Standing Strong for Native Families
A website from the Native American Rights Fund
A 5-year-old Native American boy at the center of controversy for more than a year will remain with his Coshocton County foster family, for now. Last week, the Ohio Court of Appeals reversed an earlier juvenile court ruling that would have sent the preschooler 2,000 miles from his home to a reservation in Arizona. The ruling stated the juvenile court should … Read more
Since the passage of ICWA in 1978, the law has been labeled the “gold standard” for child welfare laws — and not just for Indian children. Policies created under ICWA have been adopted by some states to ensure that children are only removed from their homes as a last resort. To honor the children and … Read more
Although the proceeding only involved one child, it’s being closely watched because the non-Indian foster couple is being represented by the Goldwater Institute. The conservative-leaning organization, which is based in Arizona, has launched a public relations and legal campaign aimed at undermining and even invalidating the landmark Indian Child Welfare Act. Read the full article … Read more
Over the objections of a tribe, the state Court of Appeals has allowed a non-Indian family to adopt the child of a Native American mother. Read the full article at the Arizona Daily Sun website. See also “Arizona court rejects tribe’s appeal in girl’s adoption case” at the AZFamily.com website.
[T]he silence that has shrouded suicide in Indian country is being pierced by growing alarm at the sheer number of young Native Americans taking their own lives — more than three times the national average, and up to 10 times on some reservations. Read the full article at the Washington Post website. Read the statement … Read more