David Stoesz offers a sweeping critique of the Children’s Bureau and social work education by claiming the existence of a “child welfare cartel.” He also attacks the quality of social work education and research, which he claims has poorly invested government funding and helped create the unmitigated failures of the American child welfare system. However, closer examination reveals that many of his claims, while dramatic, are actually ill conceived and unsupportable. We attempt to clarify and inform readers about some significant aspects of the field of child welfare and the contemporary responses being made by the federal government in partnership with social work educators and researchers.
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