CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Care, Work and Quality of Life
Building Better Long-Term Care Services and Carer-Friendly Workplaces
24 November 2026
The Research Institute for Quality of Life (ICCV) invites researchers, academics, doctoral candidates, and practitioners to submit abstracts for original scientific contributions to be presented within the parallel sessions of the international conference, held on 24 November 2026 in Bucharest, Romania.
Thematic sessions
Session 1: Long-term care: policies, services and social protection systems
This session invites contributions examining how long-term care systems are designed and funded, and how care services are delivered, with particular attention to the balance between formal and informal care provision. Papers may address policy responses to demographic ageing, the role of public and private actors in care service delivery, cross-national comparisons of long-term care models, or the sustainability of social protection systems facing rising care needs.
Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- Long-term care policy design and reform
- Formal versus informal care provision
- Funding models and sustainability of care systems
- Comparative and cross-national perspectives on long-term care
- The role of the state, market, and family in care provision
- Innovative care models
- Active and inclusive ageing policies
Session 2: Care, employment and work-life balance
This session focuses on the intersection between care responsibilities and labour market participation, particularly for informal carers. Contributions may explore workplace policies supporting carers, gendered patterns of care-related employment disruption, or the effectiveness of flexible work arrangements in reducing the burden on working carers.
Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- Carer-friendly workplace policies and practices
- Gender gaps in informal care and employment
- Flexible work arrangements and work-life balance
- Economic and career consequences of informal caregiving
- Challenges and unmet needs faced by informal carers
- Employer and business-sector responses to caregiving needs
Session 3: Socio-economic participation, inequalities, and the risk of radicalisation
This session welcomes contributions exploring the relationship between socio-economic exclusion, inequality, and vulnerability to extremist narratives or radicalisation processes. Papers may address structural drivers of marginalization, prevention and early-intervention strategies, or the role of social and economic policy in building resilience against radicalisation.
Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- Socio-economic drivers of radicalisation and extremism
- Inequality, exclusion, and vulnerability to extremist narratives
- Prevention programmes and de-radicalisation strategies
- The role of social policy in building community resilience
- Case studies and comparative approaches to countering radicalisation
Session 4: Gender-based violence: research, policy and practice
This session invites contributions addressing gender-based violence from research, policy, and practice-based perspectives. Papers may examine prevalence and risk factors, the effectiveness of prevention and protection measures, institutional and legal responses, or the experiences of survivors and service providers.
Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- Prevalence, risk factors and typologies of gender-based violence
- Prevention programmes and public awareness strategies
- Legal, institutional and policy responses
- Survivor support services and access to justice
- Intersectional approaches to gender-based violence
Eligibility
Contributions are welcome from researchers, academics, doctoral candidates, civil society representatives, and practitioners whose work addresses topics relevant to the thematic sessions outlined above. Both empirical and theoretical contributions will be considered.
Submission guidelines
- Language: English only
- Abstract length: maximum 350 words
- Abstracts are recommended to briefly cover the research objective, methodology, key findings, and conclusions.
- All required information (thematic session, author details, institutional affiliation, and contact email) will be collected directly through the submission form.
Publication Opportunity
Selected papers presented at the conference may be considered for publication in a special issue of Calitatea Vieții journal, subject to a separate peer-review process. Further details will be communicated to authors of accepted abstracts in due course.
Important dates
| Abstract submission deadline | 5 October 2026 |
| Notification of acceptance | 12 October 2026 |
| Confirmation of participation | 2 November 2026 |
| Event | 24 November 2026 |
Submission
Abstracts should be submitted through the online submission form: https://bit.ly/care_work_iccv2026
For further information, please contact: Claudia Petrescu – claudia.petrescu@iccv.ro
Note: Presentation slots are limited (approximately 5-6 papers per session). Authors of accepted abstracts will subsequently receive details regarding the format and duration of their presentation.