Training materials created to address Indian child welfare issues.
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has announced the release of the Indian Child Welfare Act Judicial Benchbook to improve court practice for judges in handling Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) cases.
The Capacity Building Center of Tribes has just published a new 8 page ICWA Guide for Tribal Governments and Leaders.
Read the announcement here. Download the guide.
FAMILY DESIGN RESOURCES INC. INTRODUCES FREE ICWA SEARCH GUIDE TO HELP KEEP INDIAN FAMILIES TOGETHER Complements new federal regulations that go into effect in December
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Aug. 4, 2016) – Family Design Resources Inc. has introduced the first edition of its Indian Child Welfare Act Search Guide.
The free search guide anticipates new regulations issued by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs that will go into effect on Dec. 8.
The 24-page search guide is designed to help children and youth agencies across the United States to comply with federal laws, regulations and guidelines when working with an Indian child or family…..
Read the full press release on the Family Design Resources website.
Download your free copy of the 24 page guide.
The National for State Courts is providing access to an October 31, 2014 webinar and related materials on the topic of electronic notice to tribes in lieu of certified, registered mail under the Indian Child Welfare Act.
ICWA eNotice
Electronic Noticing in Indian Child Welfare Cases-Making It Happen. (October 2014). This pre-recorded webinar provides information for courts on electronic notification in cases that fall under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).
High Level Model Notice. (2014).
ICWA eMessaging Architecture. (2014).
ICWA eNotice Detailed Model. (2014).
ICWA eNotice Application User Guide. (October 2014).
Tribal Resolution in Support of Electronic Noticing. (2014).
Increase the depth of your understanding of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. Take the National Indian Child Welfare Association’s online ICWA training course at your own pace. The provisions of ICWA are explained in non-legal language and presented in the order in which a child welfare worker might encounter them in an ICWA case.
Geared toward those who work in, or study, the out-of-home placement of Indian children, the course will resonate with social workers, tribal social service agency directors and boards, state and county social workers and supervisors, training personnel, professors, and students.
Learn more and register at the National Indian Child Welfare Association website.
According to their website, the National Child Welfare Institute’s (NCWWI)…
… purpose is to increase child welfare practice effectiveness through diverse partnerships that focus on workforce systems development, organizational interventions, and change leadership, using data-driven capacity building, education, and professional development. NCWWI’s workforce development activities promote…
- Learning: Fostering continuous learning that is interactive, reflective and relevant
- Leading: Cultivating diverse leadership at multiple levels within child welfare systems
- Changing: Supporting change through workforce development and organizational capacity building
Visit the NCWWI website to find information about upcoming webinars and teleconferences, professional education traineeships, archives of past webinars, as well as online resources like tribal coaching manuals, reports, articles, training curricula, and more.
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 and state court judges, identified the need to dispel common misconceptions and misunderstandings around the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Included in this document are common misunderstandings, facts, recommended practices, and statutory references surrounding application, notice, membership, intervention, transfer, active efforts, best interests, qualified expert witnesses, and placement. This structure is meant to allow users to jump to issues of particular concern in their jurisdictions, but can also be reviewed as a whole. The goal of this publication is to improve compliance with ICWA and assist judges in fulfilling its mandates.
The American Indian Enhancement (AIE) Project Toolkit provides the concepts, guidance, and action steps necessary for developing a programmatic infrastructure within the child welfare agency to improve outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native families and children in the child welfare system. The toolkit is designed to assist your county to advance child welfare practice and achieve compliance with the letter and spirit of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).
The toolkit includes:
The American Indian Enhancement Team is an effort of the California Disproportionality Project, a Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) resourced through The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the California Department of Social Services, Casey Family Programs, and the Stuart Foundation, in collaboration with the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Child and Family Policy Institute of California, the California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership, the California Social Work Education Center, and Tribal STAR. Participating Counties include Fresno, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and San Bernardino.
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.
The video will be a companion to the National ICWA Judicial Curriculum currently in development, a resource designed for state court judges, courts, and judicial educators.
For more information contact Dennis Perkins, Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts.
See the video at http://courts.ms.gov/trialcourts/youthcourt/youthcourt_ycvideos.html (scroll down to section on Indian Child Welfare Act)
The National Indian Child Welfare Association offers a number of training materials for purchase. Visit http://www.nicwa.org/resources/curriculum/ to learn more and order materials.
Available curriculum include:
