Policy Sessions

This session is designed for researchers who want their work to reflect what government officials want to know. Representatives of government and non-governmental intermediaries will give examples of priority research questions, discuss how they use research, and share research that they have found useful. Attendees will hear about strategies for aligning their research with the research that policymakers need. The session will draw on learnings from the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, including how government agencies’ learning agendas can strengthen the link between government’s evidence needs and research in child and family policy. 

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 
Date: Thursday May 1, 2025  
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101A 

Collaboration between the research and policy realms can greatly enhance the likelihood that government policies and programs will be evidence informed. This session will feature research-policy partnerships at the U.S. federal, state, and local level. Each pair of partners will share how their partnership began, the challenges to successful partnership implementation, and how they sustain their collaboration. Attendees of all career stages and levels of expertise will learn how to build and sustain research-policy partnerships and how doing so can increase researchers’ understanding of policymakers’ and practitioners’ needs and how to respond to those needs.  

Time: 11:50 a.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Date: Thursday May 1, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101A 

Observe how researchers, advocates, and policymakers work together to tackle a pressing question on child welfare policy. An advocate group will start the discussion with a real-world policy problem they are working to solve through legislation or the courts. The panel will discuss possible solutions, drawing on the evidence and the contexts and needs of policymakers. As the discussion goes on, the policy solution will evolve as each panelist contributes what may or may not work, where there are limits and opportunities, and how that aligns with the evidence-base. Even if you are not a child welfare expert, this panel will help you better understand how advocates and researchers address a policy issue and try to inform solutions, including how policymakers utilize evidence, their constraints and needs, and ways that researchers and policymakers can co-design policy solutions. This session is geared toward researchers at all career and experience levels. 

Time: 1:40 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. 
Date: Thursday May 1, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101A 

Learn why the SRCD U.S. Policy Fellowship is a life changing career opportunity for so many people. This session will feature an overview of the fellowship and a panel made up of current SRCD Policy Fellows working in Congress, federal, and state agencies. Learn what life is like in different placements and how to prepare your application. Afterwards, network with current and former fellows in a reception. The SRCD Policy Fellowship Program offers immersive opportunities for researchers to learn about policy development, implementation, and evaluation, and how to use developmental science to inform public policy at either the federal or state level in the United States.   

Time: 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101A 

Most academics know that it is important to translate your research in order for policymakers to pay attention. But what type of communication method is best, and how do you frame your message for the type of policymaker you are addressing? This session covers the approaches that can be used to communicate science, with speakers talking about research and policy briefs, white papers, op-eds, briefings, and data visualization techniques. Panelists will discuss how different audiences will view language about minoritized communities, and how to consider this when choosing a communication median. This session will help scholars understand what tools can be used to communicate with different policy audiences and how to be strategic when selecting your research dissemination strategy. This session is geared toward scholars who are new to communicating their research to a policy audience. 

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 
Date: Friday May 2, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101C 

Advocates and child development scientists share a common goal of improving the lives of children and families. But how can these groups better align to both address policies that may harm immigrant children and to best protect children and families’ wellbeing. In this panel, attendees will hear from seasoned advocates working to support the legal rights and wellbeing of immigrant children and families. Advocates will share their strategies for supporting children affected by policies related to deportation, access to social services, and education; and how and when research evidence is useful in their work. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the role of advocates, how advocates use research in developing advocacy strategies and goals, and how researchers can partner with advocacy organizations without compromising scientific rigor and independence. This panel is geared toward scholars at all levels of policy experience.   

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 
Date: Friday May 2, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101C

Across the United States, transgender children and youth are subject to attacks on their wellbeing through restrictions on gender-affirming care and inclusion in education settings. Advocates, legal experts, and policymakers can utilize research evidence to design and implement policies that affirm and protect transgender youth and their families. This session will feature a panel of experts working at the local, state, and national level who will discuss how research evidence can shape policies that affect transgender youth and families and combat mis- and disinformation. Researchers of all career stages will learn how to work with different groups to help promote the use of evidence on a pressing policy area impacting children and youth. 

Time: 1:20 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. 
Date: Friday May 2, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101C 

Intermediary organizations are the connectors of the policy world and fulfill multiple roles in the research-to-policy-to-practice ecosystem. They can help researchers connect with policymakers, work with policymakers directly to form policy, and much more. This panel will feature presentations from multiple intermediary organizations who focus on a range of U.S. and international policy areas. Panelists will describe how they work with policymakers and the role research plays in their work. From nonprofits that specialize in translating research for policy audiences to membership and technical assistance organizations that help turn policy into practice, intermediaries are major players that researchers should become familiar with. This session will help researchers understand the pressing issues facing policymakers and how they can work with intermediary groups to provide actionable insights in the U.S. and abroad.   

Time: 4:40 p.m. - 6:10 p.m.
Date: Friday, May 2, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101C 

All policy-oriented SRCD Biennial attendees are invited to attend this celebratory reception to meet with scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and advocates who are interested in advancing policy-relevant research. SRCD policy team and Governing Council members will lead a brief presentation on the new Child Policy Hub, helping to show the range of programs, trainings, and tools that are available to SRCD members to pursue their policy goals. Attendees will learn about opportunities to build their policy capacity and advance evidence-based child and family policy while connecting with other like-minded attendees.   

Time: 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Date: Friday, May 2, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room M100B and M100C 

This session is for students and early career researchers, as well as advisors and mentors of graduate students, seeking to understand the policy career opportunities available outside of academe. Panelists from non-academic institutions will share information about their roles and career progression. The discussion will highlight strategies and skills that researchers can use to prepare themselves for non-academic positions and questions that researchers should ask themselves to determine what type of position may be most suited to them. The discussion will also include information about how to transform a C.V. into a resume that will stand out among applicant pools and how to build a professional network to increase the likelihood of career success. Whether you are considering a job outside of academe or you want to better support your policy-minded students, this session will give practical guidance on how to navigate policy careers. 

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101B 

This session is designed for early- to mid-career researchers who are curious about conducting policy research while successfully navigating academic tenure, funding, and publication requirements. The speakers will include a mix of mid- and senior-career researchers who have successfully incorporated policy into their career paths. The speakers will discuss how they navigated career expectations, what challenges they faced, and recommendations for others interested in following a similar path. The session will address the unique challenges that scholars from minoritized and diverse communities face navigating academe while engaging in policy-relevant research and practice. Speakers will include representatives from a variety of academic institutions and departments. Participants will learn how to build and sustain policy-relevant research projects and partnerships while meeting the demands of academic institutions.  

Time: 10:20 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. 
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025 
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 101B