The Story of the

CHILDREN’S BUREAU
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU

Table of Contents

Introduction

Birth of an Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Progress for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 1 Collaboration

Then . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 2 Assistance to States & Tribes

Then . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 3 Research & Data

Then . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 4 Getting the Word Out

Then . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Chapter 5 Leadership

Then . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 3

Introduction Birth of an Era

As the first Federal agency dedicated to the welfare of children, the Children’s Bureau 

has a long history of addressing some of the Nation’s most pressing social issues. 

These issues have evolved over the years, from an early emphasis on infant mortality, 

dependent children, and child labor to today’s focus on child abuse and neglect 

prevention, foster care, and adoption services. However, the values that informed 

our early work, and many of the core methods used to conduct it—including 

collaboration, assistance to States and Tribes, research and data collection, public 

awareness campaigns, and leadership development—still endure. 

Young boys mending broken threads on a loom in a textile mill in 

Macon, GA, circa 1909.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-nclc-01581

Visionary Lillian Wald 

worked with Florence 

Kelley and other 

social reformers to 

conceive the idea for 

the Children’s Bureau 

and helped draft its 

founding legislation.

Photo Credit:

Library of Congress, 

LC-DIG-hec-19537

At the turn of the last century, conditions for 

children in America looked very different from 

today. More than 1 in 10 infants did not survive 

their first year. Many children left school to help 

support their families, often working in dangerous 

conditions. Orphans were crowded into large 

institutions, where they received little care

or attention.

Lillian D. Wald, founder of the Henry Street 

Settlement in New York City, and her friend 

Florence Kelley are credited with conceiving 

the idea for a Federal agency to promote child 

health and welfare in 1903. Impressed with the 

idea, a friend of Wald’s wired President Theodore 

Roosevelt, who promptly invited the group to the 

White House to discuss it further. The journey to 

create the Children’s Bureau had begun. 

Many years of nationwide campaigning by 

individuals and organizations followed. Eleven 

bills, eight originating in the House and three in 

the Senate, met with failure between 1906 and 

1912. In 1909, President Roosevelt convened the 

first White House Conference on Children. This 

meeting brought together social workers, educators, 

juvenile court judges, labor leaders, and other men 
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 4

Introduction Birth of an Era

and women concerned with children’s well-being, 

who collectively endorsed the idea of a Federal 

Children’s Bureau. 

“There are few things more vital to the welfare 

of the Nation than accurate and dependable 

knowledge of the best methods of dealing with 

children...” – President Theodore Roosevelt

In 1912, Congress passed the Act creating the 

Children’s Bureau and charged it “to investigate 

and report . . . upon all matters pertaining to the 

welfare of children and child life among all classes of 

our people.” President William Howard Taft signed 

the bill on April 9, 1912. The bill included an initial 

appropriation of $25,640. 

Link:

Establishment of the Bureau (1912) 

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20364.pdf

President Theodore Roosevelt, circa 1902.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ds-00178

Florence Kelley, who was active in the Settlement Movement, conceived the 

idea for the Children’s Bureau with Lillian Wald, perhaps as early as 1903, in a 

conversation over morning coffee. Together with other social reformers, they 

helped draft the Bureau’s founding legislation.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-137950
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 5

Introduction Progress for Children

From its humble beginning, the Children’s Bureau has made tremendous progres

in improving the welfare of our Nation’s children and families. Due in part to the 

Bureau’s success, its mandate to address the needs of “the whole child” eventually

grew too large for a single government agency.

s 

1912-2012 

• The infant mortality rate has dropped from close to 1 in 10 to fewer than 7 per 1,000 live births.

• Today’s child labor standards were a major victory for the Children’s Bureau and its partners.

• The first juvenile court was established in 1899 in Illinois; they now exist in every State.

• Unlike the orphan trains of an earlier era, modern child welfare agencies focus on finding a 

permanent family for every child.

• The Children’s Bureau has been at the forefront of efforts to enhance the child welfare workforce.

“Newsies” selling papers on the Capitol steps in Washington, DC, 

circa 1912. Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-nclc-03753
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 6

Introduction Progress for Children

Before the Children’s Bureau 

The infant mortality problem was recognized but 

not well understood. No accurate national statistics 

were available, though it was estimated that 300,000 

babies died each year, or close to 1 in 10.

Today

The U.S. infant mortality rate is less than 7 per 

1,000 live births. Resources committed to reducing 

infant mortality and ensuring access to prenatal 

and postnatal care have grown exponentially during 

the past century. The Maternal and Child Health 

Bureau (http://mchb.hrsa.gov/), within the Health 

Resources and Services Administration, U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services, now 

administers these programs. 

Nurses weighing a baby at the Cincinnati, OH, pure milk station, 

circa 1908.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-43678

Before the Children’s Bureau

Child labor was common, particularly among 

rural and immigrant families. No Federal child 

labor law existed. 

Today

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 restricted 

employment and abuse of child workers, 

representing a major victory for the Children’s 

Bureau and its supporters. Its provisions (and 

others monitoring child labor) are now enforced 

by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour 

Division (http://www.dol.gov/whd/).

Children picking cotton, circa 1912.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-npcc-19467
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 7

Introduction Progress for Children

Before the Children’s Bureau

Juvenile courts were still in their infancy. In 1899, 

Illinois became the first State to establish separate courts 

for all cases involving children under the age of 16. 

Today

Juvenile courts exist in every State, processing nearly 

1 million cases each year. Building on the Children’s 

Bureau’s pioneering work in this area, the Office 

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

(http://www.ojjdp.gov/), within the Office of Justice 

Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, is now 

dedicated to supporting States, local communities, 

and Tribal jurisdictions in their efforts to develop and 

implement effective programs for juveniles.

An 8-year-old boy in juvenile court charged with stealing a 

bicycle, St. Louis, MO, circa 1910.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-nclc-04645 Before the Children’s Bureau

“Orphan Trains” transported abandoned or 

homeless children from crowded coastal cities to 

the Midwest, where they were taken in by pioneer 

families for work or adoption.

Today

Modern child welfare agencies focus on finding a 

permanent family for every child, preferably within 

the child’s family or kin. Approximately threefourths of the more than 400,000 children in foster 

care today live in foster homes or with relatives. 

More than half of children exiting foster care are 

reunited with their families of origin, while one-fifth 

are adopted by unrelated families that have been 

carefully screened and prepared for the adoption. 

Outcomes for children entering State foster care 

systems are carefully tracked by the Children’s 

Bureau (http://cwoutcomes.acf.hhs.gov/data/).

Boys riding on what is thought to be an orphan train destined for 

Texas, circa 1904.

Photo Credit: Negative #82697d

Collection of The New-York Historical Society
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 8

Introduction Progress for Children

Before the Children’s Bureau

Child welfare work was still primarily 

conducted by volunteers lacking formal training 

in social work.

Today

The Children’s Bureau supports State, Tribal, 

and local child welfare agency efforts to recruit 

and retain a qualified workforce through 

initiatives such as its National Child Welfare 

Workforce Institute (http://www.ncwwi.org/).

A friendly visitor from the Henry Street Visiting Nurse Service, circa 1940. 

Photo Credit: Museum of the City of New York
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 9

Chapter 1 Collaboration

Then 

Collaboration with national and international organizations has been 

a hallmark of the Children’s Bureau’s work from its earliest days. Its 

broad network helped the Bureau prevent duplication of effort and 

achieve a scope of work that would have been impossible for its staff to 

accomplish alone.

Baby being weighed by nurse, circa 1912.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-48271

Children’s Bureau 

pamphlet, Is Your 

Child’s Birth Recorded?

Photo Credit:

Maternal and Child 

Health Library

Great Seal of the United 

States, circa 1850. 

Photo Credit:

Library of Congress, 

LC-USZC4-2108

Collaboration With the Private Sector: 

Birth Registration – When the Children’s 

Bureau was created, no comprehensive record 

existed of the number of children born in the United 

States each year. Accurate birth records were 

essential to the goals of reducing infant mortality 

and providing important protections for children in 

school and work, so addressing this lack was among 

the Children’s Bureau’s first priorities. 

The Bureau began by partnering with the General 

Federation of Women’s Clubs, whose members 

traveled door to door when necessary to investigate 

what percentage of births was recorded in specific, 

local areas. This initial study resulted in the creation 

(in 1915) of a “birth registration area” encompassing 

10 States and the District of Columbia. By 1933, it 

had expanded to include all States.

Link:

Birth Registration (1914)

http://books.google.com/books?id=Cef_kJ1u3AgC&printsec=toc

#v=onepage&q&f=false

Federal Collaboration – From its 

inception, the Children’s Bureau worked closely 

with other Federal agencies on research and 

programs pertaining to children’s health and safety. 

The first formal body to coordinate work among 

Federal agencies concerned with the well-being 

of children and youth was the Interdepartmental 

Committee on Children and Youth, formed in 1948. 
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 10

Chapter 1 Collaboration Then

Major responsibilities of this body included 

planning and conducting follow-up from White 

House Conferences on Children and Youth in 1950 

and 1960. In 1988, amendments to the Child Abuse 

Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) created a 

Federal Inter-Agency Task Force specifically focused 

on child abuse and neglect, a precursor to today’s 

Federal Interagency Work Group on the same topic.

Links:

The Children’s Bureau and Its Relationships With Other 

Agencies (1939)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/18604.PDF

Federal Programs Assisting Children and Youth (1968)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/19115.PDF

International Collaboration – The 

Children’s Bureau’s international activities began as 

early as 1916, when Chief Lathrop pledged to help a 

group of women in Argentina who first envisioned the 

Pan American Congresses devoted to child welfare.

Children’s Bureau staff have represented the United 

States on many such international bodies throughout 

its history, including committees of the League of 

Nations, Agency for International Development, 

and the United Nations. During World War II, the 

Children’s Bureau was a key player in the creation 

of the U.S. Committee for the Care of European 

Children.

Links: 

Certain Child-Welfare Terms in Spanish, Portuguese, 

French, and English (1948)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20844.PDF

Care of Children Coming to the United States for Safety 

(1941)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20695.PDF

Flags of the world,

circa 1893.

Photo Credit:

Courtesy Miklian 

Antiquarian Maps
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 11

Chapter 1 Collaboration 

Now

The Children’s Bureau works with States, Tribes, and Federal and 

private partners to provide for the well-being of children, youth, and 

families. Through information-sharing and collaborative programs, 

the Bureau seeks to develop knowledge, support systems change, and 

improve children’s lives.

Federal Interagency Work Group on 

Child Abuse and Neglect (FEDIAWG) 

– The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect leads 

and coordinates more than 40 Federal agencies 

participating in the FEDIAWG.

This group provides a vehicle for staff from member 

agencies to exchange information about child 

maltreatment-related programs and activities and 

collaborate to maximize funding and resources. 

For example, as U.S. troops have been deployed 

to Iraq and Afghanistan during the last decade, 

the Children’s Bureau has worked closely with the 

Department of Defense’s Military Community and 

Family Policy’s Family Advocacy Program to provide 

child abuse prevention resources to installations and 

educate the civilian community about how everyone 

can help support and strengthen military families 

during a deployment.

Link: 

FEDIAWG website

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/fediawg/
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 12

Chapter 1 Collaboration Now

Network for Action – Network for Action is a public/

private partnership to spark and support national action to 

prevent child maltreatment and promote well-being.

The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect is collaborating 

with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 

Division of Violence Prevention’s Knowledge to Action 

Child Maltreatment Prevention Consortium Leadership 

Group (K2A), along with other national organizations and 

networks that support prevention efforts, to sponsor the 

following activities:

•	 Develop a shared vision for the future

•	 Engage in shared action to make the Network vision a 

reality, through strategic projects of national significance

•	 Establish stronger relationships as a basis for meaningful 

collaboration in local, State, and national networks

Link:

Network for Action website 

http://www.friendsnrc.org/network-for-action

International visits – Children’s Bureau staff 

regularly present to groups of international delegates on 

Federal strategies to promote the safety and well-being of 

children and youth.

From October 2010 to September 2011, the Bureau hosted 

approximately 80 delegates from more than 15 countries, 

including Russia, Bulgaria, Iraq, Korea, Denmark, and 

Nigeria. Topics included the following:

•	 Models for working with at-risk youth 

•	 International adoption issues 

•	 Programs for abused and neglected children in the 

foster care system 

•	 Future direction and priorities of the United States in 

serving children in need 
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 13

Chapter 2 Assistance to States & Tribes

Then

The Children’s Bureau quickly moved beyond its original mandate to 

“investigate and report,” administering groundbreaking health and 

child welfare programs and providing some of the earliest Federal 

grants to States for social services.

Child Labor—Keating-Owen Act (1916–

1918) – The Children’s Bureau’s first administrative 

responsibility was enforcing the first Federal child 

labor law, for which Congress appropriated $150,000 

in 1917.

This duty was short-lived—the Supreme Court declared 

the law unconstitutional 9 months later. Nonetheless, 

it set the stage for the Bureau to administer legislative 

programs, and greater responsibility soon followed.

Link:

Administration of the First Federal Child-Labor Law (1921)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20483.PDF

Maternity and Infancy Act (1922–1929) – 

The 1921 Maternity and Infancy Act was the first Federal 

law providing grants to States to fund human services.

A plan very similar to the act was originally proposed 

by Children’s Bureau Chief Julia Lathrop in her 1917 

annual report. Her vision was for a program that 

provided funds for:

• Instruction in maternity and infant care through 

public health nurses and “consultation centers”

• Provision of medical and nursing care for mothers 

and infants, at home or in hospitals

As passed, the Act required States to submit 

expenditure plans that were approved by a Federal 

board chaired by the Children’s Bureau Chief.

Link:

The Seven Years of the Maternity and Infancy Act (1931)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20659.PDF

Eight-year-old “gold digger” 

Bill Scott is all set to go 

to work in the mines in 

Clarksburg, WV.

Photo Credit: Library of 

Congress, LC-USZ62-82974

Babies and their caregivers at University Settlement, corner of 

Eldridge and Rivington Streets, New York, NY, circa 1913.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-88413

Photo of orphaned baby from a 

Farm Security Administration/

Office of War information 

document emphasizing the 

importance of aid to dependent 

children, circa 1940s.

Photo Credit: Library of 

Congress, LC-DIG-fsa-8e09020
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 14

Chapter 2 Assistance to States & Tribes Then

Social Security Act (1935) – Under Title V of 

the Social Security Act of 1935, the Children’s Bureau 

was given responsibility for three important children’s 

programs: maternal and child health, services for 

“crippled children,” and child welfare services.

This represented an entirely new level of Federal-State 

cooperation in child welfare. The Bureau consulted 

with many States as they developed plans to use the 

funds to create or improve public child welfare services, 

particularly in rural areas. Bureau staff also were 

available to review proposed State legislation and 

cooperate or assist with special studies upon request. 

In fact, consultation to State and local agencies became 

one of the Bureau’s major functions, planting the seeds 

of a legacy that continues today.

Links: 

Child-Welfare Services Under the Social Security Act: 

Development of Program, 1936–1938 (1940) 

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20688.PDF

Grants to States for Maternal and Child Welfare Under 

the Social Security Act of 1935 and the Social Security Act 

Amendments of 1939 (1940)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20686.PDF

Emergency Maternity and Infant Care 

(1943–1946) – The Children’s Bureau’s Emergency 

Maternity and Infant Care program provided care for the 

wives and children of U.S. servicemen deployed during 

World War II.

Funds from the maternal and child health program of the 

Social Security Act covered the cost of medical, hospital, 

and nursing care. In the program’s 6 years, about 1.5 

million cases were authorized for care, making this the 

most extensive single public medical care program that 

had ever been undertaken in the United States.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act 

in the White House, circa 1935.

Photo Credit: Copyright Bettmann/CORBIS

African American GI and his family seeking assistance through the 

WWII Emergency Maternity and Infant Care program.

Photo Credit: National Archives

Link: 

The Emergency Maternity and Infant Care Program, 

1943–1946 (1947)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/24371.PDF
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 15

Chapter 2 Assistance to States & Tribes Then

CAPTA (1974) – The Child Abuse Prevention 

and Treatment Act of 1974 was passed in response to 

growing recognition of the problem of children who 

were being abused or neglected by their caregivers. 

The Act:

• Provided assistance to States to develop child 

abuse and neglect identification and prevention 

programs

• Authorized limited government research into 

child abuse prevention and treatment

• Created the National Center on Child Abuse and 

Neglect (NCCAN – now the Office on Child Abuse 

and Neglect within the Children’s Bureau)

• Created the National Clearinghouse on Child 

Abuse and Neglect Information (now the Bureau’s 

Child Welfare Information Gateway)

• Established Basic State Grants and Demonstration 

Grants for training personnel and support 

programs to prevent and treat child abuse

Links: 

Text of CAPTA (1974)

http://library.childwelfare.gov/cwig/ws/library/docs/gateway/

Blob/56448.pdf?w=+NATIVE%28%27sti+%3D%22Index+of+Fede

ral+Child+Welfare+Laws%22%27%29&upp=0&rpp=-10&order=+

NATIVE%28%27year+%2F+descend%27%29&r=1&m=52

About CAPTA (2011)

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/about.cfm
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 16

Chapter 2 Assistance to States & Tribes

Now Today, the Children’s Bureau supports States and Tribes with funding 

and policy guidance according to Federal law and regulations. 

Funding Programs – Matching funds help 

States, Tribes, and communities operate every aspect 

of their child welfare systems, from prevention of 

child abuse and neglect to adoption.

Funding sources include:

• Title IV-E of the Social Security Act (foster 

care expenses and administration, adoption 

assistance)

• Title IV-B of the Social Security Act (preventive 

intervention, alternative placements, family 

reunification, family preservation and support, 

services to support adoptions) 

• Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (funds 

to help older youth and former foster youth 

acquire training and independent living skills)

• CAPTA State Grants (to improve State child 

protective service systems)

• Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of 

Child Abuse and Neglect

• Children’s Justice Act (to improve investigation 

and prosecution of child abuse and neglect)

• Court Improvement Projects (to improve courts’ 

handling of child abuse and neglect litigation)

Link: 

Programs & Funding 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/programs_fund/index.htm
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 17

Chapter 2 Assistance to States & Tribes Now

T&TA Network – The Bureau’s Training 

and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Network 

provides comprehensive support to States, Tribes, 

communities, and child welfare professionals.

Members of the T&TA Network work together to build 

the capacity of State, Tribal, and local child welfare 

agencies through coordinated training, technical 

assistance, research, and consultation services. 

Links: 

Training & Technical Assistance

 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/ 

The Children’s Bureau Training & Technical Assistance 

Network 2011 Directory 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/cbttan.pdf 

Policy Guidance – Children’s Bureau staff 

help States and others understand the requirements 

of relevant child welfare legislation, including the 

recent CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 and the 

Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing 

Adoptions Act of 2008. 

Links:

Laws & Policies 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/laws_policies/index.htm

Child Welfare Policy Manual

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/cwpm/programs/cb/laws_policies/laws/

cwpm/index.jsp
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 18

Chapter 2 Assistance to States & Tribes Now

Planning and Monitoring – The Children’s 

Bureau helps States and Tribes plan and monitor 

child welfare services as mandated by Congress 

to promote positive outcomes for children and 

families. Planning and monitoring activities include 

the following: 

• The Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP),

a 5-year strategic plan completed by each State, 

sets forth a vision and goals to help integrate 

programs that serve children and families and 

strengthen the State’s overall child welfare system. 

• The Annual Progress and Services Report

provides annual updates on the progress made 

toward accomplishing the goals and objectives in 

the CFSP. 

• Child and Family Services Reviews 

(CFSRs) ensure that State child welfare practice 

conforms to Federal requirements, determine 

what is actually happening to children and 

families as they move through the system, and 

help States improve services on behalf of children 

and families.

• Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption 

Assistance Eligibility Reviews determine 

whether children in foster care and the facilities 

they reside in meet Federal requirements.

• The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and 

Reporting System (AFCARS), Statewide 

Automated Child Welfare Information 

System (SACWIS), and National Youth in 

Transition Database (NYTD) Assessment 

Reviews assess and evaluate States’ adoption, 

foster care, and child welfare data systems and 

files to assess system functionality and ensure 

high-quality data are available for the Bureau’s 

CFSR and other reports.

Links: 

Child Welfare Monitoring

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring

CFSP/APSR toolkit

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/programs_fund/toolkit/state.htm
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 19

Chapter 2 Assistance to States & Tribes Now

Resources for Tribes – The Bureau’s 

Central and Regional Office staff work with federally 

recognized Tribes to facilitate their access to 

available funding under programs such as titles IV-B 

and IV-E of the Social Security Act, including direct 

funding to operate Tribal child welfare systems.

The National Child Resource Center for Tribes 

(NRC4Tribes), the newest resource center within the 

Children’s Bureau T&TA Network (http://www.acf.

hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/index.htm), will become 

the focal point for coordinated and culturally 

competent child welfare T&TA for Tribes.

Links: 

National Child Resource Center for Tribes

http://www.nrc4tribes.org/

Tribal-State Relations (2005)

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue_briefs/tribal_state/index.cfm
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 20

Chapter 3 Research & Data

Then

The Children’s Bureau’s original mission was to “investigate and 

report” on all matters pertaining to child well-being. During the past 

century, Bureau research has shed light on many of the most critical 

conditions affecting all children, as well as those affecting specific, 

vulnerable groups. 

Groundbreaking Infant Mortality Study 

– The U.S. Government could once do little more than 

guess at the percentage of infants who survived their 

first year and the reasons why so many did not. One of 

the Children’s Bureau’s very first undertakings was a 

search for more definitive answers.

Eight American cities were selected to represent 

different conditions for families in different 

regions. Bureau staff, volunteers, and women’s 

clubs members painstakingly visited the homes 

of approximately 23,000 babies, documenting 

conditions and discovering critical factors that 

influenced the vastly differing infant death rates 

among various groups. The result? Between 1915 and 

1921, infant mortality rates fell 24 percent.

Links: 

Results of a Field Study in Johnstown, PA, Based on 

Births in One Calendar Year (1915)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/2155.pdf

Causal Factors in Infant Mortality (1925)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20569.PDF

Children’s Bureau “baby thermometer” chart showing infant 

mortality rates according to fathers’ earnings, circa 1923.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-127253
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 21

Chapter 3 Research & Data Then

Rickets Demonstration – In 1924, the 

Children’s Bureau selected the community of New 

Haven, CT, for a detailed study of the incidence and 

prevention of rickets.

A common disease at the time, rickets impaired 

children’s immune systems, making them more 

susceptible to serious illness and death from 

pneumonia, measles, whooping cough, and other 

respiratory infections. Working in partnership with 

the Yale School of Medicine and the New Haven 

Department of Health, staff visited every mother 

with a baby in the study area to educate them about 

preventive measures such as sun baths and cod 

liver oil. Regular doctor visits and X-rays provided 

evidence that these simple preventive measures were 

effective in improving children’s health.

Link: 

Sunlight for Babies (1931)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/29412.PDF 

Children’s Bureau pamphlet, 

Sunlight for Babies, circa 1931.

Photo Credit: Maternal and 

Child Health Library

Sharecropper’s child 

suffering from rickets and 

malnutrition, Wilson cotton 

plantation, Mississippi 

County, AR, circa 1935.

Photo Credit:

Library of Congress,

LC-USF33-002002-M2
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 22

Chapter 3 Research & Data Then

Depression-Era Research – Much of the 

Children’s Bureau’s research during the 1930s focused 

on the effects of unemployment on families and 

children.

For example, studies looked at living conditions for 

the vast numbers of adolescents who took to the road 

and the effects of the economy on families of railway 

workers. At the same time, the Bureau assumed 

responsibility for the only monthly national relief 

statistics available, compiling data from all U.S. cities 

with populations of 50,000 or more. 

Links: 

Family Welfare: Summary of Expenditures for Relief 

(1932)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20651.pdf

Earnings and Standard of Living of 1,000 Railway 

Employees During the Depression (1934) 

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20892.PDF

Adoption Outcomes – One of the earliest 

studies of independent adoption was conducted 

jointly by the Florida Department of Welfare and the 

Children’s Bureau, in partnership with the Russell 

Sage Foundation.

Beginning in 1957, this study examined conditions 

associated with favorable or unfavorable adoption 

outcomes. It found, among 484 nonprofessional 

adoptions, “... that the overall picture of the homes 

is not as bad as some had feared, but not as good as 

those concerned about children think it could and 

should be.” Findings were used to support further 

professionalization of adoption placement services.

Link: 

Independent Adoptions: A Follow-Up Study (1963)

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/studies/WitmerIA.htm

Children’s Bureau poster, Is Your Child Healthy?, circa 1923.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-npcc-24903

Traveling dispensary of the Department of Labor, 

Children’s Division, circa early 1900s.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-16718
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 23

Chapter 3 Research & Data Then

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention – 

Juvenile delinquency and juvenile courts were a 

consistent theme of study during the Children’s 

Bureau’s first 50 years.

The Bureau studied causes of delinquency during 

World Wars I and II. It also reviewed the organization 

and methods of many of the Nation’s earliest juvenile 

courts, giving rise in 1923 to the first published 

juvenile court standards. In 1927, the Bureau began 

recording standardized juvenile court statistics of 

delinquency, dependency, and neglect. The Children’s 

Bureau also studied police work with juveniles and 

began offering special training conferences for police, 

teachers, and social workers on the topic in the 1940s. 

In 1952, the Bureau co-sponsored five meetings 

to discuss juvenile delinquency with the privately 

funded Special Juvenile Delinquency Project. The 

Effectiveness of Delinquency Prevention Programs

was issued in 1955.

Links: 

Juvenile-Court Standards (1923)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20531-1923.PDF

Facts About Juvenile Delinquency: Its Prevention and 

Treatment (1932)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20669-1932.PDF

Poster promoting planned housing as a method to deter 

juvenile delinquency, showing silhouettes of a child stealing a 

piece of fruit and a child involved in armed robbery, circa 1936.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZC2-1017

Boys gang, Cleveland, OH, circa 1911.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-51276
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 24

Chapter 3 Research & Data

Now

Whether collecting national statistics on families involved with the 

child welfare system or funding original research and demonstration 

programs, the Bureau remains a key contributor to the knowledge 

base necessary to implement evidence-based practice and data-driven 

decision-making.

Federal and State Reporting Systems 

– The Children’s Bureau administers Federal and 

State reporting systems that provide data to monitor 

and improve child welfare outcomes. These include 

the following:

• Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and 

Reporting System (AFCARS) collects caselevel information on all children in foster care 

for whom State child welfare agencies have 

responsibility for placement, care, or supervision 

and all children who are adopted under the 

auspices of a State public child welfare agency.

• National Child Abuse and Neglect Data 

System (NCANDS) is a voluntary national data 

collection and analysis system.

• The National Youth in Transition Database 

(NYTD) collects case-level information on youth 

in foster care, including the services paid for or 

provided by the State agencies that administer 

the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program 

(CFCIP), as well as outcome information on youth 

who are in or who have aged out of foster care.

• Statewide Automated Child Welfare 

Information System (SACWIS) is a 

comprehensive automated case management 

tool that supports social workers’ foster care and 

adoptions assistance case management practice.

• Child Welfare Outcomes (CWO) is both a data 

site and an annual Report to Congress. The data 

are drawn from AFCARS and NCANDS to provide 

State and national information on child welfare.

Link: 

Statistics & Research

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/

National Youth in Transition Database
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 25

Chapter 3 Research & Data Now

Discretionary Grants – The Children’s 

Bureau awards discretionary grants for research 

and innovative program development through a 

competitive peer-review process to State and local 

agencies, Tribes, community-based organizations, 

and other groups. Programs include the following:

• Abandoned Infants Assistance provides 

funding for the development of comprehensive 

support services for families affected by 

substance abuse and/or HIV/AIDS.

• Adoption Opportunities help eliminate 

barriers to adoption and find permanent families 

for children.

• Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 

Act Research and Demonstration Projects

support research and demonstration and training 

programs for preventing and responding to child 

maltreatment. 

• Child Welfare Training enhances the skills 

and qualifications of child welfare workers.

• Community-Based Grants for the 

Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect 

(CBCAP) support Tribes, Tribal organizations, 

and migrant programs in developing linkages 

with the statewide CBCAP program and/or 

providing services otherwise consistent with the 

purposes of the CBCAP.

• Infant Adoption Awareness Training 

Program trains designated staff of eligible 

health centers in providing adoption information 

and referrals to pregnant women on an equal 

basis with all other options.

Links: 

Discretionary Grants Library 

http://library.childwelfare.gov/cbgrants/ws/library/docs/cb_

grants/GrantHome

Discretionary Grant Outcomes and Lessons Learned

http://www.childwelfare.gov/management/funding/funding_

sources/cbreports.cfm
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 26

Chapter 3 Research & Data Now

Quality Improvement Centers – Bureaufunded Quality Improvement Centers (QICs) promote 

knowledge development to improve child welfare 

services in five areas of focus: nonresident fathers, 

privatization, differential response, early childhood, 

and the representation of children.

Each QIC conducts a national needs assessment 

and knowledge gap analysis on its issue, funds 

demonstration projects to address identified gaps, 

conducts cross-site analyses, and disseminates 

the findings.

Link: 

Quality Improvement Centers 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/index.htm#qips

Children’s Bureau-Funded Research 

– The Children’s Bureau also funds research in 

collaboration with other organizations. 

For example:

• A Report to Congress on Barriers and Success 

Factors in Adoptions From Foster Care: 

Perspectives of Families and Staff Supported by the 

Adoption Opportunities Program identifies child, 

family, and agency factors that promote or act as 

barriers to successful adoptions from foster care. 

• Child Welfare Systems’ Responses to Children of 

Color seeks to identify programs and practices 

that address perceived racial or cultural 

disparities within the child welfare system and to 

pilot studies of policies and practices related to 

services for children of color in the system.

• Fourth National Incidence Study of Child 

Abuse and Neglect (NIS-4) provides updated 

estimates of the incidence of child abuse and 

neglect in the United States, measures changes 

in these estimates from earlier studies, and 

examines the incidence of child maltreatment 

in relation to various subgroups defined by the 

child’s characteristics and family or household 

characteristics.

• LONGSCAN reports provide information about 

the Longitudinal Study of Child Abuse and 

Neglect, sample demographics, measures utilized, 

and more.

• National Survey of Child and Adolescent WellBeing (NSCAW) seeks to learn what happens to 

the children and families who come in contact 

with the child welfare system.

Link: 

Children’s Bureau-Funded Research

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.

htm#cb
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 27

Chapter 3 Research & Data Now

Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration 

Projects – The Child Welfare Waiver 

Demonstration authority gives States an opportunity 

to use Federal funds more flexibly in order to test 

innovative approaches to child welfare service 

delivery and financing.

States can design and demonstrate a wide range 

of approaches, including subsidized guardianship, 

services for caregivers with substance use disorders, 

and adoption and postpermanency services, to 

reform child welfare and improve outcomes. 

Link: 

Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration Projects

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/programs_fund/index.

htm#child
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 28

Chapter 4 Getting the Word Out

Then

Throughout its history, the Children’s Bureau has bridged the gaps 

among science, practice, and parenting through a combination of 

public campaigns, popular brochures, and research-based periodicals.

Early Campaigns – “Save 100,000 Babies” 

was the slogan for the Bureau-sponsored Children’s 

Year (1918–1919). This wartime program mobilized 

11 million volunteers across the Nation to help 

reduce infant mortality. 

The effort also persuaded the majority of State 

governments to form child welfare programs or 

agencies. Other goals included the following: 

• Weighing and measuring infants and toddlers

• Encouraging healthy recreation and play

• Keeping children in school

The Children’s Year concluded with the development 

of new minimum standards for the health, education, 

and work of normal children and for the protection of 

children in need of special care. Baby Week Campaigns, 

a collaboration between the Children’s Bureau and the 

General Federation of Women’s Clubs that started as 

early as 1916, were an important precursor to the more 

comprehensive Children’s Year effort.

Links:

Children’s Year (1920)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20439.PDF

Baby-Week Campaigns: Suggestions for Communities of 

Various Sizes (1915)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20696.PDF

Children’s Bureau poster commemorating Children’s Year, circa 1918.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZC4-9867

A nurse examines one of the Okeechobee migratory labor 

camp’s first babies, providing both prenatal and postnatal 

care to mother and child, Belle Glade, FL, circa 1940.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-USF34-054200-E
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 29

Chapter 4 Getting the Word Out Then

Popular Literature – The Bureau’s early 

pamphlets for parents were among the most popular 

government publications for decades.

They were particularly critical to women living 

in rural areas, who often did not have access to a 

doctor’s care or guidance. The series began with 

Prenatal Care, first published in 1913. This was soon 

followed by Infant Care (1914) and The Child from 

2–6 (1915). All were bestsellers; the most popular, 

Infant Care, had been through 10 editions with a total 

distribution of 45 million copies by the end of 1961. 

Link: 

Children’s Bureau Brochures and Booklets for Parents

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/parents.html

White House Conferences on Children 

– Following the first White House Conference 

on Children in 1909, conferences were called 

approximately every 10 years through 1970, serving to 

focus national attention on the needs of all children. 

The scope and topics varied greatly. For example: 

• The 1919 White House Conference on Standards 

of Child Welfare was an intimate gathering of 

approximately 200 specialists, laymen, and 

international visitors. By contrast, the 1930 

White House Conference on Child Health and 

Protection was preceded by 16 months of fact 

finding by experts, attended by more than 3,000 

participants, and documented in 32 volumes of 

final reports. 

Children’s Bureau pamphlet, 

Out of Babyhood into 

Childhood, circa 1929.

Photo Credit: Maternal and 

Child Health Library

Child Welfare conference during the early years of the Children’s 

Bureau, circa 1914–1918.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-npcc-33232
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 30

Chapter 4 Getting the Word Out Then

Five hundred youth were among the attendees at the Midcentury White House Conference on Children and Youth, 1950.

Photo Credit: National Archives

• The Midcentury White House Conference on 

Children and Youth, a gathering of nearly 6,000, 

was notable for being the first to emphasize 

children’s emotional development, with its focus 

on a “healthy personality.” 

• Among the 14,000 people attending 1960’s Golden 

Anniversary White House Conference on Children 

and Youth were 1,400 official youth delegates of 

high school and college age.

Link: 

The Story of the White House Conferences on Children 

and Youth (1967)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/19074.PDF 

Research News – The Children’s Bureau began 

issuing its first research and news periodical in 1919. 

Child Welfare News Summary began as a 

mimeograph for Bureau staff, but the mailing 

list soon expanded to include as many as 1,200 

State and local partners. It was produced until 

1935, when it was replaced by The Child, a journal 

produced monthly to “provide a regular means of 

communication” between the Children’s Bureau 

and its State and local constituents. Later versions 

included Children (1954–1971) and Children Today

(1972–1997).

Links:

The Child (1936–1953)

http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/h/hearth/browse/title/4732639.html

Children (1954–1971)

http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/h/hearth/browse/title/4761305.html

60th anniversary issue of the Children’s Bureau publication, 

Children Today (March 1972), and a later issue featuring the 

customs and rituals associated with birth and infancy from ancient 

times to the modern day (March 1988).
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 31

Chapter 4 Getting the Word Out

Now

The Children’s Bureau produces initiatives, reports, and information 

focused on strengthening vital links between child welfare research 

and practice. These activities enhance awareness and provide tools 

to help child welfare professionals improve their services to children 

and families.

Special Initiatives – Special initiatives build broadbased partnerships and recognize public and private efforts to 

strengthen communities, support parents, and protect children.

They include the following:

• Adoption Excellence Awards are awarded annually to 

honor States, organizations, businesses, individuals, and 

families that have demonstrated excellence in providing 

stable, permanent homes for our Nation’s children in 

foster care. 

• National Child Abuse Prevention Month is celebrated 

each April to encourage individuals and communities to 

support children and families and help prevent 

child maltreatment.

• National Foster Care Month is celebrated every May to 

acknowledge the work of foster parents and draw attention 

to programs and practices that promote permanency for 

children and youth.

• National Adoption Month is celebrated each November 

to raise awareness about the adoption of children and youth 

in foster care.

Links:

Adoption Excellence Awards

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/current_initiatives/aeawards.htm 

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/preventionmonth

National Foster Care Month

http://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth

National Adoption Month

http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 32

Chapter 4 Getting the Word Out Now

AdoptUSKids Campaign – AdoptUSKids 

aims to raise public awareness about the need for 

foster and adoptive families for children in the 

child welfare system and to help States recruit and 

retain foster and adoptive families and connect 

them with children.

Funded through a Children’s Bureau cooperative 

agreement, AdoptUSKids offers a national 

photolisting of children waiting for families. In 

partnership with the Ad Council, AdoptUSKids 

has launched a multimedia national recruitment 

campaign to find families for waiting children. 

To date, more than 16,000 children previously 

featured on the national website have found 

permanent families.

Links:

AdoptUSKids

http://www.adoptuskids.org/

Reports and Publications – Knowledge built 

through Children’s Bureau programs, data collection, 

research, and monitoring efforts is disseminated to the 

field in the form of statistics, reports, and publications 

to help child welfare professionals improve their 

services to children and families. Key resources include: 

•	 Adoption and Foster Care Statistics (AFCARS) 

Reports—Case-level information on all children in 

foster care

•	 Child Maltreatment Reports—National statistics 

on child abuse and neglect

•	 Child Welfare Outcomes Reports—Annual 

reports to Congress on child safety, permanency, and 

well-being

•	 User Manual Series—Guidance on identifying, 

preventing, and responding to child maltreatment

Links:

Children’s Bureau Statistics & Research

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/

Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanual.cfm
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 33

Chapter 4 Getting the Word Out Now

Research, News, and Information –

The Children’s Bureau offers professionals and 

others concerned with child well-being multiple 

ways to stay connected to the best child welfare 

research and resources.

• Child Welfare Information Gateway

connects professionals and the general public 

to timely, essential information and practical 

resources on programs, research, evidence-based 

practice, laws and policies, training approaches, 

statistics, and much more. 

• Children’s Bureau Express (CBX) offers 

subscribers monthly updates with the latest news 

and resources from the fields of child abuse and 

neglect prevention, child welfare, and adoption.

Links:

Child Welfare Information Gateway

http://www.childwelfare.gov/

Children’s Bureau Express

http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 34

Chapter 5 Leadership

Then

From the eradication of child labor to the reduction of infant mortality 

to improving living conditions for orphans, the Bureau has provided 

groundbreaking leadership and garnered critical resources to improve 

the lives of children and families.

Children’s Bureau Chiefs – Julia 

Lathrop, first Chief of the Children’s Bureau, was 

the first woman ever to head an agency of the U.S. 

government. Many of Lathrop’s successors have 

been women; all have provided critical leadership on 

behalf of children, youth, and families.

Children’s Bureau Chiefs include the following:

• Julia Lathrop (1912–1921) guided the Bureau’s 

formative years, overseeing an increase in staff 

from 15 to more than 200, as well as the shift in its 

mission from strictly investigation and reporting 

to administering programs. Her brainchild, the 

Maternity and Infancy Act, was signed into law 

during her final year at the Bureau.

• Grace Abbott (1921–1934) joined the 

Bureau in 1917 to run the child labor division 

and administered the short-lived KeatingOwen Act. Her most important tasks as head of 

the Children’s Bureau were to administer the 

groundbreaking Maternity and Infancy Act and 

help draft the Social Security Act of 1935.

• Katharine Lenroot (1934–1951) was a social 

worker who worked first as a special investigator 

and then assistant director of the Children’s 

Bureau, authoring studies on juvenile courts 

and issues facing unmarried mothers. Lenroot 

had an international focus, creating the United 

Nations International Children’s Emergency 

Fund, representing the United States at four PanAmerican Child Congresses, and serving on the 

executive board of UNICEF from 1947 to 1951. 

Children’s Bureau Chief, Julia Lathrop, meets with staff to 

plan Baby Week, circa 1916.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-hec-06624

• Martha Eliot (1951–1956), a medical doctor,

served as director of the Bureau’s division of 

child and maternal health from 1924 to 1934 and 

as assistant chief from 1934 to 1949. Among her 

accomplishments were helping to draft the child 

welfare portions of the Social Security Act and 

conceiving and implementing the Emergency 

Maternity and Infant Care program.

• Katherine Oettinger (1957–1968) was 

a working mother and the first Bureau chief 

formally trained as a social worker. During 

her tenure as Chief, Oettinger presided over a 

sixfold increase in the Bureau’s budget and was 

instrumental in focusing public attention on 

child abuse and neglect, programs for children 

with disabilities, juvenile delinquency, and the 

development of child care. 
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 35

Chapter 5 Leadership Then

• Pardo Frederick DelliQuadri (1968–1969)

oversaw children’s services in Wyoming, 

Illinois, and Wisconsin and served as the U.S. 

representative to the United Nations Children’s 

Fund (UNICEF) under President Kennedy. While 

DelliQuadri was chief, the Children’s Bureau 

sponsored several research and demonstration 

studies that showed the serious health, 

educational, and social risks involved in schoolage pregnancy.

• Edward Zigler (1970–1972) participated on 

the National Planning and Steering Committee 

of Project Head Start in 1964. Appointed the first 

Director of the Office of Child Development and 

Chief of the Children’s Bureau in 1970, Zigler 

led efforts to conceptualize and mount such 

national programs as Health Start, Home Start, 

the Education for Parenthood Program, the Child 

Development Associate Program, and the Child 

and Family Resources Program.

• John Meier (1974–1976) was responsible for 

starting the New Nursery School, a precursor 

to the Head Start program. While Chief of the 

Children’s Bureau, Meier influenced and helped 

create significant legislation, including writing 

sections of the Education for All Handicapped Law.

• Blandina Cardenas (1977–1979) 

• John A. Calhoun III (1980–1981) helped to 

write and then saw Congress enact the landmark 

Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act 

of 1980.

• Clarence Eugene Hodges (1981–1984)

Child welfare workers in Minnesota, circa 1920s.

Photo Credit: Courtesy University of Minnesota School of 

Social Work

• Dodie Truman Livingston (1984–1989)

was a writer and researcher dedicated to issues 

concerning adoption. Both an adoptee and 

an adoptive parent, Livingston oversaw the 

development of the Bureau’s Family Assessment 

Form, which was validated by research and used 

in hundreds of agencies across the United States.

• Wade Horn (1989–1993)

• Olivia Golden (1993–1998)

• Patricia Montoya (1998–2001)

• Joan Ohl (2002–2008)

• Bryan Samuels (2010–Present)

Link: 

Annual reports of the Chief, Children’s Bureau, to the 

Secretary of Labor (1913–1932) 

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/21867.html
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 36

Chapter 5 Leadership Then

Professionalization of the Child 

Welfare Workforce – The Children’s Bureau’s 

early decision to support workers’ professional 

development resulted in an enduring commitment 

that continues today.

Faced with a limited source of child welfare funds 

authorized by the Social Security Act of 1935, the 

Children’s Bureau determined it could achieve 

the greatest impact by using those funds not for 

maintenance of children in the States’ care, but for 

the employment and training of child welfare staff. 

Early funding supported inservice training, higher 

quality supervision, and professional educational 

leave to enhance workers’ skills and abilities as well 

as to address the never-ending challenges of staff 

shortages and turnover. In 1960, about 10 percent of 

the $13 million allocated to States for child welfare 

services was being used for educational leave. 

Link: 

Child-Welfare Services Under the Social Security Act: 

Development of Program 1936–1938 (1940)

http://www.mchlibrary.info/history/chbu/20688.PDF

Children’s Bureau staff, circa 1923.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-npcc-24896
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 37

Chapter 5 Leadership

Now

Today, the Children’s Bureau’s leadership can be seen in its 

commitment to systems change, implementation science, and 

professional development to support the next generation of child 

welfare leaders. 

Implementation and Systems 

Change – The Children’s Bureau funds five 

regionally based Implementation Centers, which 

focus on implementation of strategies to achieve 

sustainable, systemic change that enhances the 

lives of children, youth, and families. 

In addition to working with the T&TA Network to 

provide consultation and support, each center has 

formal partnerships with States and Tribes in its 

region to execute programs. Other Implementation 

Center tasks vary by region and include:

• Facilitating peer networking across State and 

Tribal systems via webinars and conference calls, 

listservs, regional forums, learning communities, 

and training opportunities 

• Providing expertise, resources, and technical 

assistance needed to enhance agency capacity to 

implement and sustain systemic change 

• Building and disseminating resources, knowledge, 

and best practices about effective implementation 

in child welfare 

• Engaging families and youth in achieving 

systems change

• Integrating cultural and linguistic competence

Link:

Implementation Centers

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/index.htm#centers
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 38

Chapter 5 Leadership Now

Workforce Development – The Children’s 

Bureau-funded National Child Welfare Workforce 

Institute aims to build the capacity of the Nation’s 

child welfare workforce and improve outcomes 

for children, youth, and families. The Institute 

conducts a range of activities to support leadership 

development, skill-building, and professional 

growth. 

These include the following:

• Development and delivery of child welfare 

leadership training curricula to middle managers 

and supervisors, through its Leadership Academy

• Facilitation of national peer networks of child 

welfare trainees, students, and leaders

• Strategic dissemination of effective practices in 

workforce development, leadership, and cultural 

responsiveness

• Implementation of B.S.W. and M.S.W. traineeship 

programs in partnership with 12 universities

• An extensive project evaluation

Links: 

National Child Welfare Workforce Institute

http://www.ncwwi.org/

Changing the Culture of the Workplace

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/changing_

culture.htm
The Story of the CHILDREN’S BUREAU 39

Chapter 5 Leadership Now

21st Century Child Welfare Roadmap 

– During 2011 and 2012, the Children’s Bureau 

will work with Federal, State, Tribal, and private 

partners in venues across the country to develop a 

shared vision for the future of child welfare services. 

These strategic discussions will culminate in the 

production of a “roadmap” for the Bureau’s next

100 years. Highlights will include system reforms 

and improvements; prevention efforts; sustainable 

effective practices; and innovations that will 

continue to contribute to child and family safety, 

permanency, and well-being.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth and Families

Children’s Bureau

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb