Child Welfare League of America, Inc. (CWLA)

The Child Welfare League of America has been a part of my professional life since I was a CPS case worker and had the opportunity to attend my first CWLA conference. It was eye opening to recognize that others were doing similar work, experiencing similar challenges and sharing the lessons they were learning.
Since that time I have counted on CWLA's staff, members and research publications to help me develop the competence and confidence needed to be more effective in my work with children and families. Their work on the National Blueprint offers all of us a vision rooted in social justice of what the world should be like for children and families everywhere. Just as critically important are the advocacy efforts that CWLA makes to keep children and families a national priority.

CWLA is the voice of child welfare and children’s services agencies across our country. They work with a network of advocacy and service organizations to raise up our work and continue the fight to put children first. The Children’s Monitor is an important tool for our field, as is Hill Day each Spring which allows us to share the story of our work with our elected representatives. CWLA also offers state of the art training and consultation to help us all as we strive to do good work every day.

CWLA is key in promoting nation-wide policy for the well-being of all families, including the most vulnerable. We are proud to be part of CWLA whose work transcends and reaches our families and children in Puerto Rico.

The voice of our most vulnerable children would long ago have fallen silent if it weren’t for CWLA’s presence as enduring advocates for the last 100 years as advocates for the highest standards of care. To all it’s members both in the distant past, present, and future, thank you for stepping up to protect and nurture our children. .

The Child Welfare League of America has been working for almost 100 years with children, families, and communities that are vulnerable. Its small but mighty team of professionals is dedicated, knowledgeable, and committed to ensuring that through their advocacy, trainings, publications, and myriad programs, the organization moves into its next century fluidly and with undaunted energy. I am proud to be involved with CWLA!

I'm proud to support CWLA, a national organization with a long history of helping agencies and social workers provide critical services to children and families.

CWLA is a reputable and well-known national network advancing best practices in child welfare. As a leader and voice on federal public policy development and implementation impacting the well-being of children, youth, families, and communities. The historical impact is felt nationally and internationally across many disciplines.

CWLA is a great resource for the child welfare field. With free public webinars, training events around the country, advocacy work, policy and practice research, and a team of experts in the field supporting others, it is no surprise they have been a success for 100 years!

Excellent policy and practice advocates for the field of child welfare.

As a board member for 10 years, I have been consistently impressed with the ability of this organization to effectively advocate for children and families who may be vulnerable. They have achieved excellent results in federal policy advocacy and national standard setting. CWLA is the only national advocacy organization that provides a voice for both public and community organizations that work in the child welfare and related fields.

100 year old national organization that has been a leader in advocacy for our nation's children and standard setting for our field.

I have had the opportunity to work with CWLA in my professional role as the Director of Family Services in Virginia and now in a personal role as a board member. I first learned of CWLA's work through their award winning publications which have assisted many children, families and professionals. I personally have had the opportunity to review many of their journals which have assisted me immensely in my work. In addition, I have attended and presented at CWLA's national conference for a number of years and participants are exposed to best practices and ground breaking work in the field of child welfare. I fully support the League and their work and look forward to celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2020.

CWLA is a nonprofit leader working to protect children and strengthen families. Help support this amazing organization.

I find CWLA to be a great asset for resources, information and training, and appreciate their long history of advancing service excellence and professional development in social work practice.

The Child Welfare League speaks out for children and families in need. I am proud to support their good works.

CWLA is "the voice" for America's most vulnerable children, youth and families. I am proud to be affiliated with this outstanding membership and advocacy organization.

CWLA provides a necessary service of being the primary voice for children and families involved in the child welfare system. For over 100 years CWLA has led the nation in helping to establish standards of care for the safety, psychological and physical well-being of children in foster care and children with histories of abuse or neglect. Without the voice of this long-standing nonprofit, our society's most desperate children would likely be voiceless in a society that might easily forget about them.

I have watched the dedication and commitment of the leadership at this organization and it is nothing short of amazing. The kids, supporter of kids and advocates are in good hands with CWLA.

I know CWLA to be an outstanding organization with an exceptional mission – to lead and engage a national network of agencies, organizations and community partners to advance policies, best practices and collaborative strategies that result in better outcomes for children, youth and families that are vulnerable. They do great work! Please join in supporting this amazing nonprofit.

CWLA is a wonderful organization with a long history of helping children. They have great publications. I especially like Living in an Inspired World which shares stories from youth in foster care.

Thanks to CWLA and their hundreds of member agencies for providing a strong voice for the needs of children and families.

CWLA is an amazing non-profit lead by an amazing group of people. The leadership truly cares about the welfare of our children, and will do what's needed to make sure they are consistently protected. Support of this organization, will reach so many children and families. They need "cheerleaders" and advocates so they can continue to do their good work.

CWLA is a powerful coalition of public and nonprofit agencies from around the nation that advocates for the well being of children and families that are vulnerable. Since 1920 CWLA's expertise, leadership and innovation on policies, programs, and practices has helped to improve the lives of millions of children across the country. Its mission of promoting the well being of children is as necessary today as it was when it was founded nearly 100 years ago.

I appreciate the work CWLA does for America's most vulnerable children. Creating and supporting families improves not only the lives of those directly involved, but ameliorates our country as a whole.

I am so glad there is an organization who looks out for abused, neglected and vulnerable children and their families. Keep up the good work, CWLA!

Happy to support the Child Welfare League of America, giving a voice to America's most vulnerable children and families.

Fantastic organization! Committed and creative leadership is why they are the nation's premiere advocate for our youth and families. Keep on keeping on.

Thankfully there's an organization whose mission is to advocate for those whose voices get lost because they're children. It's everyone's moral responsibility to help those in need, most especially children.

I am somewhat familiar with CWLA's publications area, and am impressed by the variety and numbers of publications they produce for the care of the child. Not only do they produce absolutely vital training and guideline materials for the care of children in the foster and adoption systems, they produce, AND BACK UP with heart, materials to deepen understanding and improve the care of abused and neglected kids.

To this end, even their picture books for adults to read with children are filled with tenderness and relationship building, and compassion themes - like The Kissing Hand (they originally brought to existence, sold over 4 million now!), The Giant King, and recently Happy Mamas.

I wholeheartedly believe in CWLA and applaud their rich heart of giving to the future of our children.

When I came into the child welfare field over 15 years ago, the first conference I attended was a CWLA national conference. It was the best way to learn best practices and engage with other leaders to improve the lives of children and families in our country. Years later, I believe even more strongly that our country's vulnerable children and families need CWLA. It is the preeminent voice speaking out for best practices and advocating for children. It's why I enthusiastically joined the board in 2010 and am privileged to serve as the current board chair.

I'm so glad we have an organization that serves our most vulnerable children - and their families. Thank you, CWLA

Fabulous nonprofit. Solid mission. Saving and improving children's lives, every single day.

This is an exceptional non-profit, representing the most vulnerable children and families from both the public and private sector. They are doing very important work and should be recognized for their efforts.

Thank goodness we have an organization that serves the abused, neglected, and vulnerable children in this country. Keep up the good work, CWLA.

Proud to support CWLA's dedication and commitment to improving services for children and families in need.

Fantastic organization! Mission, competence and commitment are incredible. One of the few organizations I find worthy of support. Thank you for being a light in the storm for a community so easily and so needlessly marginalized.

CWLA provides a important voice in our legislatures for needy children who do not have the means or ability to speak for themselves.

Child Welfare League of America has been helping and being there for children and families through out so many years, Their dedication to helping children and families is overwhelming. Where would America be without this organization? CWLA continues to stand by it's commitment to help the needy always.

One of the few agencies left that still actually cares about its mission statement.

a well-rounded agency that puts its members and cause in the center, speaking for the most vulnerable of our society. as a board member, I am continuously impressed by the depth of the staff's knowledge and care for the issues.

I am very impressed with the determination and customer service provided by this agency.
While I was urgently seeking to find a qualified speaker to make a presentation at one our leadership meetings, I reached out to representatives at CWLA. It was at the eleventh hour, and I was reaching out - though seemingly futile - as a last-ditch effort. Not only did I need someone within less than a month, I needed them to fly several miles and be willing to miss out on a very popular conference that would be occurring at the same time as our leadership meeting.

The CWLA representative was not daunted by the task at all. She jumped right on it, found a speaker who was highly qualified, a perfect fit and willing to make the commitment. There was lots of paper pushing back-n-forth in a very short time frame, but the representative never missed a beat. She responded promptly to EVERY paper request, email and phone call (no matter the hour). CWLA coordinated the logistics on their end and made my job so much easier. My agency's staff gained tremendous insight into how case managers and supervisors can leverage resources through their CWLA membership and they were taught some helpful tips about caseworker retention. We are so very grateful for CWLA's efforts! Their willingness to go above and beyond was a pleasant discovery and a real morale booster!

CWLA is an amazing organization with an awesome mission. I've had the opportunity to work with their staff and I can feel the passion that they approach their work with every day. They truly live the mission. I wish them much attention and recognition so they can receive a fraction of what they give every day!

CWLA continues to provide up to date information, research, data, education, support and training to people interested in child welfare across the country. Many benefit from their public policy advocacy and rules and laws have been created or changed due to their leadership and expertise.

I would hate to imagine a world without CWLA. It is leading the way for better futures for all children. Kudos to the work you are doing, CWLA, please keep it up!

Ive read materials produced by CWLA and I'm very impressed with their history of advocacy for the needs of children with disadvantageous circumstances. I hope their good work can continue and expand.

CWLA is committed to helping our most vulnerable population-our children. For over 70 years CWLA has worked to set standards for excellence in child welfare. The people in this organization are extraordinarily committed to children. I am honored to be a board member.

As a children's author, I am honored and proud to have my book published by CWLA, and to be aligned with its mission of serving the most vulnerable children in our society. Whenever I go to schools on an author's visit, I am delighted to share with students and teachers the marvelous work that this organization is doing, for surely, this mission - to bring more light into the world - is indeed at the heart of all good stories. Thank you CWLA!

I am proud of my association with CWLA. CWLA is one of the strongest advocates for children in our nation. Their answer to the question "who will speak for the children?" is that we must all do so and they provide the leadership for our collective voices.

CWLA creates a framework for all of us in child welfare. It multiplies the efforts of the states' work toward bettering systems for children and youth and ensures that the myriad of agencies have a common voice at a policy and advocacy level.

CWLA is dedicated to advocacy on behalf of all children. CWLA informs and educates service providers and leadership about child welfare issues. CWLA develops and disseminates valuable resources including its recent publication the National Blueprint for Excellence in Child Welfare. I recently attended CWLA's Kinship Care Conference which provided a unique opportunity for caregivers, service providers and leadership organizations to share information and strategies to improve outcomes for children.

I rely on CWLA to inform providers in the Commonwealth about what trends are happening in the nation's capital in regards to children and family services.

As past President of the Board of the Child Welfare League of America, I can attest to its importance to all of the field of Child Welfare. It is said that if the League did not exist, we would have to create it. It is the voice in Washington on Capital Hill of all member agencies in the nation serving the neediest children in our country. It is their knowledge and expertise plus the input from their member agencies which greatly influences legislation affecting our children. It is the League which writes and publishes the standards of service which agencies use as their guide to delivering the highest quality of service to the children they serve. It is a convener of service providers so that they can learn from each other about best practices. It is a national voice on the issues facing this disenfranchised population. I have been proud to be a volunteer with the Child Welfare League of America and we should be grateful they exist as a voice for our children.

We are currently working in our state to reform our child welfare system. We were very pleased to find CWLA's National Blueprint for Excellence in Child Welfare to use as a guide to bring together all of our key stakeholders as we begin this work. Julie Collins from CWLA came out to Nevada to present this work to our planning group and everyone is very excited to have this tool and such a well respected organization as a resource to begin improving our system. The CWLA is a fantastic resource for our state and our community - their willingness to lend support, advice and resources is critical to our work. They are all amazing and a fantastic group of individuals to work with!

The City of Richmond, Virginia, contracted with the CWLA to review child welfare practices in our local social services department. CWLA’s analysis, expertise, and written report served as a useful blueprint for improvements. CWLA staff were personable and professional. Their staff consulted with us regularly and provided valuable on-site support and guidance to department staff. They were truly a pleasure to work with.

This organization has always been the "go to" resource for all things child welfare. The wealth of referral information and resources is unparalleled. Their annual conferences have historically featured the most cutting edge and relevant experts and information in the field. Their recognition of targeting agencies and professionals outside of the child welfare system, in order to connect ALL the systems that touch vulnerable children, is both brilliant and critical.

In today's environment, organizations like CWLA are vital advocates. While there are many caring organizations out there doing good work for children, youth, and families only a few focus on using knowledge-based national standards of excellence to drive a proactive advocacy agenda national and in local communities. Ensuring that children and families are safe and stable and have the support they need to thrive is about more than the "flavor of the day". it takes sustained commitment to excellence, clarity of direction, and tools that facilitate change. CWLA has demonstrated its ability to deliver these tools throughout its 93 years. CWLA's new National Blueprint for Excellence in Child Welfare provides the base for the this work in today's environment and in the future!!

CWLA is a powerful coalition of hundreds of private and public agencies serving vulnerable children and families since 1920. Because of their expertise, leadership and innovation on policies, programs, and practices they have helped improve the lives of millions of children in all 50 states, with a worldwide impact.

CWLA has been instrumental in keeping child welfare issues on Congress' radar screen. CWLA develops and disseminates valuable resources including its recent publication the National Blueprint for Excellence in Child Welfare. As an organization, CWLA has listened to the needs of child welfare professionals and responded.

CWLA is a multi-faceted organization that provides advocacy, education, and training on behalf of children including children at risk of foster care. It's recently published National Blueprint for Excellence in Child Welfare serves a to identify how the nation can achieve the vision that all children grow up safely, in loving families and supportive communities, with everything they need to flourish—and with connections to their culture, ethnicity, race, and language. This vision requires that all children, whether
they receive child welfare services or are at risk for child abuse or neglect, grow up safely. It's publications are outstanding, helping to educate professionals, families and communities.

I truly enjoy volunteering for CWLA in order to help it achieve its worthy mission. With the Federal. State, and Local government budgetary constraints, we need organizations like CWLA more than ever!! I hope you will consider donating your time and/or money to CWLA too!!

CWLA is the best advocacy organization aof cildren and families in the united States. As a Board member, I am very proud of the work that this dedicated staff does for children ona daily basis. This membership organization representing agencies that serve children from all corners of America delivers information, training, and daily advocacy to its members. It deserves to receive this award.

CWLA is and has always been relevant and necessary. It has provided invaluable research, data, services, and education to hundreds of nonprofit organizations that are responsible for the safety and well-being of children and their families. Throughout its over 90 years of existence, they have always demonstrated leadership in advocacy for America’s most vulnerable population - abused and neglect children. Its leadership has been consistent, effective, powerful and transformational.

I am an adoptive parent who adopted my daughter through the foster care system when she was 18 months old. She is 30 years old now and enjoying a rewarding career in the field of veterinary medicine as a veterinary nurse/technician. Thankfully, my daughter was spared the challenges of growing up in the foster care system. However, there are thousands of children who are not as fortunate.

I applaud CWLA’s historic dedication to raising awareness about the plight of thousands of children in America’s child welfare system, its advocacy efforts and its nationally recognized standards of practice. It would make a world of difference if more leaders and policymakers would lend their voice and support to CWLA’s efforts to champion major changes in child welfare policies and practices nationwide.

Despite the economic challenges, which are not only impacting CWLA, but also countless other organizations nationwide, CWLA is still a major and much needed voice calling for advocacy and actions to make the imperative needs of vulnerable children and their families a national priority!

Beverly Jackson

as former board member and connected supporter--I have seen consis ten affirmation that cwla is the historic spearhead as advocate and action central for all issues relating to children. i am also former foster child who knows firsthand how vital it is to have an effective advocate like cwla whose stardust sprinkles as hope to that child constituency. if constant leadership and concrete focus to mission is criterion for your nomination, cwla has earned the right to be so honored. bob danzig/ former ceo of Hearst Newspapers.

CWLA remains an important voice for children, youth and families involved in the child welfare system. CWLA's focus on quality and standards of care will help the child welfare system be more effective and best meet the needs of children and youth. CWLA's recently revised edition of What Works in Child Welfare, a 548-page body of research covering what works in the field of child welfare is but one example of their consistent focus on evidence-based practices. I look forward to CWLA's growing impact on the field and invite all of our members and colleague organizations to actively engage with our policy and advocacy efforts. We are stronger together! Finally, thank you to Chris James Brown and her entire staff-they are doing an outstanding job!

As an Alumni of the Child Welfare System I was first introduced to CWLA in 2000 as I was aging out of care and have been a partner and great supporter since then. CWLA is and will always be a part of me and many Alumni who grew up in child welfare as we reconnect as professionals in this feild. At the CWLA 2012 national conference we focused our efforts on critical issues, like: improving services and supports for older youth who are transitioning out of foster care; strengthening the child welfare workforce; and responding to abuse and related trauma in ways that allow children to safely remain with their parents or extended family when possible, and to recover from the effects of trauma.

Thank you for the opportunity to write about CWLA. I first learned of CWLA when I was a public child welfare worker many years ago. Its publications and advocacy inspired me to one day, grow enough professionally so I could work directly with them. Over the years, I have been fortunate to enjoy that privilege in a variety of capacities - as a consultant, as a staff member and, for the past decade, as a social work professor whose school of social work is a member. Twenty years ago I served as CWLA's staff director for its National Commission on Family Foster Care, and now I am honored to serve on a new National Commission for Public Policy. Every decade, since its birth in 1920, CWLA has made significant contributions to improve services and supports for at-risk children and families. CWLA helped create the National Foster Parent Association. It has led the way to pass landmark legislation; its publications, such as the juried journal Child Welfare, and its legislative alerts are valuable to the field, and to professors like me who teach child welfare and social policy advocacy courses. For the past 20 years, CWLA has provided the field with a model of practice to recruit, assess, select, prepare and support foster and adoptive parents with its PRIDE program. PRIDE is now being used in over 30 states and in 20 countries. It is inspiring to see colleagues in other states and countries using the same excellent practice skills to support foster and adoptive parents of children who have special if not extraordinary needs. This summer, CWLA will be rolling out a new model of practice, an evidence-informed curriculum to teach child welfare workers and their supervisors how to collaborate with and support kinship caregivers (relatives caring for their younger family members.) CWLA also is working with its members and other partners across the country to upgrade standards for practice, commensurate with CWLA's original mission. We are in a "perfect storm" right now, when economic downturns and other societal changes create the need for preventions and interventions for fragile children and families, but resources don't keep pace. Who is charting the course to inspire public will and political interest to keep children protected and nurtured, families strong, and other at-risk and oppressed populations served? What about help for GLBTQ youth, or young people transitioning from foster care to safe, responsible community living? What about undocumented children in the child welfare system? Who is advocating for a child welfare workforce that can do the right thing and do things right – the first time, on time, every time? Actually, CWLA is only a brand. But the brand reflects the collective passion and fortitude of all of us as tireless advocates. CWLA's current members, staff, and board need the support of more individuals, agencies, and organizations to band together under the rubric of three critically important words: for the children.

As the Executive Director of a social and human services agency meeting the needs of vulnerable children and families, our organization is a proud and long-time member of CWLA. CWLA is the nation's oldest membership based child welfare organization and, for over 90 years, has been a consistent, reliable and powerful voice for our nation's voiceless - vulnerable children, youth and families. As a board member of CWLA, I have had the privilege and opportunity to see first hand the amazing advocacy and lobbying efforts of this much needed and invaluable organization. In fact, due to CWLA's leadership and ability to effectively influence policy makers, our nation has made significant progress in adopting legislation that helps to ensure that the services and supports that states and municipalities need to protect children and help struggling families. CWLA works tirelessly to protect children from abuse and neglect, help them heal both physically and emotionally from the harm they have suffered, and help build hope for their futures - whether it be with their birth family or new adoptive families, or for youth who are aging out of foster care and entering into adulthood. CWLA is also the leading authority on research for high quality, evidence-based best practices in child welfare and sets vitally important standards to guide public and private agencies serving children and families. As a not for profit, CWLA depends upon generous financial support from donors so that it can continue to provide the strong advocacy needed to safeguard children and ensure that agencies serving them have the resources they need to ensure successful outcomes for our country's kids. Please support CWLA!!

I've been involved with CWLA for over twenty-five years, most recently as a Board member and I am very proud of the extraordinary advocacy that the organization consistently provides for the most vulnerable children, youth and families of this country. Like no other organization, CWLA approaches its advocacy not from a provider's perspective but rather from what is indicated by best practice. Strengthened by its members committmet to quality care it allows CWLA to raise a voice that no one can disregard. This kind of unwavering commitment to the most vulnerbale children illicits extraordinary support by its members.

CWLA is the only respected advocate for our nation's children, especially for those children who are at risk. While there may be other agencies devoted to supporting organizations which provide child welfare agencies or accredited those agencies there is no other which speaks on behalf of children's issues with such commitment and passion. Without CWLA's voice on the hill in Washington or in our state houses, the issues challenging our children would be lost in the din of competing issues. CWLA's voice is clear, well research and balanced.

CWLA is a national voice for vulnerable children and families. CWLA helps to educate the public and our leaders about what it takes to strengthen children and their families. This is a difficult time for children and families (especially the most vulnerable ones served by members of CWLA). We need CWLA now more than ever.

I joined the Board of CWLA because I had been a foster parent for 12 years and wanted to represent that demographic on the Board. What I discovered was an organization, staff and Board passionate about improving the lives of children and families, particularly those in the most need. It was a revelation to see such commitment, as well as strong advocacy and programs on such a small budget. Even as CWLA had to lay off staff, the remaining staffers redoubled their efforts to keep serving the needs of children. I am so honored to be on the Board with a stellar group of people who are devoting their lives to child welfare. I can unequivocally state that children in the US are much better off because CWLA exists.

I have been involved with CWLA for the last few years. As a leader in my community as well as an appointed representative of my organization which is one of the largest christian org's in the world. I must say that my experience with CWLA has been very educating, very informative and motivating. I have participated in conferences as well as a faith based convening rendered via CWLA. I must say that the leadership of Christine James-Brown is Stellar. I know for a fact that CWLA as well as the community at large is very privileged to have such an individual at the front line fighting for this organization and more importantly the cause. UB3

I think it's great that CWLA works to protect children from abuse and neglect, helping them to heal both physically and emotionally from the harm they have suffered. Children are our future and CWLA is working to help ensure that for some of America's most vulnerable children, it's a bright one. What a great organization!

I am so glad to know that CWLA works on behalf of vulnerable children. Please join in supporting this worthy cause! CWLA is a wonderful nonprofit agencies working on behalf of children who need help.

I have interacted with this organization both as a professional and as a donor. As a professional, I have seen a steady decline over the past four years. Most of the programmatic experts have been laid off or left the agency, leaving the organization with essentially no credibility. Those that are left clearly are not experienced in child welfare, the agency's alleged area of expertise. When I have sought information, I have received no response or been referred to books that were published years ago and are now out-dated.
The conferences have also declined. They do not provide the cutting-edge information needed in the field and have been unresponsive and have totally ignored input from member agencies.
Their media releases over the last couple of years have substantiated what many in the field suspect, they are no longer a respected voice in the field. The leadership does not appear to have an understanding of basic issues in child welfare. Their attempts at entering the 21st century and using social media have been pitiful and inadequate, including poorly written blogs, juvenile trivia contests, and misinformation.
I have donated to this organization a few times over the years. The last few times I donated I received no acknowledgment whatsoever.
Until there are some major changes in leadership, I will not be donating and thankfully my agency has terminated its membership.