The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) sought to end the forced removal of Native children from their tribes. Decades later, American Indian children are still placed in foster and adoptive care at disproportionately high rates. Drawing on forty years of archival data, this study examines the role of administrative burden in reproducing these…

Purpose: Native Americans are one of the least represented races within the profession of speech-language pathology. As a result, Native American school children are among the least likely to receive speech and language services from a provider who shares their same culture and heritage. The purpose of this tutorial is to describe how expanding…

What does it take to develop an asynchronous curriculum for social work students, with attention to precision, policy accuracy, and community accountability? We attempt to answer the question by documenting our process of community collaboration and partnership to develop a gamified case study on the Indian Child Welfare Act. The curriculum was…

Supporting Indigenous youth, their parents, and communities continues to challenge school districts and the school psychologists who serve them. In this article, the authors suggest that understanding Indigenous sovereignty and identity will contribute to enhancing that interface, and to advocating on behalf of those students and their…

On November 8, 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act, otherwise known as ICWA, became law. Congress enacted this groundbreaking legislation, the impact of which has been arguably more profound than any other piece of federal Indian law in the modern era. While recent national attention has highlighted the law's role in child custody and adoption…

The 1983 Review of the Family Services Act (1973) and the Advisory Council meetings in Saskatchewan should be viewed against the backdrop of political changes taking place in North American society. Beginning with decolonization movements in both Canada and the United States, control over the provision of child and family services to indigenous…

Nationally, families of color--particularly African American and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN)--are over-represented in child welfare systems. These families also tend to have worse outcomes--such as children more likely to be removed from their homes, less likely to receive family preservation services, and in the case of African…

In 1978 Congress passed an astonishing piece of legislation that gave Native American tribes a considerable amount of jurisdiction over matters of child custody and the adoption of their children. In 1976, the Association of American Indian Affairs gathered statistics relevant to the adoption of Indian children that Congress found "shocking…

Tribal sovereignty is a theory that has gained credibility over the past few decades, but one that the child welfare field has still not fully embraced. A mainstream reluctance to understand or accept customary adoption, unique to tribal culture, illustrates the lack of credibility given to tribal child welfare beliefs and practices. Roger Paul, a…

Objective: Cultural and familial ties are crucial for the overall well-being of children. Extant research and permanency planning practices support the reunification of children with their families when possible. In 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted to promote cultural and familial preservation for Indian children, but sparse…

Discusses the history, purposes, and provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA); recent high-profile transracial adoption cases; the debate over whether ICWA purposes have been realized; the proposed Adoption Promotion and Stability Act, which would severely limit application of ICWA to adoption cases; and proposed compromise amendments to…

Testimonies were heard by the Subcommittee on Indian Affairs and Public Lands in reference to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, which establishes standards for the placement of Indian children in foster or adoptive homes to prevent the breakup of Indian families. Representatives from the following organizations testified: Administration for…

Provides historical background on federal policies related to Indian family rights and child welfare and on legislation leading up to the Indian Child Welfare Act. Interprets the act with regard to jurisdiction and standards for child placement for foster care and adoption. Discusses federal funding of the act and monitoring of state compliance.…

Because of their unique social, legal, and political status, American Indians and Alaska Natives are subject to legislative oversight unlike any other group in the United States. Census data are used to monitor the size and characteristics of the American Indian and Alaska Native population living on and off reservations. Passed in 1978 to ensure…

This curriculum model defines competencies for child welfare supervisors to provide effective services to Indian children and families in Indian communities, on and off federal reservations. The results of a survey of 100 state and tribal child welfare supervisors were used to design the curriculum. The preface (Ann E. MacEachron) contains a…