Mississippi – Supporting Native American Children & Families' Rights

ICWA Educational Video Now Available Online

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)

Mississippi – Choctaw Memorandum of Understanding Related to ICWA

In October 2012, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Mississippi Department of Human Services signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) related to the Indian Child Welfare Act.

The purpose of the MOU is to initiate coordination of social services between the agencies in situations where Choctaw children and families live off of the reservation.

The agreement also establishes procedures and guidelines for response to Choctaw families, creates a resource system in support of social services, shares expertise and knowledge in the area of child welfare and protection and provides opportunities for training between the agencies.

Read more from the press release at the United South & Eastern Tribes website. See the full text of the MOU and other Mississippi resources in the NARF IC WA Guide Online.

A Practical Guide to the Indian Child Welfare Act

The Guide is intended to answer questions and provide a comprehensive resource of information on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The online version at http://www.narf.org/icwa was created as a complement to the print version of the Guide, which was printed by the Native American Rights Fund in 2007.

While the topical sections are identical to the print version, the electronic copy has links to thousands of state and federal resources (cases, laws, etc.). In addition to the materials available in the original 360 page print edition, the online version includes more recent cases and a short list of recent ICWA news.