While research shows that trained social workers were better prepared to produce more effective outcomes in child welfare than those with other degrees, only an estimated 3 to 28 percent of the public child welfare workforce comprised trained social workers. A social work effort to promote workforce development and to promote professional social work practice in public child welfare began in 1987. This volume compiles articles that serve as progress markers for this reprofessionalization initiative. The articles constitute evaluative snapshots of some of the current workforce developments, including social work-based education, training, and capacity building in public child welfare. The articles also reflect social work-public child welfare partnerships and the lessons that are being learned when the research, education, and service-rich resources of Schools of Social Work are harnessed to build a better trained workforce and improved services. The articles are as follows: (1) "Preparing Social Workers for Child Welfare Practice: Lessons from an Historical Review of the Literature" (Joan Levy Zlotnik); (2) "Transfer of Training" An Evaluation Study" (Kathryn Conley Wehrmann, Hyucksun Shin, and John Poertner); (3) "A Follow-Up of a Title IV-E Program's Graduates' Retention Rates in a Public Child Welfare Agency" (Loring Jones); (4) "Career Paths and Contributions of Four Cohorts of IV-E Funded MSW Child Welfare Graduates" (Sandra C. Robin and C. David Hollister); (5) "Child Welfare Knowledge Transmission, Practitioner Retention, and University-Community Impact: A Study of Title IV-E Child Welfare Training" (Kristin A. Gansle and Alberta J. Ellett); (6) "Factors Influencing the Retention of Specially Educated Public Child Welfare Workers" (Nancy S. Dickinson and Robin E. Perry); (7) "Tracking Process and Outcome Results of BSW Students' Preparation for Publc Child Welfare Practice: Lessons Learned" (J. Karen Brown, Nancy Feyl Chavkin, and Vevelyn Peterson); (8) "Reducing Conflict between Child Welfare Communities" (Sandra Kopels, Jan Carter-Black, and John Poertner); (9) "An Evaluation of Child Welfare Design Teams in Four States" (Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Hall A. Lawson, and Carenlee Barkdull); (10) "Examination of Racial Imbalance for Children in Foster Care: Implications for Training" (Kathleen Belanger); (11) "Facing the Challenge of a Changing System: Training Child Welfare Workers in a Privatized Environment" (Debora M. Ortega and Michelle M. Levy); and (12) "Evaluating Federally-Funded Child Welfare Training Partnerships: A Worthwhile Challenge" (Brenda D. Smith). (HTH)