From 2001 to 2011, I worked as a Child Protective Services social worker in Kansas, growing disillusioned with the effect of foster care on families. In our quest to reduce foster care placement, we often overlook a central driver of CPS decision-making: fear. A wild pendulum swing has long existed in child welfare. There are core issues in child welfare that cause a lot of problems, and they aren’t racism or poverty. Do you want to improve child welfare outcomes?