This research study explored the Child Welfare League of America's (CWLA) perception of residential care for children, as a reflection of the child welfare profession as a whole. A content analysis of CWLA's national conference programs and the journal "Child Welfare" from 1997 to 2006 found that the profession emphasizes family foster care and community-based services and devotes minimal attention to residential care. The child welfare profession is encouraged to dialogue and more critically examine the role of residential care within the cluster of services for children. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)