The field of child welfare and the profession of social work are inextricably tied and their history is a shared one. And in spire of efforts to improve the system–from CPS to foster care to adoption and aging out of care–it remains a broken, maybe rag-tag one, depending on the state and the local government. The efforts to improve this system has simply not taken a broad look at the field to make substantive and enduring changes. Were schools of social work to join with state governments as well as DHHS and its parts (ACF) and team with major partners, such as the Casey Family Programs to interest others (e.g., Gates Foundation; Warren Buffett; George Soros; Michael and Susan Dell), the system could be changed. It is not a small project but rather a Grand Challenge in which social work could lead. We have the history, the research, the knowledge and t he people to make this happen. There are member of AASWSW who have devoted their careers to improve conditions for all people
