The U.S. Children’s Bureau has understood and supported the important
role of the child welfare workforce in helping vulnerable families since its
inception. Social work’s early focus on child safety and protection evolved
into child welfare practice, which valued the importance of professional
skills in transforming the lives of vulnerable, dependent children (Perry &
Ellett, 2008). This advocacy led to the formation of the U.S. Children’s
Bureau, whose early leadership rested squarely in the hands of prominent
social workers such as Julia Lathrop and Grace Abbott (Perry & Ellett,
2008). The Children’s Bureau’s support of professional social work in child
welfare and social work’s early and ongoing commitment to child welfare
resulted in close alignment of social work and child welfare practice (Perry
& Ellett, 2008).