Prof. Springwater Co-Edits New Volume of Child Welfare League of America Essay Collection
Prof. Julie Springwater is the co-editor of “Collaboration, Innovation, & Best Practices: Lessons and Advice from Leaders in Child Welfare,” a collection of essays published by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). The volume features personal stories written by leaders in child welfare organizations with the goal of changing policy and practice in the child welfare system. This volume, the second in the series, was written during the first year of the pandemic. It features insights into how the pandemic shaped conversations about child welfare, particularly in terms of race, poverty, and chronic underfunding for family service systems.
“It is our hope that these essays, originally designed to facilitate peer-to-peer learning among directors and commissioners within child welfare, will be read and discussed more broadly,” Springwater writes in her introduction. “The lessons these leaders discuss can play an important role in helping staff and leaders in child and family service organizations, and in the communities they serve, to better understand the role of child welfare and stimulate a renewed commitment to working together.”
Prof. Springwater retired from the board of the CWLA in February 2022 after almost 20 years of service. Her work focuses on changing systems to improve policy and social work practice for families and children who need support. She currently serves as the executive director for the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors located at the Baker Center for Children and Families.