​Save the Date and Join Us in Arlington, VA!!!!
​Groves 2020 Conference

Family Advocacy and Family Policy: Applying Family Research to Policy
June 16-19, 2020
Embassy Suites Hotel - Crystal City

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Families and individuals are influenced every day by the policies of various forms of government. The policies themselves are shaped by the beliefs and attitudes the lawmakers hold regarding families, and individuals, and their needs and functioning. Those who advocate for families can be instrumental in influencing the way lawmakers think about families, as well as the way policies are written. Often excellent research that could guide policymakers does not reach them, especially when the researcher fails to clearly explain how their research findings can be applied by policymakers. Family ecology theory has helped family scholars to understand the interconnections among the various environments in which families, and individuals, exist. Events, conditions, attitudes, and policies help shape family functioning, whether positively or negatively. As the national election “season” commences, we will hear the candidates for various public offices, from President to city council, talking about his or her vision for policies influencing families. As family scholars, we need to be mindful of the impacts of policy proposals, and advocate for the policies that will have the most beneficial effect on families and position family research to effectively influence policy.       
                                                                                     
Conference Registration Opening Soon!!!                                              

Welcome to Groves

Groves meetings inspire a lively and in-depth exchange of a diversity of opinions, ideas, and information related to issues of marriage and family.
June 21, 2018:  Special Statement on Current U.S. Family Climate, Social Justice, and Policy
Groves Conference on Marriage and Family is a professional organization in the United States focused on the study of families and the promotion of social justice to assure family well-being. Groves urges the immediate cessation of the current inhumane practice of separating children and parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.  It is well known that traumatic family separations disrupt family bonds, harming both children and parents.  Groves calls for an immediate review of federal and state policies and systems to insure that the human rights of all children and parents are secured, now and in the future.

​The 2019 Groves Conference Was a Success!

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"Surviving or Thriving: Exploring Adversity, Resilience, and Hope across the Lifespan"

A Huge Thank You to Our Program Chairs:
Deb Berke, Barbara Settles, & Karen Doneker

Location: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
June 19-21, 2019
NEW!!!  Groves Monograph Volume 5 Now Available!
Volume 5: Gender, Sexual Identity, and Families: The Personal Is Political
​Kevin P. Lyness and Judith L. Fischer, Volume Editors

President's Winter 2018 Newsletter