Child Welfare

Nurturing families and permanent connections are critical to a child’s well-being. While most parents want to do what is best for their families, they cannot always do it alone. Child welfare social workers specialize in building upon the strengths within a family and their community to help provide a safe and loving environment for their children. However, in some instances, social workers must intervene to protect children from harm.

smiling woman standing in a hallway

NASW Practice Standards & Guidelines

Our standards provide benchmarks for the services that social workers should provide, that employers should support, and that consumers should expect.

group of teenagers on school steps

Child Welfare Specialty Practice Section

Join a Specialty Practice Section for practice-specific professional development, newsletters, CE credits and more. Choose from Child Welfare; School Social Work; Children, Adolescents and Young Adults, and more.

NASW Research Library

Find resources that support your social work practice, with unlimited access to online databases from research institutions, think tanks and advocacy organizations.

Visit the Research Library


MyNASW


four smiling adults with thumbs up

MyNASW is the private online community where you can connect with peers, share knowledge and build your network.

Visit MyNASW