The Social Welfare Group

About Us

The Campbell Collaboration (C2) Social Welfare Coordinating Group (SWCG) is an international network of scholars, policy makers, practitioners, funders, students, and others who are interested in effective methods to promote social welfare, health, and social justice.

Meet the SWCG Team

SWCG Position Descriptions

The SWCG:

  • identifies topics for systematic reviews
  • encourages collaboration in the development and production of systematic reviews
  • provides reviewers with advice on planning and executing C2 systematic reviews
  • assures that titles, protocols, and systematic reviews are processed in accordance with C2 guidelines
  • gives feedback and organize peer review
  • assures that accepted titles, protocols, and reviews meet C2 standards
  • makes accepted titles, protocols, and reviews accessible through C2-RIPE
  • contributes to the development of C2 electronic guidelines and electronic registers (C2-SPECTR and the SWCG Specialized Register).

MEET THE TEAM

Co-Chairs:

Julia Littell (USA), jlittell@brynmawr.edu

Aron Shlonsky (Canada), aron.shlonsky@utoronto.ca

Coordinator:

Open, Accepting Applications Now

Trials Search Coordinator

Karianne Hammerstrøm (Norway), kth@nokc.no

Editor:

Julia Littell (USA), jlittell@brynmawr.edu

Editorial Board:

Espen Dahl (Norway)
Kare Birger Hagen (Norway)
Susan Kinnevy (USA)
Edward Mullen (USA)
Gilbert Ramirez (USA)
Matthew Stagner (USA)
Karen Tengvald (Sweden)
Judith Rycus ( USA)

Other Review Groups co-operating with the SWCG:

  • Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/CochraneBehav/ Contact person: Jane Dennis: J.Dennis@bristol.ac.uk
  • Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group (EPOC), University of Ottawa, Canada
  • Campbell Collaboration Method Group
  • Campbell Collaboration Education Group
  • Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group
  • Campbell Collaboration Users Group

Support for the SWCG:

  • Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Oslo, Norway
  • Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Bryn Mawr, PA, USA
  • North American Resource Center for Child Welfare (NARCCW)
  • Social Welfare Initiatives in North America works closely with the North American Resource Center for Child Welfare, the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR), and the University of Southern California School of Social Work
  • Nordic Campbell Centre (NC2), Copenhagen, Denmark

SWCG Position Roles and Responsibilities

Co-Chair - Steering Group Rep - Editor - Coordinator - Trial Search Coordinator - Editorial Board

Co-chairs (minimum of 2) are elected by voting members of the SWCG to three-year terms. Terms will be staggered to insure orderly transitions. Roles and responsibilities of Co-chairs are as follows:

  • Responsible for internal governance of the Coordinating group (make sure key roles are filled and others are doing their jobs) consistent with C2 governance policies
  • Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with other organizations and C2 groups
  • Disseminate information about the Coordinating group
  • Receive all criticisms related to activities of members of the group
  • Make final decisions for the group regarding policy and implementation
  • Recruit volunteers for group activities, including reviewers, referees, hand searchers, etc.
  • Convene group meetings
  • Provide pre-publication comments on proposed titles for new reviews
  • Responsible for ensuring the quality of content on the C2 SWCG website, including the quality of protocols and reviews
  • Formally approves or rejects titles, protocols, and reviews after receiving recommendations from the Editor
  • May serve as representative to the C2 Steering Group (limited to 2 reps)

C2 Steering Group (SG) representatives. Two of the Co-chairs shall be elected to three-year terms at staggered intervals (to ensure orderly rotation of the SG). Roles and responsibilities of SG reps:

  • Represents and informs constituents
  • Works with other SG members to set C2 policy, plans, priorities

Editors (known as Coordinating Editors in groups jointly registered with the Cochrane Collaboration) are appointed by the Co-chairs and outgoing Editor, with approval of the C2 SG. Editors are responsible for providing substantive and methodological feedback to authors consistent with C2 policies, consolidating feedback from external readers and the C2 methods group, and suggesting how authors can effectively respond to feedback. Specific responsibilities are as follows:

  • Provide substantive comments on titles, protocols, and completed reviews as they are submitted by authors.
  • Determine whether draft documents (protocols and reviews) meet C2 guidelines and standards prior to external peer review.
  • Request changes from authors and provide authors with detailed editorial recommendations and corrections prior to external review.
  • Select external peer reviewers with input from the Co-Chairs and Editorial Board.
  • Notify the Coordinator when documents are ready for external review and review by the C2 Methods Group.
  • Make sure Coordinator has information and support needed to perform his/her duties.
  • Integrate comments from external peer reviewers and methods reviewers into a clear set of changes that need to be addressed by the authors (i.e., write “action letters”).
  • Evaluate authors’ revisions to protocols and reviews and determine if they adequately address the concerns of the external reviewers.
  • Submit completed protocol and systematic reviews to the Co-Chairs for final approval prior to publication in C2-RIPE.

Coordinators are appointed by the Editors and Co-chairs. Coordinators are responsible for procedural aspects of editorial process and provide assistance to the group Editor(s).

  • Determine whether new titles are appropriate to the group’s scope, with advice of the Editor
  • Reroute titles that are not in the group’s scope, suggesting that authors submit titles to appropriate groups
  • Check Cochrane and Campbell Libraries to see whether proposed titles duplicate other work in progress
  • Identify titles that are co-registered with other groups (in Cochrane or Campbell) and ask Editors of these groups to decide which group will take primary responsibility for editorial work
  • Ensure that titles, protocols, and reviews are processed according to C2 standards
  • Send authors’ materials (titles, protocols, and reviews) to Editors and Co-chairs for comments
  • Send Editors’ and Co-chairs’ comments to authors
  • Support the Editor’s efforts to ensure that titles, protocols, and reviews meet the high standards of C2
  • Encourage involvement of prospective authors, peer reviewers, and other stakeholders
  • Support the Co-chairs in disseminating information about the activities of the Campbell Collaboration and the Coordinating group worldwide
  • Maintain a mailing list and database of contacts, including members and affiliates of the group
  • Send electronic messages to the group mailing list with prior approval of the Co-chairs
  • Advise reviewers in the preparation of titles, protocols, and reviews
  • Assist the Editor in identifying new members of review teams, to provide expertise where needed
  • Provide authors with information on C2-approved training sessions and materials
  • Coordinate the editorial base: facilitate communication between Co-chairs, Editors, authors, trial search coordinators, and others
  • Encourage direct communication between parties, including constructive criticism and use of the C2 appeals process when necessary
  • Track the procedural status of all titles, protocols, and reviews (except those in CDPLPG)
  • Prepare monthly reports on the procedural status of titles, protocols, and reviews
  • Monitor and enhance the transparency and efficiency of the editorial process. Identify potential problems and possible solutions, with the Editor and Co-chairs
  • Ensure that accurate and current information appears on the C2 SWCG home page
  • Route approved documents to the web content manager for posting on C2-RIPE

Trial Search Coordinators (TSCs)

  • Assist authors with designing search strategies
  • Review and critique search strategy in protocol and description of search in review
  • Give advice about which databases to search
  • Develop search strategies for the different electronic online databases
  • Run electronic searches for authors if needed
  • Co-ordinate handsearch activities

Editorial Board Members are appointed by SWCG Co-Chairs and Editors

  • Provide Editor with anonymous critiques of protocols and reviews submitted to the SWCG.
  • Provide advice to the Editor and Co-chairs on the development of the SWCG and its editorial base.
  • Serve as liaison for the SWCG to the C2 Steering Group
  • Make final decisions regarding policy and implementation
  • Recruit volunteers for SWCG activities, including reviewers, referees, hand searchers, etc.
  • Co-Chair SWCG meetings
  • Provide pre-publication comments on titles, protocols, and reviews
  • Disseminate information about the group
  • Receive all criticisms related to activities of members of the SWCG