Attorney General’s Task Force on Native Children Exposed to Violence Holds Second of Four Meetings

About 75 people attended the all-day hearing at Talking Stick Resort near Scottsdale. It was the second of four across the country to secure testimony and information so the task force can generate policy recommendations for Attorney General Eric Holder. In December, the committee was in Bismarck, N.D. The final two hearings are scheduled in … Read more

SD Panel Approves Child Sex Abuse Task Force

The task force would meet to study child sexual abuse in South Dakota and suggest ways the state could improve its policies for dealing with the problem. … The task force would include a victim, law enforcement, medical and mental health experts, child advocates and a tribal representative with experience on the issue. Read the … Read more

New Publication – Indian Child Welfare Act Facts and Fiction

ICWA Facts and Fiction is a new publication of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ). Visit the NCJFCJ website for a copy of this resource published in December, 2013. See also other related NCJFCJ publications. The Tribal Judicial Leadership Group, coordinated by the NCJFCJ and Casey Family Programs, and comprised of tribal … Read more

Nebraska Legislature Considers Bill That Would Help Prevent the Breakup of Native Families

Nebraska has the third-highest rate of Native children in foster care, said Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash, who introduced the Nebraska bill on behalf of the State-Tribal Relations Committee. . . . His bill would require state agencies to reach out to all tribes from which a Native child may be descended when a child who … Read more

Panel: Baby Veronica – Texting Paternity Away and Bringing ICWA into 21st Century

The 2014 FBA Indian Law Conference includes this panel: Thursday, April 10, 2014 – Morning Session PANEL 1. BABY VERONICA – TEXTING PATERNITY AWAY AND BRINGING ICWA INTO 21ST CENTURY Natalie Landreth, Senior Attorney, Native American Rights Fund (Moderator) Anita Fineday, Director, Casey Family Program, Indian Child Welfare Program Heather Kendall-Miller, Senior Attorney, Native American … Read more

Strong Interest in New Peacemaking Court in Washtenaw County

There appears to be a lot of interest in a new kind of court in Washtenaw County. More than 80 lawyers, mediators, and probation officers packed Judge Timothy Connors’ courtroom on Friday. They were there for a six-hour education session on the Native American philosophy that guides the new peacemaking court…. Read the full story … Read more

Indian Groups Question Public Child-Welfare Practices

Several prominent Native American groups on Monday called for the Justice Department to investigate the treatment of Indian children in public child-welfare systems and private adoptions. In a letter presented to government officials in… Read more at the New York Times website and see the National Indian Child Welfare Association press release.