Decisions made in the practice of child welfare have lifelong effects on children and their entire families which in turn affects every facet of society. To effectively practice in this vital field, social workers, psychologists, counselors, juvenile court judges, attorneys, and other child welfare professionals need to stay informed about the latest findings and important issues in public child welfare. To answer this crucial need, the Journal of Public Child Welfare provides a broad forum for theory-based and applied research in child welfare. Rather than limit itself to primarily private agencies, this essential journal provides the quality research and comprehensive information that child welfare professionals and public agencies need most. The legal mandate of vital public child welfare programs is safety, permanence, and child and family well-being. With this in mind, the Journal of Public Child Welfare presents quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods theory-based or applied research, cogent reviews of the literature, policy analyses, and program evaluation articles about child welfare.