Tribal Child Welfare in the News

This 2 ½ day “Train the Trainers” workshop is designed to prepare individuals who will train Foster Parents,parents and other child care providers using the “Extending Our Families Through Unity” Curriculum. More

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell visited the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe on Aug. 18 to learn about the Tribe's Title IV-E foster care program and health initiatives. More

The right of adopted children to seek their birth parents when they are older could be extended to their own offspring, under plans in a consultation being launched today. More

Lac du Flambeau hopes to provide more support for families and kids in its foster care system. The state of Wisconsin has signed an agreement allowing the tribe to access a new stream of federal funding. More

The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF) will hold an open meeting on Thursday, August 28, 2014, in Plymouth, Michigan. More

The National District Attorneys Association’s National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse (NCPCA) provides customized trainings for prosecutors, law enforcement and other allied professionals. More

In "Lost Birds," AlJazeera America's Fault Lines Blog, profiles four adopted women who sought out their Native American roots. More

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has included South Dakota's persistent and alleged illegal seizure of Lakota children in a report it is scheduled to present to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland in August. More

"Those are Our People and That's our Family", written by Erika Bjorum, who conducted a graduate research project with Maine-Wabanaki REACH, is published in the latest edition of Journal of Public Child Welfare. More

This NOW message contains information about the American Indian Services Scholarship. American Indian Services (AIS) supports Native youth through scholarships, outreach programs, leadership training, community development, and other educational programs. AIS provides more than 2,300 scholarships annually and scholarship amounts vary by year. More

The National American Indian Court Judges Association Board of Directors is soliciting nominations for four awards: Lifetime Achievement Award, Judicial Excellence Award, Court Support Excellence Award and Outstanding Service Award. More

This week twenty-six key decision-makers from the Spirit Lake Tribe, federal and state governments, as well as local and national private organizations met to kick off a comprehensive strategy called the "Spirit Lake Child Welfare Improvement Project." Also: Improving Spirit Lake Child Protection: Tribal, National, State Leaders Convene to Develop Strategy: More

Washington D.C. (KELO AM) - U.S. Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD), James Inhofe (R-OK), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today introduced the Tribal Adoption Parity Act. The legislation ensures parents adopting American Indian and Alaskan Native children through tribal courts are treated fairly under our nation's tax code by making it easier for adoptive parents across Indian Country to claim the full adoption tax credit for "special needs" children. More

14th National Indian Nations Conference: Justice for Victims of Crime.“Generational Voices Uniting for Safety, Justice and Healing” More

A congressional committee has begun investigating why child abuse and neglect persists on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake reservation, almost two years after the federal government stepped in to address the problem. More

2014 Advisory Committee Comment With respect to [Rule 34.03] subdivision 1(j) and (l), in cases where the application of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is unclear, such as when it is not yet known whether the child is or is not an Indian child, it is advisable to proceed pursuant to the requirements of the ICWA unless or until a determination is otherwise made in order to fulfill the Congressional purposes of the ICWA, to ensure that the child's Indian tribe is involved, and to avoid invalidation of the action pursuant to 25 U.S.C. § 1914 and Rule 46.03.” More

HHS-2014-ACF-ACYF-CA-0832 More

A new study shows that children in homes affected by violence, suicide, or the incarceration of a family member have significantly shorter telomeres—a cellular marker of aging, than those in stable households. More

This is one of a series of Systems and AFCARS Webinars developed by the NRC-CWDT for Tribes with a title IV-E program, a submitted IV-E Plan, and those who have a Development Grant. The focus of the Webinar series is on general information related to developing an information system (of any size) or a data tracking system, as well as, information on AFCARS. Webinars will be posted on the NRC’s Website in order to view at any time. More

A new funding announcement from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S Department of Health and Human Services. More

A joint letter from the Children’s Bureau (CB), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Department of Education regarding meeting educational stability requirements for children in foster care. More

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., is pushing Congress to create a Commission on Native Children to study in depth the condition Indian children live under, what the government is doing to help and why it's not working. More

Purpose: The youth matrix is designed to track key activities and programs developed, managed or funded by federal agencies which engage, or could in the future include, resources for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth. More

Please join the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Offices of Early Childhood Development, Head Start, and Child Care on May 22nd for an important webinar on “Developmental and Behavioral Screening of Young Children in Tribal Communities”. More

The American Indian Justice Conference offers tribes across the nation an opportunity to learn strategies to enhance tribal justice systems while providing essential information on court development, drug and alcohol abuse, probation and parole, SORNA implementation, and other relevant topics. More

This tip sheet highlights some of the possible settings and considerations related to housing for young adults participating in foster care and services beyond age 18. More

Doris Pilkington Garimara was among 100,000 children of mixed aboriginal and white ancestry who were taken from their homes and reared in desolate settlements. She wrote "Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence," the saga of her mother's escape from one such camp. More

North Dakota lawmakers say child welfare on Spirit Lake is a priority in light of the latest child death the reservation. More

As part of National Foster Care Month, the Children’s Bureau through the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections is offering a free webinar series on achieving permanency for children and youth in foster care. More

This announcement governs the proposed award of formula grants under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to Native American Tribes (including Alaska Native Villages) and Tribal organizations More

Daryle Conquering Bear Crow, member of the National Resource Center for Tribes National Advisory Council, received a Youth Mentor award during the 2014 Colorado Convening on Children, Youth and Families. More

A primary reason so many children leave foster care without a family is because it is virtually impossible in the United States to adopt a child from foster care across state lines. More

Documents show Gov. Fallin's involvement in the Baby Veronica case. More

The Procurement webinar series is sponsored by the Children's Bureau's Division of State Systems. These webinars are targeted for State/Tribal Child Welfare staff involved with child welfare information systems. More

Listening Sessions to hear from tribal leaders and representatives on the re-examination and update of the BIA's Indian Child Welfare Act Guidelines for State Courts More

Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that his office will hold the next set of Listening Sessions on the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Guidelines for State Courts on Tuesday, April 15, 2014, at the National Indian Child Welfare Association annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and on Thursday, April 24, via teleconference. More

This webinar offers an introduction to the webinar series and sets the stage for why credit is such an important issue for youth More

The April 2014 Youth Wellness Learning Community will address the topic of suicide and how it affects American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. We invite you to attend the April 9 webinar, which will be a panel presentation led by exceptional guest presenters. More

The Understanding Toxic Stress in Young Children webinar provides current information on toxic stress in early childhood, recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics on helping early brain development, and available resources. More

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, participated in a Senate hearing on her bill to address the challenges facing Native children and offered real solutions to address them. Also, "Heitkamp Bill to Improve Lives of Native Children Moves Forward During Senate Committee Hearing" More

If Hoeven's legislation, called the Native American Children's Safety Act, passed, it would require the Bureau of Indian Affairs to run background checks on all adults living in a prospective foster home. The foster home would have to undergo periodic background checks, which would lead to the detection of any adults who had not been screened. More

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to solicit applications for one-time grants to tribes, tribal organizations, or tribal consortia More

Association on American Indian Affairs,with support from Casey Family Programs, recently released their report More

The theme for Hearing #3 is: American Indian Children Exposed to Violence in the Community. More

Download a digital copy of the March-April 2014 issue of the NYSBA: Government Law and Policy and the Indian Child Welfare Act More

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to provide funding to establish a 17-month national Quality Improvement Center (QIC) designed to provide technical assistance and implement projects to fully develop and expand research-based child welfare infant-toddler court teams More

A federal judge has given four Seventh Circuit judges and one former circuit judge two weeks to either abide by his orders or explain why they won't order transcripts of custody hearings involving Native American children. More

This year, National Child Abuse Prevention Month is focusing on the theme, "Making Meaningful Connections." To learn how to support meaningful and measurable change in children's well-being, and engage families and communities in the prevention of child maltreatment, More

Presenters will share highlights from their recently completed Children's Bureau (CB) grant projects More

Child welfare, domestic violence, juveniles and substance abuse affecting families will be the types of cases the tribal-state joint jurisdictional court will hear. Courtrooms on tribal lands and in downtown Placerville, about seven miles apart, will be used. The locations will alternate and the judges will hear the cases together. More

This Information Memorandum (IM) provides guidance to tribes who administer child welfare programs funded by title IV-E of the Social Security Act and are considering options to support related data collection, including the development or purchase of an automated child welfare information system. More

The Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) will announce its second class of Champions for Change, a youth leadership program inspired by a White House initiative. More

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to solicit proposals for demonstration projects which will: 1. Conduct a Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) program which effectively supports family connections and engages family members in ways that achieve positive outcomes for the target population of children who are in, or at risk of entering, foster care and their families; and 2. Analyze the implementation, impact and cost of the FGDM program, through a rigorous local evaluation and cross-site evaluation participation, and produce high level evidence of what worked and why in order to contribute to the evidence base for FGDM practice. More

The Children’s Bureau has issued the attached Program Instruction ACYF-CB-PI-14-04 for tribes on requirements for submission More

Abby Abinanti metes out a more community-based form of justice for tribal members — starting with the question, 'Who's your mom?' More

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to test, by awarding 8 discretionary grants, intensive and exhaustive child-focused adoptive parent recruitment strategies for children in foster care. Intensive recruitment strategies have been shown to move foster youth into permanent families at a higher rate than traditional recruitment approaches. These programs will focus on children/youth that are the hardest to place from the child welfare system due to age, disability, or sibling group membership. More

The NCJFCJ is committed to helping state courts achieve full ICWA compliance. A new resource is now available to the courts (or Court Improvement Programs) to help achieve this goal. More

Title: Development and Expansion of Research-based Court Team Models to Strengthen Parenting and Promote Healthy Development in Infants and Toddlers in Child Welfare More

The Children’s Bureau is pleased to announce the release of this important new resource More

Cost Analysis in Program Evaluation: A Guide for Child Welfare Researchers and Service Providers (2013) More

The Children’s Bureau announced the launch of a new website for Children’s Bureau Express (CBX) More

More than 30 tribal leaders, juvenile court judges, child advocates, juvenile justice system experts and community members from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community testified today in the second public hearing of the Advisory Committee of the Attorney General's Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence. The hearing focused on how juvenile courts and other programs within tribal juvenile justice systems address the impact of children's exposure to violence. More

Some tribal authorities can for the first time prosecute non-American Indians accused of domestic or dating violence on tribal lands, federal officials say. The pilot project with three tribes in the western United States was announced Thursday in a statement by the U.S. Justice Department. More

Four national Native American organizations on Monday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the treatment of American Indian and Alaska Native children in the private adoption and public child welfare systems, saying civil rights violations there are rampant. More

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena filed for bankruptcy protection Friday as part of a proposed $15 million settlement for hundreds of victims who say clergy members sexually abused them over decades while the church covered it up. More

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has partnered with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign—a nationwide effort to enroll eligible children and teens in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). More

This report is a first of its kind applying the 2007 National Survey Data on Child Health with an exclusive focus on American Indian and Alaska Native Children. More

This quarterly newsletter publication is designed to provide States, Tribes and Territories up-to-date information in the area of adoption and adoption support and preservation services. More

Deadline for submission of abstracts is March 17, 2014 More

Submit a proposal and share your expertise on critical issues regarding children, youth, and families with your peers. More

A lawsuit from two tribes and three parents accusing South Dakota of routinely violating the federal law governing foster care and adoptions for American Indian children can proceed as a class-action case, a judge ruled. More

An Oklahoma lawmaker has authored a bill in response to the custody dispute over a girl who was eventually adopted by a South Carolina couple. The legislation would also require paternity testing and allow an identified father to successfully contest an adoption. More

Check out the January 2014 Newsletter at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ecd/news/january-2014-newsletter More

This 3-day intense training is for individuals wanting to be certified as a Facilitator in NAFFA's new Linking Generations by Strengthening Relationships curriculum. This curriculum provides individuals the knowledge and skills to implement a 14-week program that assists fathers, mothers, and families to enhance their capacity to promote strong, healthy, and positive relationships across generations (i.e. marriage, families, friendships, etc.). More

This analysis offers new insight into how such in-risk populations modify risk or buffer the effects of adverse experiences. Comparatively few studies of protective factors have been conducted with samples of in-risk children and youth where the issue is not prevention of a problem but coping with or transitioning through one or more existing problem situations. More

Ann Piccard has published Death by Boarding School: “The Last Acceptable Racism” and the United States’ Genocide of Native Americans, 49 Gonz. L. Rev. 137 (2014). More

What is Done to One is Felt By All. Honor Our People – New family violence prevention campaign is now available targeting American Indians and Alaska Natives More

Child Welfare Information Gateway has developed a new web section and three tip sheets to advise foster care workers, foster parents, and youth in foster care on using social media in child welfare. More

Thursday's agreement won't affect a criminal complaint of custodial interference, which Brown still faces in South Carolina, even though authorities are no longer seeking his extradition from Oklahoma. More

The theme for this hearing is: Juvenile Justice Systems’ (Tribal, State, Federal) Response to AI/AN Children Exposed to Violence. More

The tribal resolution, which passed unanimously, states: "In any adoptive placement of a Cherokee child under state law, a preference shall be given, in the absence of good cause to the contrary, to a placement with a biological parent or parents; a member of the child's extended family; other members of the Cherokee Nation; or other Indian families." More

The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is in its first year in the state of Maine. We are the only state in the country to take this historic step-looking at what happened to Native children in foster care, many forcibly removed from Native homes and placed in white homes. More

You may be interested in this funding opportunity from SAMHSA: Planning and Developing Infrastructure to Improve the Mental Health and Wellness of Children, Youth and Families in American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) Communities More

"This historic agreement is important to the Cherokee Nation and represents a significant milestone toward our continued self-determination and economic prosperity," Principal Chief Bill John Baker said. "Self-governance is a vital and necessary component of the Cherokee Nation's planning and management of financial resources. This will enhance our tribal government's ability to chart the course for success in tribal program management." More

Tanana Chiefs Conference will become the first tribal consortium in Alaska eligible for Federal Foster Care Program reimbursements with an agreement to be signed Wednesday. More

Kenora-Rainy River Child and Family Services and Weechi-it-te-win Family Services signed an agreement and transfer of jurisdiction here Friday to allow WFS to provide child-welfare services to all band members living off-reserve within the Rainy River and Kenora districts. More

The Indian Law Resource Center and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center have launched a new video campaign to raise awareness of and help end violence against Native women and girls. More

In the Baby Desirai case, instead of a South Carolina court demanding that a child be sent back from Oklahoma, an Oklahoma court has demanded a girl back from South Carolina, according to sources familiar with the litigation. Otherwise, the story stays pretty much the same. More

The issue of child-abuse reporting burst into the spotlight last week with news that Arizona's Child Protective Services failed to look into about 6,000 reports of suspected child maltreatment that had been phoned in to its abuse hotline in recent years. At least 125 cases already have been identified in which children were later alleged to have been abused. Other states have had problems with their processing of abuse reports. Florida's Department of Children and Families, for example, overhauled its abuse hotline last year after flaws were discovered with how information was collected and relayed to investigators. More

The 19th National Conference on Child Abuse & Neglect (NCCAN) will salute the resiliency of our host city by closing our conference with a presentation by More

Alaska Native children are exposed to violence on a level far beyond that of non-Natives in the state. While recent studies have criticized the state law enforcement's failure to curb those statistics, a federal task force has formed to take a closer look at the problem on a national level. More

Court documents filed by the Cherokee Nation state it would be "inappropriate, unreasonable and unconscionable" for the adopted parents of a 4-year-old Cherokee girl to seek more than $1 million in legal fees. More

A scandal in which 6,000 child-abuse complaints in Arizona were filed away and never investigated illustrated what advocates say is a tragically common problem across the U.S.: Many child-protection agencies have crushing workloads and inadequate oversight. More

The field of child welfare is brimming with policy proposals and legislation that could dramatically change the way the federal government invests in foster care and families on the brink. What's more, some appear to have bipartisan support or the potential for it. This is a guide to the various reform-minded work happening on federal child welfare policy at the moment. More

A recently released e-book—The Children's Bureau Legacy: Ensuring the Right to Childhood presents a comprehensive look at the first 100 years of the Children's Bureau, which is part of ACYF/ACF/HHS. More

Next Wednesday, The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission will begin collecting testimony in a series of hearings. More

Fault Lines examines why so many Native American children are caught in the child welfare system in South Dakota. More

Native American children now account for nearly 1 of every 10 foster children in Nebraska, according to figures released Thursday by the Foster Care Review Office More

For the five-member commission, sworn in on Feb. 12, the Nov. 20-22 visit will be the first to a Wabanaki community to begin collecting accounts of people who were harmed by antiquated child welfare practices. The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission also is charged with recommending best child welfare practices with regards to the Wabanaki. More

Leaders of South Dakota's nine Sioux tribes will be in Washington, D.C., this week to seek federal help to resolve allegations that the state removes too many Native American children from their homes and places them in foster care in non-Indian homes. More

The Indian Law and Order Commission traveled around the country for two years to hear about criminal jurisdiction, tribal courts, grant More

Brandi Sweet is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, but that heritage is only partly why she is a perfect fit for the newly created post of American-Indian foster family recruiter at Utah Foster Care. More

While recent national attention has highlighted the law's role in child custody and adoption proceedings involving tribal citizens, less credit has been granted to ICWA for its wider affirmation of tribal sovereignty as a guaranteed and guiding tenet of federal law. More

Aileen McInnis, director of the Alaska Center for Resource Families, said part of the reason Native families, as well as non-Native families in rural communities, may be hesitant to sign up to help is because of the nature of small town living. More

The brief highlights why young children and their families deserve special attention to reach our goal of safe reduction of children in foster care. It outlines policy, practice, and investment recommendations More

Attorneys for the adoptive parents of a 4-year-old girl caught up in a custody dispute have filed paperwork in Oklahoma seeking $1 million in legal fees from the Cherokee Nation and the girl's biological father, who has dropped all legal claims to his daughter. More

A disproportionate number of Native American kids get removed from their homes. The state and the tribes are trying to keep Native foster kids with Native foster parents More

Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe staged a protest Wednesday to dispute the alleged actions of workers at Anishnaabeg Child and Family Services. About 20 tribal members gathered outside Tribal Operations on Broadway Street, accusing non-native social workers of violating laws, and ignoring parental rights when assigning foster care. More

Last month, Oklahoma County Judge Allen Welch ordered the return of the infant back to Oklahoma and granted custody to the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. More

From Alaskan mountain peaks to the Argentinian pampas to the rocky shores of Newfoundland, Native Americans were the first to carve out cities, domesticate crops, and establish great civilizations. More

Rose-Margaret Orrantia has spent a lifetime working to help American Indian children in the foster care system. After all, helping children is where her heart has led her. More

Worlds away from Washington, Audrey Costa wondered aloud about keeping her family warm. A mother of three, she relies on lease payments from the BIA on land owned by her family, which can run up to a few hundred dollars a year, to pay for food and electricity. More

As the federal government shutdown enters its ninth day, most American Indian tribes are keeping their programs afloat on carryover funds, so the individual casualties still stand out. But if the shutdown continues beyond two or three weeks, the health and education of American Indian children could suffer substantial setbacks. More

Includes summary of the case and legal analysis, including the impact of state statutes and tribal/state agreements. This document is designed to summarize the decision (what the case held about the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), what it did not hold, and what it implied), and provide advocates for tribes, birth parents (particularly unwed fathers) and Indian children with possible responses to the decision. More

A list of the Children's Bureau discretionary grants awarded in fiscal year 2013: More

Many of us celebrate our parents in May or June. But for over 5.4 million individuals, that appreciate comes in September - Grandparent's Month - as the time to recognize the men and women who raise them; and with September coming to a close, we would like to express our appreciation for them as well. More

As a member of the Children’s Bureau’s Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Network, the NRCDR provides assistance to Tribes as well as to other child welfare jurisdictions. This month we highlight some of our key partners and collaborators in this work as well as some resources for culturally competent practice for working with Tribes. More

Tribal Nations Hard Hit by Shutdown and Sequester More

The Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, Inc. will host its 48th Annual Convention November 4-7, 2013, at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nevada.This year's theme -- "Sustaining and Improving Tribal Communities" -- focuses on bettering the 27 tribal communities throughout Nevada. More

William Thorne, Utah’s first American Indian judge, retires after 27-year career More

A South Carolina couple who vowed last month to not leave Oklahoma unless they went home with a 4-year-old Cherokee girl they have been trying to adopt since her birth were given custody More

In an interview with the Tulsa World, Hembree said a district court order was issued about 4:30 p.m. to hand over Veronica. The order came after the Oklahoma Supreme Court lifted its ruling that had kept Veronica in her biological father's custody while the appeals played out. More

Communities NOW (formerly the Front Porch Project) is an innovative, research-supported and community-based initiative built on the belief that all people who are concerned about the well-being and safety of children can be encouraged and taught how to make a difference. More

Through the generosity of Casey Family Programs, Indian Child Welfare Programs, NAICJA is making available a limited number of scholarships to assist More

Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is pleased to announce that the 2013 National Adoption Month website, created in partnership with AdoptUSKids, is now online. More

The Office of Data, Analysis, Research and Evaluation (ODARE), is launching a new data brief series highlighting findings from administrative and survey data focusing on children, youth and families served by ACYF. The series will address topics of current interest to the field. ACYF expects to publish data briefs two or three times per year. More

Webinar recording of the NCWWI National Webinar Series Session from September 11, 2013 More

The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and Angel Smith, an independent attorney appointed by the District Court of the Cherokee Nation and "Next Friend in the filing"," are applauding today's action by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya calling for state, federal, and tribal authorities in the United States to take all necessary measures to ensure that the well-being and human rights of Veronica Brown, the four-year-old Cherokee child at the center of a highly contentious custody dispute, are protected. More

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, today called on the relevant state, federal and tribal authorities in the United States of America to take all necessary measures to ensure the wellbeing and human rights of ‘Veronica,’ an almost four year old Cherokee child at the center of a highly contentious custody dispute. More

The murders highlighted serious child abuse problems on the reservation, where officials have struggled to improve its child protection and social services over the past two years. More

September is National Preparedness Month (NPM) and it is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters. As you have seen over the past year, emergencies can happen unexpectedly anytime, anywhere. More

A new suite of videos showcases key themes in the Children's Bureau's work to protect children and strengthen families. The seven Spotlight Videos feature Children's Bureau leadership and staff discussing their support of States, Tribes, grantees, and community organizations and sharing insights into critical aspects of their work. More

Monday's rally was a call to end an epic custody battle over "Baby Veronica," pitting Brown and his tribe against her adoptive parents from South Carolina. More

Mason is an expert on the Indian Child Welfare Act and its application in Oklahoma, which has 39 tribes and the second largest tribal population in the United States. On his client's behalf, he filed a suit, Simmons v. Tarbox, to halt the finalization of the adoption and bring Deseray back to Oklahoma from South Carolina, where she has been living with an adoptive couple who do not have the legal authority or a court order to retain her. More

Child Welfare Outcomes 2008–2011: Report to Congress is the twelfth in a series of reports from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). More

Dusten Brown, her biological father, along with his wife and the child's grandparents were seen entering the courthouse for the hearing at about 8:40 a.m. Veronica was not with them, and it's unclear if she will be at the hearing. More

As Dusten Brown posted bail in a Sequoyah County, Oklahoma courtroom yesterday afternoon on a federal warrant for his arrest for "custodial interference" in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, Indian Country Today Media Network has learned that yet another Indian child from Oklahoma has been illegally placed for adoption in South Carolina. More

Negotiations between Baby Veronica's biological father and her adoptive parents have begun, defense attorney Clark Brewster confirmed Wednesday evening. Related, "Adoption facilitator working with Capobiancos" More

Governor Fallin urged the biological father and the adoptive parents "to reconcile and to come to an agreement that best serves their child." "To be clear, the legal system cannot deliver a happy ending in this case," Fallin said in a prepared statement. "Only Mr. Brown and the Capobianco family can do that." Also: Biological father fails to return girl to adoptive parents More

The father of a Cherokee Indian girl at the center of an adoption dispute turned himself in to authorities Monday but refused extradition to South Carolina, further complicating a case that raises questions about jurisdictions and a federal law meant to keep members of Native American tribes together. Also: Timeline of 'Baby Veronica' adoption case: More

South Dakota's First Lady continues promoting a campaign to recruit more foster families in the state and spoke in Pierre on the topic before a meeting of the Pierre Rotary Club Monday. More

November 1-3, 2013; Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel Mesa, AZ: "Fathers must take the lead in keeping families together!" Native American Fatherhood & Families Association invites you to a 3-day Conference in Mesa, AZ.This Conference will provide a wealth of information focusing on fatherhood, motherhood, healthy relationships, and positive parenting. More

After an extensive investigation lasting well over a year, NPR's ombudsman has concluded the network's series on South Dakota's efforts to put Native American children in foster care was fundamentally flawed. The network and the ombudsman, Edward Schumacher-Matos, who is paid to critique NPR's news coverage, have split sharply over his findings More

A South Carolina court is demanding that Brown bring her to Charleston "immediately," giving custody back to the adoptive parents, Matt and Melanie Capobianco, who raised her for the first two years of her life. Brown will be back from Iowa before an Aug. 23 deadline to contest those demands in an Oklahoma court. More

The adoptive parents don't want it to end with sheriff's deputies prying Veronica away from her relatives. But they're ready to book a flight at short notice if South Carolina authorities mount such an endeavor. More

The Alaska Office of Children's Services reports that more than 1,200 of the 2,000 children who need foster homes in Alaska are Alaska Native. Fairbanks has 103 licensed foster homes but only 30 of those are Native foster homes. More

Before the adoption of Veronica Brown to Matt and Melanie Capobianco was finalized yesterday in a South Carolina courtroom, the Native American Rights Fund made good on its promised Civil Rights litigation, filing a complaint late Tuesday night in federal district court on behalf of the girl's right to due process in a "meaningful hearing" to determine her best interest. Also, "Father to appeal court decision on adoption of his daughter" More

Statement of Support Issued by Tribal Governments and Leading Native American, Civil Rights, Child Welfare and Legal Advocates along with Arizona and New Mexico State Attorneys General to Stop Violation of "Baby Veronica's" Civil Rights by South Carolina Courts More

Details of Veronica's transition timeline are still unknown due to a gag order, but the little girl could be changing hands again before her fourth birthday. How could a cross-country transition affect a child that age? More

With 35 years of federal ICWA legislation on the books and 80 percent of Native children still showing up in white foster homes, the tribes insist they are ready to take over foster care and child protection services, and to keep more of their children on the reservations. The key to accomplishing that, they say, is directly accessing federal dollars now being funneled through the state. More

Filing a federal lawsuit with several other women who have given up children for adoption, Baby Veronica's birth mother wants part of the Indian Child Welfare Act declared unconstitutional. More

Senator Dorgan Highlights "Broken Promises" to Tribes in NY Times Editorial. More

There were many developments in the Baby Veronica case today. Currently, we are awaiting a ruling from the South Carolina Family Court based upon today's decision by the South Carolina Supreme Court. When there is a ruling in the Family Court, if necessary, NICWA is fully ready to support the litigation being prepared to protect Veronica's civil rights. More

It's an old American story: malign policies hatched in Washington leading to pain and death in Indian country. It was true in the 19th century. It is true now, More

Team Nutrition is pleased to announce the availability of printed copies of the Nutrition and Wellness Handbook for CACFP providers caring for children ages 2 through 5 years. More

Today the Cherokee Nation filed a petition for rehearing in the case of Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, also known as the “Baby Veronica” case. The motion asks the South Carolina Supreme Court to reconsider its July 17 order, which moved to terminate the parental rights of Dusten Brown and transfer Veronica to South Carolina without a hearing on her best interests. Dusten Brown, an Iraq combat veteran and active member of the Army National Guard, has had custody of his nearly 4-year-old biological daughter since 2011. More

Now completely updated and significantly expanded to reflect a decade of new research and clinical evidence, the 2nd edition of Treating the Lifetime Health Effects of Childhood Victimization is an essential resource for identifying and treating the health needs of adult survivors of abuse. More

Attorney General Eric Holder affirms that children's exposure to violence is nothing less than a national crisis. With this public health issue comes serious ramifications for the future of our country and the young men and women who will soon be called upon to build that future. More

Three of the nation’s leading tribal organizations announced they are in the early stages of pursuing litigation to protect the civil rights of Veronica More

In the letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Daugaard said he understands that the tribes might ask for federal dollars to be sent directly to them to administer those services to their members. "I want you to know that I am fully in support of these efforts, and I ask you to favorably consider the requests of any South Dakota tribe," the governor wrote. More

A growing body of social science research suggests that racial disparities and other biased outcomes in the criminal justice system, in medicine and in professional settings can be explained by and stereotypes. More

NICWA shares the outrage reverberating through Indian Country today. It is incomprehensible that, in its decision, the South Carolina Supreme Court took the added measure of forbidding the state Family Court from holding hearings to determine what is in Veronica's best interest. More

NCAI is astounded and alarmed that the South Carolina Supreme Court has issued an order to transfer Veronica, the daughter of Dusten Brown, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, to the adoptive couple and doing so without holding a hearing to determine the best interests of the child. More

South Carolina’s high court ruled 3-2 that the Capobiancos are the only party properly seeking to adopt the girl in the state and ordered a Family Court to finalize the couple’s adoption. More

When the Miccosukee judges awarded sole custody to the children's tribal-member mother, Stier turned to a Miami-Dade court for help. The result promises to be a legal showdown, unique for South Florida, to determine where the children actually lived - and ultimately, whether Florida or the sovereign Miccosukee nation should preside over the custody case. More

The Capobiancos closed out the first week of July by filing a motion for immediate judgment with the South Carolina Supreme Court on Friday, July 5, which means in plain English that Dusten Brown's rights would be immediately terminated, and Veronica would be transferred back to the pre-adoptive couple. In anticipation of such a ruling, the Capobiancos have offered a "transition plan" to the court in which they would move to Oklahoma to assist with Veronica's transition back to South Carolina. More

The University of North Dakota's Social Work Department has grown dramatically in the past decade and, in doing so, it's making a greater impact on the way the state reaches out to its American Indian population. More

three HHS agencies – Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – have come together to issue a letter to state directors of child welfare, Medicaid, and mental health authorities encouraging them to strengthen their efforts to address complex trauma among children and youth known to child welfare. More

"The money will be taken away from the state and given directly to the tribes," Sheehan said, adding that he was reasonably confident that could happen within the next two years. Monday's discussion also focused on potential models for native-run foster care systems. More

Baby Veronica's biological father, stepmother and paternal grandparents have filed court papers in Oklahoma to adopt the 3-year-old girl, a move that dissenting U.S. Supreme Court justices warned could happen and will likely complicate the custody dispute. More

While the undecided custody of Baby Veronica could end tragically, another concern across Indian country was how the Indian Child Welfare Act would fare in the Supreme Court's hands. Terry Cross, director and founder of the National Indian Child Welfare Organization, predicted the case would likely be multilayered and complex, however, much of the final decision seemed to rest in one small phrase, "continued custody." Related: Some 'disappointed' by Supreme Court's ruling on Indian adoptions: More

Morris' husband insisted on raising their children off the reservation because they knew conditions were deplorable. "We started speaking against the Indian Child Welfare Act because we thought that if we should pass away, there is no way we would want our children to be brought to the reservation under the jurisdiction of the tribal government because we have seen such horrible things happen to so many children," she tells OneNewsNow. More

South Dakota's adherence to the Indian Child Welfare Act is a major issue for the tribes, Yellow Fat said. The federal law was passed in 1978 with the intention of keeping American Indian children from being taken from their homes and routinely placed with non-Native American adoptive or foster parents. The tribes say the state has often broken the law; state officials say they haven't. More

The shelter will be a licensed state child caring agency that will have state placement contracts. That means any Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services worker can place children there, he said. Tribal child welfare workers will be able to place children as well. More

Convened by the Native Nations Institute on April 3-4, 2013 in Tucson, Arizona, the “Tribal Constitutions: Rebuilding Native Governments” executive education seminar was designed to equip Native nation leaders and other key decision-makers with cutting-edge knowledge and tools for assessing their constitutions and systems of governance and then determining what needs changing and how. In addition, Native leaders and governance experts shared their knowledge and experience in remaking governance systems through constitutional reform and other means. More

WASHINTON — In a shocking turn of events, an unexpected ruling by the US Supreme Court has decided that because biological father Dusten Brown did not originally have custody of the child identified in the case as Baby Girl, the court is returning the case to the South Carolina State Supreme Court. More

Did you know that almost 2 million children in the United States have a parent that is incarcerated? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that children of incarcerated parents are more likely face other adverse childhood experiences, including witnessing violence in their communities or directly in their household or exposure to drug and alcohol abuse. In order to improve the outcomes of these children, the federal government and Sesame Workshop have teamed up to provide resources. More

Child abuse cases can be some of the most challenging cases for prosecutors, law enforcement and child protection professionals; asking a child or adolescent to testify in court adds additional issues. This monograph outlines how you can create child- and adolescent-fair courtrooms. More

A Supreme Court decision that undercuts the presumptive rights of biological Native American parents could threaten an entire slate of legislation passed almost 40 years ago to strengthen tribal sovereignty, according to a former South Dakota senator. Also, "Adoptive couple of baby with Indian heritage hails SCOTUS decision" More

In a split 5-4 opinion by Justice Alito, with a strong dissent from Justice Sotomayor, the Court limited ICWA, but did not eliminate it More

It's hard to imagine anything more alarming than a 984 percent increase in opiate and heroin abuse among all groups from 1998 to 2011, but here it is: A 3,695 percent increase for abuse of opiates and heroin among American Indians. Related: "Heroin at Home series addresses dramatic increase in opiate abuse" More

Promising Futures: Best Practices for Serving Children, Youth, and Parents Experiencing Domestic Violence is a website developed by FUTURES to help domestic violence advocates enhance their programming for children and their mothers. More

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said she is "deeply concerned" that another child may have fallen victim to a child protection system "that clearly is broken," despite more than a year of intense scrutiny and the takeover of child protection services at Spirit Lake in October by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. More

This month and next, some of Oregon's 13,000 children in foster care will take part in foster youth summits. The first is tomorrow (Thursday), and the focus is on the concerns of Native American youth. Comments from Lydia Bradley, manager, Oregon Foster Youth Connection program; and Dana Ainam, supervisor, Children and Family Service Program, Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde More

In an awe-inspiring show of solidarity, dozens of other native leaders representing tribes and every major national Indian organization in the country, as well as older Indian adoptees and tribal elders, were also in attendance. Hundreds of Indian people had made the journey to Washington to support Dusten Brown, Veronica, and the Cherokee Nation in upholding the letter and spirit of the the Indian Child Welfare Act. It was, perhaps, the most significant show of force by native people in Washington since the opening week of the National Museum of the American Indian in September 2004. More

When asked on the SCOTUS blog about the case involving the ICWA, they replied, "no word today. Earliest we could hear would be on Thursday at 10 a.m. This case is probably taking a while both because it was argued in April and because the Justices seemed to find it difficult." More

In an effort to ensure the federal government is treating tribal members fairly under the law, Representative Derek Kilmer introduced legislation yesterday to assist special needs Native American children. HR 2332, the Adoption Tax Credit Tribal Parity Act would ensure that parents who adopt Native American children with special needs get the tax relief that Congress intended for them to have. More

Bushie was best-known as one of the architects of devolution, the name given to the transfer of aboriginal child welfare services to First Nations and Métis control. More

Join the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America as it hears testimony from leading experts regarding how best to support health in communities and during early childhood. The Commission is charged with identifying actions the nation should take now to improve health. More

The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau, is now accepting abstract submissions for the 19th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN), the nation’s leading training and technical assistance event for practitioners, policy makers, advocates, and researchers. The 19th NCCAN, April 29 – May 2, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana More

ACF’s vision for fatherhood is that every parent is actively engaged in his child’s healthy development, and intellectual, emotional and financial well-being More

The Children’s Bureau is pleased to announce that this grant has been posted to grants.gov. HHS-2013-ACF-ACYF-CA-0636 Planning Grants to Develop A Model Intervention for Youth/Young Adults With Child Welfare Involvement At-Risk of Homelessness More

The future of the Indian Child Welfare Act depends on the federal government's ability to work with state governments and ensuring that tribal courts have enough resources, the chief general counsel for the Department of Interior said Thursday More

As child advocates wrestle with abuse and protection issues at the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota, controversy has flared in neighboring South Dakota over what some allege is systematic violation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). More

Los Angeles Superior Court subcommittee, Psychotropic Medication Committee, is in the process of mandating permission from American Indian tribes before American Indian children in the foster care system in LA County can be prescribed More

We’d like to share this simple and powerful message from a 19th Century Native American leader that still applies today. In founding the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse almost 30 years ago, the National District Attorneys Association responded to the needs of prosecutors and allied professionals for help in responding to the often difficult cases involving abused children. More

Last year, 439 Native American children entered foster care in California, according to the Child Welfare Dynamic Report System (CWDRS), a collaboration between the Child Welfare Dynamic Report System (CWDRS) California Department of Social Services and the University of California at Berkeley. Though the number may seem small, it's disproportionately high, given that Native Americans make up only 1.7 percent of the state's population. More

In many cities across the country, the main response by public agencies when parents have these types of problems is to place the child in long-term foster care. The parents become the enemy, as opposed to an essential partner in bettering the life of the child. More

This is a must watch for advocacy for early childhood. The website also tells more about the entire documentary and shorter video learning modules. This is going to be an awesome tool to use to “Tell the Story.” More

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is searching for an individual to serve as a Program Coordinator (Victims Assistance) for the Office of Justice Services for the Pine Ridge Agency. Do you have experience serving the needs of victims directly affected by violent crimes? More

This ICWA educational resource video is the culmination of the ongoing collaboration between the Mississippi Courts, Child Welfare Agency, and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in consultation with the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues and the National Resource Center for Tribes. The video was produced by Mad Genius, Inc., Ridgeland, Mississippi. More

Federal officials met with South Dakota's nine Sioux tribes on Wednesday for a historic summit in Rapid City. A year in the making, it was an effort to address long standing concerns over the high number of Native American children the state places in white foster homes. State officials, however, didn't show up for the meeting. More

I am writing to emphasize how important it is for states and tribes to work together and to engage in ongoing, meaningful consultation around the delivery of child welfare services More

It's always exciting when the media reports on innovative programs and initiatives that are aimed at the healthy development of families and the prevention of child abuse and neglect. It's even more thrilling when they report on proven approaches like the home visiting model we developed, Healthy Families America. More

House Bill 915 will become law this September. The new law mandates CPS to tell biological parents about drugs prescribed to their children. It also requires a medical evaluation every 3 months. More

The head of South Dakota's Department of Social Services has asked a judge to toss out a lawsuit filed by two tribes alleging that the state routinely breaks federal law governing foster care and adoptions for American Indian children. More

The Harper government withheld tens of thousands of documents that it was obligated to disclose as part of a human-rights case in which it is accused of discriminating against indigenous children. Now, it is using its failure to hand over the files to try to get the proceedings put on hold. More

In the early 1950's, polio crippled tens of thousands of people in the United States each year, shut down public facilities, and struck fear among parents everywhere. But thanks to a massive public health effort that reached into every community, by 1979 polio had been eliminated from the U.S. More

Nearly half of children under 14 in foster care in Canada are aboriginal - a number that exceeds even the grimmest estimates of a leading First Nations' child welfare advocate. More

The Children’s Bureau would like to announce the creation of a new National Resource Center, which is the successor to the National Resource Center for Recruitment and Retention of Foster and Adoptive parents at AdoptsUSKids. More

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will host a tribal consultation to consult on ACF programs and tribal priorities. DATES: July 9-10, 2013. ADDRESSES: 901 D Street SW., 7th Floor Multipurpose Room, Washington, DC 20024. More

The shorter the intervals between previous child maltreatment incidents, the greater the likelihood that the child will experience abuse or neglect in the future, suggests a new study by a social work professor at the University of Illinois. More

In honor of National Foster Care Month, ACYF Commissioner Bryan Samuels wrote for the ACF website about the evolution of the child welfare system over the last 25 years and the importance of redoubling our efforts to promote child and family well-being: This May, we mark National Foster Care Month for the 25th time in our country’s history. More

As a Nation, we have no task more important than ensuring our children grow up healthy and safe. It is a promise we owe to the hundreds of thousands of youth in foster care -- boys and girls who too often go without the love, protection, and stability of a permanent family. This month, we recommit to giving them that critical support, and we recognize the foster parents and professionals who work every day to lift up the children in their care toward a bright, productive future. More

April 28, TV host Melissa Harris-Perry likened the removal of American Indian children from their tribal communities, placed in non-Native homes, to unauthorized international adoption. "This is like transnational baby snatching right within U.S. borders," Harris-Perry said. More

"We Lakota/Dakota leaders, therefore, find it unacceptable that the BIA's draft summit agenda ... fails to address any of NPR's dominant claims, or to propose what we consider to be serious solutions to our crisis," Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman Charles Murphy and members of the tribal council wrote in the letter. More

This May we join the Administration in recognizing National Mental Health Awareness Month. We know that the trauma of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking can have devastating mental health consequences. Unfortunately, we also know that the mental health needs of survivors frequently go unmet due to lack of community resources. More

Close to half the states have had a reunification event at this point and these events bring important focus to the first priority of child welfare systems when removal cannot be prevented. More

The project will have a visual history archive and an interactive website meant to educate users about the boarding school system in the United States. The boarding school systems involved the federal government sending American Indian children to schools away from their families, and it started with Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. More

Simons' success in locating her birth mother via Facebook has inspired countless imitators, both birth parents and adoptees, clogging Facebook feeds with similar messages. These posts have brought questions of adoption and its consequences to the forefront. More

The theme of the forum was Strengthening and Healing Our Children, Families and Community Through Tribal-State Collaboration More

Angry over the way Swain County social services workers handled a child abuse case in which a 15-month old girl died, a Native American tribe is planning to form its own agency to protect children on a North Carolina reservation. More

On a Spirit Lake reservation torn by factional infighting, the leader of an American Indian advocacy group arrives to find 25 percent of all Dakota Indian children living in foster care with white families. More

Register for next month's webinar on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, from 3-5 PM EDT - Building a Culturally Responsive Workforce: The Texas Model for Undoing Disproportionality & Disparities in Child Welfare, the 8th session in What Works for the Workforce: Leadership Competencies in Action - A National Webinar Series on Leading Change to Strengthen the Child Welfare Workforce. More

Reclaiming Our Space, Vision & Voices to Strengthen the Grassroots Advocacy Movement to End Violence Against Native Women. Early Bird Registration: $100 by May 13, 2013 After May 13, 2013, Registration $150 More

The Children’s Bureau is pleased to announce that the 2013 National Foster Care Month website is now online More

The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments on April 16, 2013 on an Indian Child Welfare Act case involving a South Carolina couple who were ordered to turn over a 27-month-old girl to her biological father More

Join the Children's Bureau for the last in a yearlong series of monthly historical and topical webinars commemorating the Children's Bureau's Centennial year! These webinars will provide historical information and explore current and/or controversial issues and trends in child welfare. These webinars are designed to engage child welfare stakeholders, offer a forum for dialogue, and energize and invigorate thinking for the century ahead. More

Associated Press - April 14, 2013. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is hosting two hearings about Native Americans in the foster care system ahead of a planned summit next month and the Bureau of Indian Affairs is holding a summit in May in Rapid City to address concerns raised by tribal members. More

But as with many other mothers of her generation, the loss of her birth child was deep and lasting, a permanent wound. Over the next five decades, Freddie carried a burden of guilt and grief. She couldn't even talk about her firstborn. More

The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health, at the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, is again sponsoring this exciting and well-received monthly series of topical webinar calls. More

The U.S. Supreme Court this week will hear an emotional family challenge to longstanding federal law on the adoption of Native American children, with several states, tribes and children's welfare groups lining up to support the current rules. The 18 states that have signed onto a brief supporting the federal law are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. More

The Tribal Early Childhood Research Center is pleased to announced the TRC Summer Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Centers for American Indian Health from July 22-26. This 2-credit course, titled “Early Childhood Research with Tribal Communities,” will be offered to American Indian and Alaska Native tribal early childhood program directors and staff, health and education professionals and paraprofessionals, and others interested in tribal early childhood development and intervention research. More

Beginning Monday April 15, 2013 the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) - in partnership with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), and the Cherokee Nation will host a number of events in advance of the April 16, U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in the case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. More

BY DAVID OLSON STAFF WRITER Published: February 08, 2013; 07:16 PM Link to Story: http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130208-ri More

According to Adrienne Bennett, LePage's spokeswoman, the governor sees a conflict of interest around Dunlap's involvement with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was created in 2011 through a letter of intent signed by LePage and tribal leaders. More

Members of the National Indian Child Welfare Association on Monday asked for a federal law to be left intact as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to take up a Nowata family's case next week. More

"It's been a tough, tough year for the people of Spirit Lake," she said. "But we're moving in the right direction. We are coming together as professional people, we're communicating better, and we're doing the best we can with what we have." Critics, including a federal whistleblower, have identified several cases of what they allege were the tribe's failure to investigate, arrest or prosecute known offenders. The U.S. attorney for North Dakota, Tim Purdon, has said each of those allegations has been investigated, some were found to be false and some were active. More

Maine is joining several other states in defending a federal law that deals with Indian adoption rights and will be a central topic in a case that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court next month, Attorney General Janet Mills announced Thursday. More

Each year, during the third week of April, Chicago Safe Start hosts CEV Prevention and Awareness Week to help lead efforts to increase awareness and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence. The intention is to highlight the unique challenges we face as a nation for preventing, treating and caring for children exposed to violence. More

The vast majority of tribes have populations of fewer than 2,000 people and child welfare programs in which staff are not specialized but provide every aspect of child welfare services. In-home services are not usually a separate service but rather a philosophy or part of a community-based culturally-specific practice which is likely to provide services to at-risk families as well as to those with substantiated maltreatment. In contrast to states which provide a “differential response” as a formalized service approach, tribes routinely deliver such services without formally identifying or compartmentalizing the service. More

On April 5, 2013, from 1:30-3:30 pm (EST), NCAI, in partnership with the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, will host a webinar on implementation of the Violence Against Women Act's expanded tribal jurisdiction provision, and what issues it presents for Indian tribal governments. More

More than a year after a controversial National Public Radio investigation into violations of the Indian Child Welfare Act in South Dakota, an ombudsman report judging its accuracy has yet to see the light of day. More

State officials say they strive to put Native American children in Indian homes.Few decisions made by the state of South Dakota carry the emotional weight of removing a child from a home. For Native American children, whose culture is scarred by a troubling history of forced displacement by whites, the decision has emotional and legal implications. More

Understanding Evidence is a free, online resource to help you use evidence based decision-making as you think about ways to prevent violence in your community. More

Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) in part because officials in South Dakota and other states were removing scores of Indian children from their homes based on insufficient evidence, and in perfunctory and inadequate hearings, in violation of federal law. Yet today, despite the added protections of ICWA, officials in Pennington County, South Dakota are removing scores of Indian children from their homes based on insufficient evidence, and in perfunctory and inadequate hearings, in violation of federal law. Attached to this complaint as “Exhibit 1? is the transcript of one such Pennington County hearing More

Listen to the NPR Story:In Maine, an unusual and historic process is under way to document child welfare practices that once resulted in Indian children being forcibly removed from their homes. Many of the native children were placed with white foster parents. Chiefs from all five of Maine's tribes, along with Gov. Paul LePage, have created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help heal the wounds. More

"Addressing child safety and protection issues at Spirit Lake is a top priority for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as I know it is for this entire community," Roberts said. "We have dedicated staff and resources to work on this issue and we will continue to work with the tribe, our federal partners, and all the stakeholders to improve and strengthen child safety. Assistant Secretary Washburn and I are committed to reducing violent crime, sexual assault and domestic violence in Indian country. Here in Spirit Lake, as elsewhere in Indian country, protecting children must be our highest priority." More

The Spirit Lake Nation's continuing efforts to deal with deficiencies in its child protection system is about to get another round of national exposure. The PBS news program "Frontline" has produced a two-part documentary titled "Kind Hearted Woman" featuring Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old divorced single mother who lived on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. More

Grand Forks Herald - February 27, 2013 A dozen high-ranking federal officials spent three hours listening to Spirit Lake tribal members talk about their concerns for the safety of reservation children. More

Frontline -- PBS - February 25, 2013 The BIA takeover means that the federal government is now directly responsible for administering Tribal Social Services, or TSS, on the Spirit Lake reservation. This gives BIA responsibility for ensuring that children who have been removed from their homes are placed in a safe environment and that allegations of abuse or other criminal violations are reported to law enforcement for proper follow-ups. But nearly five months later, people familiar with events at Spirit Lake continue to report allegations of abuse that have gone uninvestigated and foster parents fighting to keep their children from being returned to their alleged abusers. More

State Bar of Wisconsin - February 20, 2013 The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the federal Indian Child Welfare Act blocks the adoption of a Native American child by a non-Indian couple. The State Bar of Wisconsin's Indian Law Section may file a brief opposing the adoption. More

CTV News - February 26, 2013 A lawyer arguing that successive Canadian governments have failed to implement solutions for the problem of First Nations child welfare says he is "confident" the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal will conclude there has been systemic discrimination. Many social workers helping families in crisis on reserves don't have the same tools as those working off-reserve, Champ told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday. So the "only" solution is taking the children from their families, he said. More

HOPE | Healing for Our People Everywhere - Seeking The Courage to Heal. The 3rd HOPE Conference endeavors to eliminate child sexual trauma in Indian Country by calling upon community leaders, social justice & victim advocates, legal expert counselors, survivors and community members to join us to address this issue. More

Federal officials will hold a town hall meeting on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation in North Dakota this month to discuss the reservation's child sexual abuse problem, which last year led the federal government to take over the tribe's social services program. Residents have complained that the Bureau of Indian Affairs and federal prosecutors have done too little to stop child abuse, which officials acknowledge is commonplace on Spirit Lake and has reached epidemic levels, whistle-blowers say. North Dakota's senators and a representative are expected to attend the meeting More

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to make one-time grants to Tribes, Tribal organizations, or Tribal consortia. Due Date for this current funding opportunity is May 14, 2013 More

A historic day Tuesday for the state and Maine's Wabanaki tribes. Members of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission were sworn in at a ceremony in Hermon. More

This course is designed for professionals interested in an introduction to the field of infant mental health and intervention with infants, toddlers, and their parents. More

The funding will support a convening and a study of resources to determine the current and future needs for bereavement and grief programming for the 2.1 million American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth in the United States. More

Associated Press - February 07, 2013 Indian Child Welfare Act directors from South Dakota's nine Native American tribes are working in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to plan the summit, which is scheduled for April 15-17 in Rapid City. More

The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) is pleased to announce a new resource: Guide for Developing and Implementing Child Welfare Practice Models. More

A number of recent reports are reflecting a sad state of affairs when it comes to protecting America's children: the child protection agencies in various states are receiving grim reviews. Severe injuries after clear indications of abuse and neglect. Dead children in large numbers. More

In the nearly four months since the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs took over child protection services on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, tribal and BIA officials say they're working well together, the system has been made more professional and accountable and reservation children are safer from abusers and sexual predators. But critics of Chairman Roger Yankton and his administration say little has changed, predators have been left undisturbed and many children remain vulnerable. More

In this National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC) webcast, presenters will discuss a growing area of focus in child welfare – trauma-informed practice and intervention. More

The Child Maltreatment report series presents national data about child abuse and neglect known to child protective services agencies in the United States. Presenters will discuss key highlights from the most recent report, Child Maltreatment 2011, and share additional findings that shed light on emerging issues and trends in child abuse and neglect More

The case is one that challenges the Indian Child Welfare Act, a 1978 law that aimed to keep adopted American Indian children in American Indian homes. The law today, with a dwindling American Indian population, is splitting some children from families that are not American Indian, but are meeting the children's needs in every other way. More

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide a case that could outline the limits of a law on Native American adoptions written by a former U.S. senator from South Dakota. That former senator, Jim Abourezk, said he hopes the high court can look beyond the emotion involved in the case and affirm the importance of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act. More

When Matt and Melanie Capobianco watched the birth of their adoptive daughter in 2009, they had no idea their love for this little girl would put them at the center of a decades-old national debate with racial, cultural and political overtones. But that's exactly where the James Island couple have found themselves after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed this month to take up their long-running custody battle with 3-year-old Veronica's biological father, Dusten Brown, a Cherokee Indian. More

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has announced an initiative to expedite fingerprinting of foster parents on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. The BIA says it has provided three mobile fingerprinting units to the Spirit Lake Tribe and BIA social services staff on the reservation. More

For years now, council members of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in South Dakota have watched as the state's Department of Social Services removed children from the reservation and placed many of them in white foster homes, far from tribal lands. Many of the children were later adopted, losing their connection to their families and heritage. More

Via a case from South Carolina, the Supreme Court agreed to address a 1978 federal law underlying the adoption of American Indian children. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether 3-year-old "Baby Veronica" will stay in Oklahoma with her biological father or go back to South Carolina with her adoptive parents. More

The Protect Our Kids Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and Rep. Dave Camp, R-Michigan, calls for the creation of a 12-member commission that will study a host of issues around deaths related to child abuse and neglect, from the adequacy of current programs to more effective prevention methods. More

If signed by the president, Uninterrupted Scholars will amend the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to allow child welfare agencies access to foster student records. When FERPA was written in 1974, lawmakers' intended to protect parents' control over their children's student records. But, the unintended consequence for children whose parent is the state -- like those in foster care -- were time-consuming legal hurdles social workers had to jump for access to foster student records. More

Alcoholism and addiction are among the most severe public health problems facing American Indian and Alaska Native people. According to SAMHSA's 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the rate of substance dependence or abuse among American Indians or Alaska Natives age 12 or older was twice that of other ethnic backgrounds More

The chief justice for the Navajo Nation Supreme Court, Herb Yazzie, has been spending a lot of his time in 2012 working toward the goal of a truly Navajo judicial system. More

The state's response to the Native children's accusations against their white parents offers a rare look into South Dakota's foster care system, which places 9 in 10 Native children in state foster care with white families or white-run group homes. The state's actions also raise questions about the commitment of officials to protect Native children taken from their natural families, particularly when homes that are presented as safe havens turn into places of abuse. More

Trauma-based treatments are designed to serve many children who are impacted by a wide variety of traumatic experiences. More

The federal Child and Family Services Reviews indicate there is very little meaningful interaction between fathers and the child welfare system. Research supports that fathers are vital to the overall success and well-being of their children. A father’s presence in a child’s life makes a positive difference in social and emotional development, academic success, and overall child well-being. More

The Asset Advocacy Webinar discusses assets development strategies as a means to target poverty reduction. Join us for a Webinar on November 14. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/968985530 More

Publication Year:2012; Authored By: National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention. Download a copy More

Supporting Infants, Toddlers, and Families Impacted by Caregiver Mental Health Problems, Substance Abuse, and Trauma: A Community Action Guide presents resources that service providers, advocates, and practitioners can use to better understand and respond to young children whose caregivers are negatively affected by these issues. More

Sullivan, who serves as administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, has repeatedly written federal law enforcement and BIA officials to pass along child abuse reports that have come to him. "The Bureau of Indian Affairs is working hard to strengthen Spirit Lake Tribe's social services program and to protect the youngest and most vulnerable members of Indian Country," Nedra Darling, a BIA spokeswoman, said in a statement to Forum Communications More

The aim of the funding is to help address the physical, emotional, social, cognitive and behavioral well-being of children from birth to age eight, as well as expectant mothers and families. The grant is from Project LAUNCH, which stands for Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children's Health. More

The secret study of Mecklenburg County’s child welfare division, a report Observer and Qcitymetro.com reporters revealed this week, offers two recommendations that the county should take immediately or explain why it won’t. More

On July 26, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a decision affirming the return of Veronica, an adopted 2-year-old Cherokee child, to her biological father, Dusten Brown. More

In response to yesterday’s episode of the Dr. Phil Show that attacked the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and undermined the significance of Native children remaining in their tribe and being immersed in their culture, a grassroots campaign to “Boycott the Anti-Native American Dr. Phil Show” was started on Facebook. More

Between 2002 and 2006, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) infants were more than twice as likely as infants in the general population to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in Urban Indian Health Organization service areas. More

The Bureau of Indian Affairs said Monday that it will take control of social services on a North Dakota reservation, amid concerns from federal officials that the tribe’s mismanagement of the agency led to the abuse of children on the reservation. More

Associated Press - September 13, 2012 CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- A ruling that sends a Native American girl back to Oklahoma from her adoptive South Carolina family is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. More

Consumer Affairs - September 10, 2012 Family life in the U.S. has undergone many changes over the last generation or two. One of the significant changes, researchers say, is the increasingly important role grandparents are taking in raising children More

A national study conducted by researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) shows increased use of powerful antipsychotic drugs to treat publicly insured children over the last decade. The study, published today in the journal Health Services Research, found a 62 percent increase in the number of Medicaid-enrolled children ages 3 to 18 taking antipsychotics, reaching a total of 354,000 children by 2007. More

The Camellia Network, a social network launched over the summer, wants to provide young people who age out of the foster care system with the support and resources of a family. More

Grand Forks Herald - September 09, 2012 This week could decide the future governance of social services for the Spirit Lake Tribe as a deadline looms about who should run programs recently found to be riddled with deficiencies. More

Bangor Daily News - September 06, 2012 A group charged with investigating more than a century of child welfare and assimilation policies that removed Native American children from their families and tribes is seeking nominations for panel members. More

Jamestown Sun - September 05, 2012 Federal prosecutors have offered to make the Spirit Lake Tribe's prosecutor a special U.S. attorney and to help the tribe develop a strategic plan to protect children from violence. More

The U.S. Department of the Interior will dispatch a “strike team” of senior officials including the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the Spirit Lake Nation Monday, according to the department. More

With four words, Korina Barry sums up her teens, the times and impetus that helped put her in the chair where she sits today, aiding others. “It’s been a ride,’’ she says. Those were make-or-break years. “I struggled with school and [home life] not being stable. I didn’t really know how to deal with my father being in prison and my mom really not being in my life because she had her own issues going on. I just kind of rebelled,’’ she can see now. More

This announcement solicits applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 for the Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP) program. The purpose of HTPC is to increase the number of innovative community initiated programs that promote access to health care for children, youth and their families nationwide, and employ preventive health strategies. More

The Department of Social Services has requested that companies submit proposals to develop a campaign that would feature first lady Linda Daugaard as its spokesperson. The state would spend up to $150,000 on ads targeted at recruiting foster parents to care for Native American children, teenagers, siblings or those with medical problems. More

In a lengthy statement published this week in the Devils Lake Journal, the Spirit Lake Tribe decried recent criticism of tribal social service programs involving child protection. More

Seven months after the first decision, however, the high court upheld the December ruling and decided in favor of the Indian Child Welfare Act, though at the same time stated that the adoptive family did nothing wrong. More

Visit Child Welfare Information Gateway's New Youth Web Section to find guidelines, protocols, and resources for service providers and other stakeholders to build partnerships with families and youth to promote permanency and positive outcomes. More

BY TERRY CROSS | Published: July 20, 2012 As a member of the Seneca Nation and having worked in the field of Indian child welfare for over 30 years, I'm familiar with the history behind the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA). More

Panelists at a conference on family violence in Indian country said Wednesday that networking among agencies can help with simple problems, such as finding addresses for a victim or figuring out who has legal custody of the child, or with more complex cultural issues, such as use of traditional Native American healing methods in medical care. More

The Oklahoman Editorial July 15, 2012: The Child Welfare Information Gateway reports that Oklahoma had the third-highest adoption rate among the 50 states in 2008, with 101.85 adoptions per 100,000 adults. Yet even with Oklahomans' willingness to adopt and our state's proud American Indian heritage, the Indian Child Welfare Act likely creates roadblocks to putting a child in a loving home. More

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Republican North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven is pushing the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to hold hearings about child abuse and neglect on American Indian reservations, according to his deputy chief of staff. More

PIERRE, S.D.—The South Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's decision to end a man's parental rights The state Department of Social Services made an active effort, as required under the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, to help the child's father receive training so the girl could be placed in his California home, the high court said in a unanimous ruling. More

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina social worker accused of failing to take action on complaints that could have saved a 15-month-old girl's life has returned to her job even though she's still facing criminal charges in the case. More

Having healthy families helps our children, teens, adults, elders, and culture to thrive. More

A heart-wrenching number of Alaska Native children witness domestic or sexual violence, and many are victims themselves, troubling facts that mean the cycle of abuse is poised to continue, experts say. More

A $50,000 emergency grant from the federal government and more than $30,000 in donations from the public will allow a women’s shelter in an isolated Alaskan village to continue operating after it ran out of money and had to close, officials said. More

This funding opportunity announcement provides Fiscal Year 2012 funds for the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program (THV). More

The Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau announces the availability of awards to provide Tribes and Tribal consortia the opportunity to compete for grants to enable Tribal courts to: More

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is seeking well-qualified, knowledgeable candidates who will be responsible for the planning, policy development, administration and coordination of Department programs for Wisconsin Native American Indians. More

By Matt Andazola / Albuquerque Journal, May 6, 2012 - Years ago, Carol Ricotta’s father made a cradleboard for her first son. She said her son loved it, wrapped in a blanket and strapped with leather cords to two flat boards with a wooden halo over his head. More

By Kate McPherson / Story Updated: May 4, 2012 at 8:18 AM KTVA News - ALASKA - There are currently 1,600 children in out-of-home care in Alaska. When family members aren't available, unrelated foster parents are needed. More

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to make one-time grants to Tribes, tribal organizations, or tribal consortia that are seeking to develop, and within 24 months of grant receipt, submit to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a plan to implement a title IV-E foster care, adoption assistance and, at tribal option, guardianship assistance program. More

By Jennifer Sullivan, Seattle Times staff reporter / KINGSTON, Kitsap County — Jessie Scheibner's eyes cloud with tears and her voice trembles as she talks about the day, almost 70 years ago, when a stranger's car pulled up to her parents' home on the Port Gamble S'Klallam Reservation and took her and her two sisters away. More

By Brooke Adams, The Salt Lake Tribune / March 24, 2012 -More than 33 years after Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act, American Indian children in Utah are still being removed from their homes and placed in foster care far too often — a troubling statistic that is the focus of the state’s tribes and government officials. More

March 22, 2012 - From Indian Country Today / “In the best interests of the child…” You will not see this phrase in the language of the first tribal foster care and guardianship program to be eligible for federal payments under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. For the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, caring for its children means a broader concern for the whole community. More

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota human services officials have given the Spirit Lake tribe until the end of March to correct problems in foster care administration. More

By Stephanie Woodard, February 14, 2012 / The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) has been in the news lately. More

“It was a sad day,” said Mary Jane Wanna, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, of the South Dakota House Judiciary Committee killing a bill to remove the statute of limitations for lawsuits alleging childhood sexual abuse. More

Diane Sawyer traveled to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where some of the proudest Americans, living in unthinkable conditions, refuse to be defeated -- a young girl filled with "American Idol" dreams, yet facing a life-changing reality; a high school quarterback whose strength and spirit knows no bounds; a magical little girl filled with hope. More

Nearly 700 Native American children in South Dakota are being removed from their homes every year, sometimes under questionable circumstances. An NPR News investigation has found that the state is largely failing to place them according to the law. The vast majority of native kids in foster care in South Dakota are in nonnative homes or group homes, according to an NPR analysis of state records. More