little Rock), Angelo Giardino (Texas Children's Health Plan), Robert Sanborn (CHILDREN AT RISK), William V. Flores (University of Houston-Downtown)

Partnerships are increasingly being prioritized across many professions and sectors, including between and among disciplines such as education, criminal justice, public health, and beyond. Although partnership is understood to be important, the process of re-orienting organizations and systems to better cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships is a challenge. Organizational cultures, structures, and routines are slow to change, and modifying them can require major investments of time and resources.

The complex nature of social problems lends itself to cross-boundary approaches; however, collaborative experience can be hindered by a narrow institutional understanding of the meaning and process of partnership. For partnership to deliver the benefits expected of it, we must better understand how organizations and the systems in which they are embedded can better support and maintain collaborative work.

In response to this problem, manuscripts are being sought that contribute to advancing research, practice, and policy on organizational, contextual, and systemic issues related to collaboration. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, such topics as organizational capacity for developing and sustaining partnerships, cross-partnership research, organizational learning from collaborative experience, theory-based approaches to organizational and systems change in support of collaboration, partnership life cycles, connections between organizational supports and successful collaborative outcomes, analysis of comparative meanings of partnership and collaboration, co-location and integration of services, and collaboration situated in social and political contexts.

Prospective authors are encouraged to contact the Managing Editor at jfs@childrenatrisk.org for more information. Full manuscripts are due August 15, 2016.

The Journal of Family Strengths (JFS), formerly Family Preservation Journal, is an open-access, peer-reviewed online journal produced by the CHILDREN AT RISK Institute in partnership with the Center for Public Service & Family Strengths at the University of Houston-Downtown and the Texas Medical Center Library. JFS is devoted to presenting theoretical, policy, practice, and evaluation articles on the strengths perspective in family-centered practice to improve services that promote and sustain family systems.

Innovative Practices to Eliminate Health Disparities- Spring, 2017

Special Issue Editor: Heather Honoré Goltz

Editors-in-Chief: E. Christopher Lloyd (University of Arkansas at Little Rock), Angelo Giardino (Texas Children's Health Plan), Robert Sanborn (CHILDREN AT RISK), William V. Flores (University of Houston-Downtown)

The Journal of Family Strengths (JFS), in collaboration with Children at Risk, intends to publish an issue on the topic of Innovative Practices to Eliminate Health Disparities. Original epidemiological, social, behavioral, community-based participatory research, and policy-oriented research articles, commentaries, books reviews, teaching modules (K-12 and higher education), and systematic reviews of major aspects of health disparities and health equity practices are invited. Papers should emphasize innovative, transformative, and/or multidisciplinary research and educational practices leading to the elimination of health disparities in communities and populations, especially those leveraging family strengths. Topics may include: health disparities research with emphasis on improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship methods; best-practices guidelines, models, and frameworks for research, practice, and policies; gaps in health disparities research and education of families, communities, and populations; new methodologies and approaches to health disparities and community-based participatory research; and innovative and unique community partnerships and engagement to address disparities in communities and populations.

Prospective authors are encouraged to contact managing editor at jfs@childrenatrisk.org. To be considered for inclusion in this issue abstracts must be submitted by September 1, 2016 to jfs@childrenatrisk.org. Manuscripts are due by February 15, 2017.

The Journal of Family Strengths (JFS), formerly Family Preservation Journal, is an open-access, peer-reviewed online journal produced by the CHILDREN AT RISK Institute in partnership with the Center for Public Service & Family Strengths at the University of Houston-Downtown and the Texas Medical Center Library. JFS is devoted to presenting theoretical, policy, practice, and evaluation articles on the strengths perspective in family-centered practice to improve services that promote and sustain family systems.