Standing Strong for Native Families
A website from the Native American Rights Fund
Information about conferences that are related to Indian child welfare.
Submit your presentations for the 43rd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference on March 30–April 2, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. Find submission information here and visit the conference page for more information.
See the NICWA website for additional information and to register: Registration is also open for the 42nd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference to be held in Seattle, Washington, April 7–10, 2024. See the NICWA website for more information.
For more information and to register, see the NICWA website.
The conference will be in person at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada. This year’s theme is Healing Our Spirits: Nurturing and Restoring Hope. A call for presentations is also open. Read more and register at the NICWA website.
The National Indian Child Welfare Association is offering the following programs: Positive Indian Parenting – Virtual July 25-28, 2022; August 22-25, 2022; September 12-15, 2022 Positive Indian Parenting – Niagara Falls, New York September 20-22, 2022 Understanding ICWA – Niagara Falls, New York September 20-22, 2022 Learn more about NICWA conferences and trainings.
March 29–April 1, 2020Denver, Colorado Each year, NICWA hosts the largest national gathering on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) child advocacy issues. With over 1,400 attendees—and growing every year—this four-day conference has become the premiere national event addressing tribal child welfare and well-being. Keynote speakers range from federal officials at the highest level of … Read more
The Native American Training Institute will host the 18th annual North Dakota Indian Child Welfare and Wellness Conference, Feb. 12-14, at the 4 Bears Casino and Lodge, west of New Town. Learn more at the Minot Daily News website.
The 18th Annual North Dakota Indian Child Welfare & Wellness Conference will be held February 12-14, 2019 at the 4 Bears Casino and Lodge. It is hosted by the Native American Training Institute. This year’s theme is “Families First: Keeping the ICWA Vision Alive”‘ Read more at the conference Facebook page.
Madison, Wis. (Oct. 16, 2017) – More than 350 court, child welfare, school, tribal representatives, and legal professionals from across Wisconsin will join forces Oct. 18-20 in Elkhart Lake to find better ways to serve youth and their families involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Read the full article at WisPolitics.com.
The seventh annual Indian Child Welfare Act Conference is scheduled Thursday at the Silver Star Convention Center at Choctaw. Tribal leaders and as many as 200 attorneys, judges, social workers and other professionals who deal with Native American children in a youth court setting are expected to attend the conference. Read the full article at the … Read more
WASHINGTON, April 13, 2017 — Lawyers, judges, social workers and advocates will explore developments in the children’s law field during four conferences sponsored by the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law the week of April 24. Among the topics covered will be immigration, psychotropic medications, the Indian Child Welfare Act, child sex … Read more
The Indian Child Welfare and Wellness Conference will be held Feb. 22-24 at the Baymont Inn and Suites in Mandan. The Native American Training Institute will host the 16th annual conference, which will cover child welfare issues, juvenile justice, cultural and tribal relations, as well as child behavioral health. Read the full announcement at the … Read more
The Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) at the University of South Dakota School of Law will hold its Indian law symposium March 30-31 entitled “The Indian Child Welfare Act: Old and New Challenges.” The free event in the law school courtroom is open to the public. Find more information at the University of South … Read more
Tekamuk Training and Events, a wholly-owned enterprise of the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians, has joined forces with Columbia Law School, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), and the National American Indian Judges Association to present the Indian Child Welfare Summit, a major national conference on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), December 7-9 … Read more
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — An organization designed to improve links between tribal, state and federal courts is focusing on American Indian child welfare and domestic violence crimes during a two-day gathering. Read more about last week’s meeting at the San Francisco Gate website and the Michigan Lawyers Weekly website.
This annual conference will include the following tracks: Data and Research: Learn about current research in the fields of Indian child welfare, children’s mental health, and youth development. Learn how to use and share data. Child Welfare, Foster Care, and Adoption Services: From grant writing for child welfare programs to implementing differential response and identifying … Read more
Oct. 1, 2015. Keeping tribal children in their tribal communities is the solution to improving regional child welfare, according to a Tribal-State Child Welfare panel yesterday during the Association of Village Council Presidents 51st Annual Convention at the Bethel Cultural Center. Read the full article at the Alaska Public Media website.
September 11, 2015 (White Cloud, KS): 14th Annual Native Nations Law Symposium. The Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska presents the 14th annual Native Nations Law Symposium. The symposium includes an overview on the Indian Child Welfare Act – Revised Bureau of Indian Affairs Guidelines for State Courts & Agencies. Learn … Read more
This must-attend conference will address the past, present and future of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, emphasizing the need for education, reform and implementation of the Act. Tribal leaders, tribal members and professionals in the legal field will benefit from this comprehensive conference. Learn more at the Mesa Grand Band of Mission Indians … Read more
“With the Indian Child Welfare Act, we can look at the glass as half-empty or half-full,” said Dr. Diane Hammons, assistant professor of criminal justice at NSU. “We can say we’ve made strides and come a long way, or we can say there is still a lot of work to be done. There are a … Read more
From Casey Family Programs Wednesday, January 21, 2015, 1:00 p.m. ET Please save the date and join a webinar on January 21st introducing the Children’s Bureau’s new structure for delivering training and technical assistance. The Capacity Building Collaborative, a partnership of three centers, will serve Tribal and State child welfare agencies and Court Improvement Programs. … Read more
Each year, the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) hosts the largest national gathering on American Indian and Alaska Native child advocacy issues. With over 800 attendees, this three-day conference attracts attention across North America, creating a space where participants can learn about the latest information across Indian Country in child welfare. Learn more and … Read more
An article describing a recent social welfare conference at Chadron State College includes some ICWA references: During a panel discussion following the keynote, William Cross of Gordon, Nebraska, social worker with the ICWA ONTRAC office in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, challenged the Oglala Sioux tribe and CSC to collaborate more often to support Native American … Read more
[Vice-president of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, Lori] Moriarty spoke to a gathering of about 150 tribal officials, law enforcement officers, educators, attorneys and victims’ advocates on developing a successful collaborative response to drug endangered children at the 2014 Indian Country Conference, July 16-17 at Prairie Band Casino and Resort in Mayetta, Kansas. … Read more
Notwithstanding setbacks like the Baby Girl decision, we will continue to stand up for ICWA because, as we said in the Supreme Court, it’s “a classic implementation of Congress’s plenary [trust] responsibility . . . for Indians.” You see, for us, standing up for ICWA means standing strong for tribal sovereignty. “Nothing could be more … Read more
Ft. Duchesne-Hosted by the Ute Tribe Conference Presentations will focus on the theme Our Culture, Our Children, Our Children , specifically: •Trends in Indian child welfare and what specifically can be done to make a difference. •A practical application of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the child’s best interest. •What happens when a child … Read more
Thursday, April 24, 2014 Alabama-Coushatta Reservation, Texas Protecting our Children and Families… Moving Toward a Healthy and Vital Community Through Tribal-State-Federal Collaboration Topics include: ICWA: IN THE WAKE OF BABY VERONICA Facilitator: Cheryl D. Fairbanks, Attorney and Tribal Justice SPEAKER: Chrissi Ross Nimmo, Assistant Attorney General, Cherokee Nation ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NATIONAL INDIAN CHILD WELFARE … Read more
Social workers have come from all over the state to try to find ways to keep Indian children out of the foster care system. Statistics indicate that they are removed from their homes three times as often as non-Indians. Watch the video clip and read the transcript at the KFYR website.
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
If people do not think about child abuse, they will not detect child abuse. That was the primary message of Dr. Karyn Patno, a pediatrician and founder of the ChildSafe Program at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont. Dr. Patno’s recent collaboration with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police on a case of suspected … Read more
Register now for the 32nd Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect. The conference will be held April 13-16, 2014, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. See more info and register at the National Indian Child Welfare Association website. Child welfare and legal professionals, advocates for children, tribal leaders, families, youth, … Read more
The Office of Head Start (OHS) is holding 2013 Tribal Consultations with leaders of Tribal Governments operating Head Start (including Early Head Start) programs for each of the nine geographic regions where American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start programs are located. Tribal leaders and their designees, including AIAN Head Start directors, are welcome … Read more
The Great Plains Indian Child Welfare Act Summit will feature tribal leaders, ICWA experts, lawmakers, BIA officials, and a civil rights attorney from the Department of Justice. The conference will articulate structural solutions to a long-standing crisis in Native foster care in South Dakota, where 740 Lakota children are taken into foster care by the … Read more
On April 25, 2013 (8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Central), the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas will hold its Third Judicial Symposium at the tribe’s Special Events Center on the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation (Texas). This free event, entitled Strengthening and Healing Our Children, Families and Community through Tribal-State Collaboration will feature speakers including tribal and state judges … Read more
April 7-10, 2013 Tulsa, Oklahoma Conference Goals To highlight successful strategies for developing effective services To reveal the latest and most innovative child and family service delivery practices To highlight tactics and strategies for financing and sustaining services that impact children To showcase strategies for involving youth and families in developing services and policies that … Read more