Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)

Celebrate Father’s Day with Happy Papas, a lyrical read-aloud by renowned children’s book author Kathleen T. Pelley that pays tribute to the joys of fatherhood in the animal and human kingdoms.

Use the discount code Pubs50 to save 50% at checkout: https://tinyurl.com/cwlapapas

Charming illustrations by Mariya Prytula depict all the activities that bring joy to human and animal fathers and their babies over the course of a day: tumbling, imagining, playing, teaching, and more. But as the moon blooms and the fireflies flicker, what makes these papas happiest by far is simply spending time with, loving, and nurturing their little ones. Join these Happy Papas and their babies in ocean, jungle, savanna, sky, and beyond, and see how universal a father’s love can be. Happy Papas is the follow-up book to Pelley’s award-winning Happy Mamas (CWLA Press, 2016).

Training Opportunity:
Strengthening Kinship Care: Traditions of Caring and Collaborating Model of Practice

New Date Added!
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET

CWLA’s trauma-informed model of practice, Traditions of Caring and Collaborating, addresses the unique strengths and needs of kinship caregivers. This model of practice has guiding principles grounded in a caring and collaborating approach to protect and nurture children and strengthen families. The model is responsive to the needs and experiences of kinship caregivers recognizing the dynamics unique to the inherited role of being someone’s relative and the acquired role of volunteering to foster.

This training opportunity will share a historical perspective on kinship care and provide an overview for identifying areas of concern for kinship families and agency staff who work with them including legal, financial, family relationships, health and mental health, child behavior, fair and equal treatment, and more. It will also highlight the competencies needed to support kinship caregivers through phases of collaboration to address all aspects of child development and family support.

Learn more and register: https://tinyurl.com/5n7adsdu

@

Our latest issue of Children's Voice magazine features articles on building workforce stability, community-based mental health approaches to youth violence prevention, early psychosis support for children and adolescents, and much more.

Explore here! https://www.cwla.org/childrens-voice/

May is National Foster Care Month, which aims to raise awareness about children and youth in foster care, their families and caregivers, and other community members who help youth find permanency and stability.

Through the end of May, CWLA Press is offering a 50% discount on books related to foster caregiving. Use the code Pubs50 at checkout!

Explore our foster care books here! https://tinyurl.com/cwlafostercaremonth

CWLA will be on Capitol Hill tomorrow, 12th, along with several other organizations, supporting Foster Care Awareness Day!

Hill staffers and others, please find and join us! 🌼

New from CWLA Press!

"Collaborating with Faith Communities: Training Guide" utilizes the 2024 film “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” as a tool for child welfare professionals, universities (particularly those with Title IV-E programs), child-serving agencies, and faith communities to help improve outcomes for all children.

Solidly built on research, the training guide can be used as a tool for foster and adoptive family recruitment and retention, along with family support. In addition, it can be used by faith communities to support the entire mission of child welfare. When the training is led by credentialed facilitators, either in person or remotely, it can provide continuing education credits in social work. When the training is provided for a community (faith partners and public child welfare), it can assist in practical collaborative goal setting.

Grab your copy today! https://tinyurl.com/yus3wvc4

To learn more about the film “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot”: https://www.peacetreeproductions.com/current-projects

We were delighted to recognize Congressman Danny K. Davis as the CWLA Congressional Champion for Children during the 2026 National Conference.

Congressman Davis has been a longstanding champion for children and families and an accomplished legislator on their behalf. CWLA has been proud to honor him over his years in Congress for his work across children's services, including kinship care, support for older youth, pandemic relief and student loan forgiveness, and supporting and protecting LGBTQIA+ youth and families.

The Congressman has established an incredible legacy of lifting up our nation's children through introducing and championing bipartisan child welfare legislation. It is our honor to recognize Congressman Davis's lifetime of dedicated service and celebrate him as one of CWLA's closest allies and greatest friends.

CWLA was thrilled to welcome Administration for Children and Families - ACF Assistant Secretary Alex Adams to the stage during the 2026 National Conference. Since his confirmation in October, AS Adams has used his role at ACF to prioritize improving outcomes for children and families involved in the child welfare system. His remarks outlined his successes in Idaho and how those experiences are informing the goals and direction of the federal agency he now leads, such as implementing the "A Home for Every Child" initiative and seeking to simplify federal regulations and oversight.

CWLA has worked alongside every administration since our creation in 1920, and we are grateful to continue our partnership with AS Adams, Children's Bureau Associate Commissioner Ryan Hanlon, and the whole team at ACF to improve programs and policies for our nation's children and families.

Living with Purpose and Hope, CWLA Press's latest publication, makes the perfect gift for youth who are graduating from school, starting a new job, or embarking on an adventure!

This colorful, uplifting book consists of 365 days of inspirational messages for youth, from youth. The intention of this book is to affirm that youth in foster care — and all youth — are competent, capable catalysts of reflection, self-direction, and change. Living with Purpose and Hope is the follow-up publication to Living in an Inspired World (CWLA Press, 2019).

“…The voices and visions of youth in foster care will fill the pages, inviting you to listen to their dreams, their hopes, and their visions: ‘We are more than our foster care experience, and we won’t let anyone define us by our circumstances. Listen to us. We are helpers, we are nurturers, we have dreams, we have goals, we have meaningful purpose… we have hope for a brighter future ahead.’
What do youth in foster care have to say about their life purpose, hopes, and dreams? Let’s listen.”
— Monique B. Mitchell, PhD, FT, Editor
To purchase: https://community.cwla.org/store/viewproduct.aspx?id=27343038

CWLA Press is pleased to announce publication of the fourth edition of "Working with Traumatized Children: A Handbook for Healing," by renowned child trauma expert Kathryn Brohl.

Intended for anyone who works with children who have experienced trauma—teachers, parents, and professionals—this fourth edition provides needed information to help understand and guide a child through trauma and toward recovery. It describes the physical and emotional effects of trauma, shows how to recognize maladaptive reactions, and offers specific strategies for treating trauma's effects. Updated chapters delve into functional brain-body changes following a traumatic experience, the role of the vagus nerve in trauma and subsequent emotional dysregulation, and how those in the helping professions can care for themselves amid experiencing secondary traumatic stress.

This fourth edition offers an effective, step-by-step process to understand, connect with, and assist children and youth who have experienced trauma.

Order your copy today! https://community.cwla.org/store/viewproduct.aspx?id=26798487