Cince Bowns Shares the Stories Child Welfare Training Cannot Teach

New book draws on more than 30 years of experience to share stories of crisis, compassion and resilience

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Author and longtime child welfare professional Cince Bowns offers an unfiltered account of the challenges, losses and unexpected successes encountered within the child welfare system in her memoir, "Trying to Save the World, One Piece at a Time: A child welfare memoir."

Drawing from more than 30 years of experience as a child welfare caseworker and supervisor, Bowns shares stories that illustrate realities rarely captured in social work courses or professional training. The book examines the difficult decisions caseworkers must make while navigating family crises, court proceedings, foster care placements, limited resources and concerns about the immediate safety of children.

Across more than 20 chapters, Bowns recounts cases involving abuse, neglect, addiction, mental illness, domestic violence, homelessness and serious medical needs. The stories also place readers alongside caseworkers as they enter unpredictable homes, encounter firearms and aggressive animals, respond to children who have run away and search for appropriate placements when few options are available.

"Child welfare work teaches you quickly that you cannot solve every problem or save every family all at once," Bowns said. "But listening to one child, supporting one parent or helping create one safe and stable home can change the direction of a life. Those individual victories are the pieces that make this work matter."

Although the stories are based on her professional experiences, the book is not presented as an academic or research-based examination of child welfare. Instead, it provides a personal account of the relationships, responsibilities and emotional consequences that accompany the work.

"Trying to Save the World, One Piece at a Time" presents child welfare as work shaped by uncertainty and imperfect outcomes, but also by resilience, compassion and relationships that may influence children and families long after a case has officially closed. Through stories of grief, humor, frustration and hope, Bowns provides readers with a view of the professionals who must make consequential decisions while working within a complex and frequently strained system.

"Trying to Save the World, One Piece at a Time: A child welfare memoir"
By Cince Bowns 
ISBN: 9781489753731 (softcover); 9781489753724 (hardcover); 9781489753717 (electronic)
Available at LifeRich Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble 

About the author
Cince Bowns earned a bachelor's degree in science, physical education, and secondary education in 1981 and an MSW in Social Work in 2002. After beginning her career in child welfare, she spent 34 years serving children in foster care, including 21 years as a caseworker and 13 as a supervisor. She began writing this memoir in 2009 as a healing journey and published it to help others understand the realities of child welfare work. In retirement, she remains active in her church, Habitat for Humanity, and CASA while enjoying time with her three children, four grandchildren, and great-grandchild.

General Inquiries: 
LAVIDGE – Phoenix 
Ashley Fletcher
[email protected]

SOURCE LifeRich Publishing