Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Child welfare is complicated. Pain and Promise shows how it got that way and why it’s been so difficult to move policy to practice. The book focuses on a subset of older youth in residential treatment, the least understood, most vilified, and most expensive level of foster care. The Prologue is a road map for navigating this complicated territory. It introduces the author, Nan Dale, and explains the unusual role Aron Myers played in the writing of the book which also showcases the stories of Residential Treatment Center alumni and outlines what is needed if we are serious about helping these young people avoid becoming homeless or incarcerated, returned to psychiatric facilities, or made to absorb more placement failures before they get the help they need. Dale describes her personal experience with these kids and their families, how her international work shaped her child welfare work, and the history, research, and culture of foster care reform, which was her life for so many years.</jats:p>