The place for equity in the child welfare workforce
The Center for Workforce Equity and Leadership’s (CWEL) mission is to advance equity and social justice within the child welfare workforce and improve workforce recruitment and retention through site-specific support.
This is all while disrupting a system that perpetuates racial injustice. A diverse workforce will help increase equitable outcomes for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous children and families.
In collaboration with the Children’s Bureau and led by Families Rising
Funded by the United States Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Children’s Bureau in October 2023, the newly launched Center for Workforce Equity and Leadership—led by Families Rising—will provide site-specific technical assistance to jurisdictions to diversify the workforce and improve recruitment, retention, and well-being through equity and leadership advancement initiatives.
The Center for Workforce Equity and Leadership reflects ACF’s answer to the continued focus and commitment of the Biden-Harris Administration to diversify the child welfare workforce, advance equity and social justice, and remove barriers to opportunities for underserved communities.
Join the Workforce Development Month 2024 campaign!
Workforce Development Month is celebrated every September, and the Center for Workforce Equity and Leadership (CWEL) is using this time to think about how we can better support people working in child welfare. CWEL’s message is: “We see you. Change is igniting.”
Who is the child welfare workforce?
The child welfare workforce includes case managers, supervisors, tribal child welfare professionals, public agency administrators, CPS, and anyone else working for children and families connected to foster care and adoption.
Importantly, the child welfare workforce is comprised of more than people with social worker degrees. Professionals with human service degrees like criminology, psychology, and sociology also contribute to supporting children and families across the country.
If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place. At CWEL, we’re here to support professionals in adoption and foster care agencies, state systems, and tribes to build teams in which people thrive.
Recent blog posts
September is Workforce Development Month, and we’re highlighting ways to support, develop, and invest in the individuals who work alongside children and families.
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In honor of Child Welfare Workforce Appreciation Week, we're sharing ways to thank and celebrate all child welfare professionals, like caseworkers, lawyers, judges, therapists, and others who help kids and families.
Imagine if the child welfare workforce collectively paused to address the cycles that keep us in perpetual crisis.
“Let’s do the work with courage and persistence so that every child and family has the right to be equal and whole.”
“Diverse leaders can be key drivers of needed systems change in the child welfare workforce. We are dedicated to crafting a future where every professional in the workforce possesses the essential tools, coaching, training, and data for effective leadership.”
“We owe it to our children and families to create a workforce that amplifies cultural representation and improves the capacity of child welfare professionals to provide the support requested by our communities.”
“I am excited and encouraged that OICWA’s partnership with CWEL will provide support and leadership coaching opportunities to tribal child welfare programs with intentional strengthening of cultural well-being.”
