Spring 2014 NICWA News

Service and Advocacy for Indian Children

The National Indian Child Welfare Association’sQuarterly Newsletter

Spring 2014

NICWA News

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Dear Members and Supporters:

With the arrival of spring, there is a new energy around the NICWA offices. We were very pleased to receive some significant contributions recently that will mean NICWA will end our fiscal year on a very strong note. Support from tribes, such as the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, con-tinue to sustain the organization. In fact, the generosity of this year’s Protecting Our Children national confer-ence’s tribal sponsors has already exceeded our expectations.

NICWA’s annual conference has attracted additional key stakeholders this year. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is sponsoring a track of workshops in partnership with NICWA as part of our racial equity work. First Nations Repatriation Institute, a national organization dedicated to supporting Native adult adoptees, will also convene. Also, the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Government Accounting Office will all hold listening sessions at our conference. These partners recognize that our conference is the premier gather-ing of you—tribal child welfare workers and advocates who can greatly inform their work.

Lastly, I want to update you on the progress of the leadership transition at NICWA. It is well underway and pro-ceeding exactly as we had anticipated. Sarah Kastelic is now ably overseeing many of my former responsibili-ties. Watching her take the reins in new areas has prompted me to reflect upon my time at NICWA and to look to a future where I get to serve NICWA and tribal communities in a new way.

Looking back, I can remember how my role at NICWA was the result of being in the right place at the right time, ready to get to work and do whatever my elders told me. I didn’t set out to create an organization. All I had to do is show up. Creator always gave me what I needed to do.

I’ve been doing this for 40 years. Looking forward, I know that if things continue getting better in the next 40 years the way they have these past 40 years, we’re going to be in great shape. We’ve gone from failing court systems and non-existent structures for programs, to a place where every tribe in the nation has some type of child welfare services. Then, we didn’t have any legislation that protected children. Now, there is. When I think about all of the things I’ve been a part of and able to accomplish, I feel a lot of gratitude and wonder.

It is with this sense of reflection and renewal that I thank you for your ongoing support and wish you well.

Message From Executive Director Terry Cross

NICWA NewsPublished by the National Indian Child Welfare Assocation5100 SW Macadam Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, Oregon, 97239P: (503) 222-4044 F: (503) 222-4007 www.nicwa.org

What’s Inside the Spring 2014 Issue:

Letter from the Executive DirectorNICWA Staff Visit DC StakeholdersTribal Notification Policy in NMLeadership Transition UnderwayPoarch Creek Gives Critical SupportInside NICWASeminoles Become Host SponsorWhere We’ve BeenNew and Renewing Members ListWisom Circle Scholarship AnnouncedUpcoming EventsNICWA CaresHow NICWA’s RFI Process Works

Terry L. CrossExecutive Director

p. 2p. 3p. 4p. 5p. 5p. 6p. 7p. 7p. 8p. 9p. 10p. 10p. 11

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NICWA Works with Federal Officials and Partners to Improve Protections and Resources for Tribal Children and FamiliesAt the beginning of each year—after Congress comes back into session and federal agencies begin focusing on their plans for the year—NICWA goes to Washington, DC, to begin our education of federal officials on the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children and families.

Since early February, NICWA staff and board members have been in Washington, DC, four different weeks as part of our outreach efforts. These meetings are critical to NICWA’s goal of establish-ing a strong presence in the home of the federal government and strengthening relationships that are necessary to promote effective policy development. Because of our ongoing work throughout the year with tribal leadership, NICWA has the support to carry impor-tant information to federal policymakers and agency officials so AI/AN children and families are not forgotten.

Some highlights from our most recent work in Washington, DC, include a meeting with Associate Attorney General of the United States Tony West. NICWA staff and Board President Gil Vigil spoke with Mr. West about continuing gaps in compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). In discussing how it is a basic civil right of AI/AN children to be raised within their families and communities, NICWA staff asserted that these rights were being violated at an alarming pace in some areas. Sharing both research data and the myriad stories we hear from our constituents on an almost daily basis, staff emphasized how this was destabilizing tribal children, families, and communities. Associate Attorney General West responded that the Department of Justice would look for ways to help support proper implementation of ICWA and was considering requests from tribal leadership to investigate examples of improper implementation.

In our work to educate federal policymakers, NICWA works with a variety of partners that are also engaged in similar work. One example of this is NICWA’s recent meeting with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The foundation has been very active in educating the child advocacy community and federal policymakers on child welfare finance reform.

The federal government’s system of funding child welfare ser-vices has been in need of an overhaul for some time. Federal funding policies have a role in influencing how states and tribes focus their local efforts to help vulnerable children and families. In some cases, these policies have not fit well with the cur-rent knowledge we have about how to best prevent removal of children from their families.

With the meeting, NICWA began a dialogue on how Annie E. Casey can bolster efforts to address the needs of AI/AN chil-dren and engage tribal governments. While Congress may not take up child welfare finance reform this year, our invest-ment now will greatly improve the chances that when they do, Congress will have specific provisions that will benefit AI/AN children and families.

Associate Attorney General West responded that Department of Justice would look for ways to help support proper implementation of ICWA and was considering requests from tribal leadership to investigate examples of improper implementation.

NICWA Board Member Aurene Martin and Government Affairs Director David Simmons in February.

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NICWA will fight to protect our children. Will you help us?NICWA provides assistance to over 1,000 Native families annually, provides training to dozens of tribal communities each year, and advocates tirelessly to promote programs, funding, and services desperately needed by our Indian com-munities. Your support will ensure that NICWA will continue to fight to protect our children and preserve our culture.

Yes, I believe in protecting Native children and preserving Native culture. My enclosed gift is:

NameAddressCity/State/ZipEmailCredit Card No. & Exp. DateSignature

Please clip and send checks payable to NICWA at NICWA, 5100 SW Macadam Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97239

$20 $35 $50 $100

All g

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NICWA, AAIA Study Tribal Notification Policy in New MexicoNational Indian Child Welfare Association Executive Director Terry Cross announced that the organiza-tion is embarking on a collaborative research project with the Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) to study tribal notification law, a law unique to the state of New Mexico, and how it may improve outcomes for American Indian youth in the juvenile justice system. Currently, under the law, the courts are required to notify a tribe if one of their Native youth enters the juvenile justice system.

The project launched earlier this year in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a convening of 22 experts in juve-nile justice in New Mexico, including tribal and state

leaders and other stakeholders in juvenile justice, who helped in-form the research strategy and identify counties of focus. The proj-ect will examine the unique legal and policy environment in New Mexico regarding tribal-state relationships and juvenile offenders. Researchers will study whether tribal notification is effective in New Mexico, and if not, how it can be adjusted to work more effectively and serve as a model to address this problem in other states.

NICWA and AAIA will be conducting interviews with New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department officials, tribal lead-ers, state and tribal judges, probation officers, service providers,

and others working in juvenile justice, as well as American Indian youth who have been in contact with the juvenile justice system in the past. The study will feature a legal analysis of how the law works and best prac-tices for its implementation.

The project is funded by a grant from The Public Welfare Foundation. The foundation’s Juvenile Justice Program supports organizations working to reduce youth incarceration rates in the juvenile justice system and promote fair and equitable treatment of youth of color by the juvenile justice system.

Terry Cross stated, “We are inspired by the interest and participation of tribal, state, and county leaders and others working in juvenile justice so far in this project. We are confident in the potential of the tribal notification law in New Mexico and in other states across Indian Country.”

Researchers will study whether tribal notification is effective in New Mexico, and if not, how it can be adjusted to work more effectively and serve as a model to address this problem in other states.

The project launched earlier this year in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a convening of 22 experts in juvenile justice in New Mexico.

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Kastelic Assumes Increasing Leadership Role in Anticipation of Year-End Executive TransitionIn December 2014, Terry Cross will step down as the executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association and take on the role of senior consultant for the organization. He will spend his time writing, working with tribal communities, and training staff to work with tribal communities instead of focusing on the day-to-day management of NICWA. Consistent with NICWA’s four-year transition plan, Sarah Kastelic will become the new executive direc-tor.

Taking such a measured approach to the executive transition has created the unique opportunity to evaluate the organization’s governance and operations, map a long-term strategic plan collaboratively, and promote transparency of the organization through constant communications with the communities

NICWA serves. Support from the philanthropic community allowed NICWA to convene other non-profits that have faced—or are facing—similar shifts. Kastelic says, “Learning how such chang-es in executive leadership have occurred in other similar orga-nizations helped us understand just how transition can either result in turmoil, or it can create real strength. We’ve approached our transition with the latter in mind.”

While Kastelic will assume her new role as executive director in the new year, she has already

assumed leadership of some of Cross’s executive responsibilities. “Sarah is now overseeing NICWA’s fiscal operations and all board activities,” explains Cross. “Throughout 2014, she and I will be meeting and conversing with our partners to ensure that those relationships are handed off in a good way.”

Significant changes such as these are bound to generate many questions, and even a little ap-prehension, about how a new executive director may change NICWA’s role as the leading advo-cacy organization dedicated to tribal child welfare issues. Understanding that such concerns are a natural result of the departure of a much-admired founding director, Kastelic remains optimistic that any fears will be quickly eased.

“This is a real chance to engage our constituency in helping shape the future direction of NICWA,” Kastelic states. “Our goal is nothing short of what we’ve heard referred to as ‘radical stability’.”

Poarch Band of Creek Indians Gives $50,000 to Fund Core Work The Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama recent-ly donated $50,000 to the National Indian Child Welfare Association in sup-port of the organization’s core work.

The gift marks the most recent in a series of sig-nificant donations from the tribe.

“Support for our core work ensures that we can pro-tect and defend our Indian children,” said NICWA Executive Director Terry Cross. “We appreciate that Poarch Creek understands how vital funding for these operations is. We’ve ben-efited greatly not just from their most generous sup-port but from the leadership that tribal member Robert McGhee has demonstrated on our board of directors. NICWA considers the tribe a true partner.”

Cross and Kastelic at the 2013 National Day of Prayer for Native Children

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Gil Vigil

Inside NICWANICWA Welcomes New Staff Members Gokee-Rindal and BoroNICWA is delighted to introduce two new members of the NICWA staff.

NICWA’s new youth engagement specialist, Linda Migiziikwe Gokee-Rindal (Anishinaabe), is an enrolled member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in northern Wisconsin. Linda obtained a bachelor of arts at the University of Minnesota Duluth with a major in American Indian studies and a minor in women’s studies and has previously worked in the fields of youth develop-ment, HIV/AIDS prevention, and domestic violence. Linda has presented on a variety topics including reproductive justice, Indigenous feminism, violence against Indigenous women in the U.S., two-spirit/Indigenous LGBTQ perspectives, media literacy, and human trafficking in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Justin Boro is from Portland, Oregon, and joined our staff in January 2014. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in political science from Portland State Univer-sity in 2011, where he focused his studies on the ef-fects of development and trade on political institutions and cultures. After graduation, Justin interned with state, federal, and local government offices to help improve the lives of Oregonians. Before joining our organization, he worked in the Oregon Senate, where he helped advocate for the Foster Youth Bill of Rights (SB 123), cultural competency in health care delivery (HB 2611A), and addressing the over representation of minorities within the social services and corrections systems (SB 463B). Justin is a NICWA support spe-cialist, providing much-needed assistance to the com-munications, membership, and events departments.

Linda Gokee-Rinda

Justin Boro

We’re Hiring!We are currently seeking qualified applicants for two positions: Human Resources Supervisor and Community Development Specialist. Visit our website to view these and future job opportunities. Join Team NICWA! www.nicwa.org/careers

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Seminole Tribe of Florida Provides Key Host Sponsorship of NICWA Conference

The National Indian Child Welfare Association received a $20,000 host sponsor-ship from the Seminole Tribe of Florida for this year’s 32nd Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This year’s sponsorship by the tribe will help NICWA bring a wide range of workshops and relationship-building op-portunities for child welfare workers, tribal leaders, and ICWA advocates from all across Indian Country and maintain the conference as the premier national gathering to discuss best practices in Indian child welfare.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has a long and proud history asserting their tribal sovereignty and is the only tribe in America who has never signed a peace

treaty. Today, the tribe operates some of the most successful Native-owned business enterprises in the United States, employing more than 7,000 people and purchasing more than $130.3 million in goods and services yearly.

When reflecting on the tribe’s sponsorship for the annual conference, Seminole Councilman Christopher Osceola remarked that, “For the past several years, the Seminole Tribe of Florida has been a generous sup-porter in the efforts and important work that NICWA does for Native American children and families across the United States as well as preserving the Indian Child Welfare Act. As a member of the Seminole Tribal Council, it has given me an opportunity to see firsthand a lot of the issues that NICWA deals with. Furthermore, it has re-ally opened my eyes to all the good work that NICWA does, and has done, for Native American people across this great country.”

NICWA Executive Director Terry Cross noted that, “Simply put, the Seminole Tribe of Florida—as one of our largest tribal donors—has provided significant support to our organization over the years. Without the gener-ous contributions from the Seminole Tribe, NICWA could not bring together such a diverse group of stakehold-ers to discuss, collaborate, and transform Indian child welfare. This year’s conference promises to continue to advance our mission to promote the well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native children, families, and communities.”

Where We’ve BeenEvery year, NICWA program staff provide on-site training and technical assistance to dozens of communities in the U.S. and Canada. Here is where we’ve been so far in 2014.

Christopher Osceola

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New and Renewing MembersJanuary 1–March 31, 2014

Coral Membership Tier

Corporate Associate Membership

Turquoise Membership Tier

Joseph Holloway

Abalone Membership Tier

Tribe IndividualOrganizationSuquamish Tribe Shannon JonesClaudio MantovaniTanya McElfresh

Eckerd

Alex CleghornTrina HofbauerRobert McGheePatrick Shannon

Adrian SmithTim Tank

Tribe IndividualLorraine Van Brunt

Gil VigilJeffery Whelan

Daniel Winkel-Wolfshadow

Modoc Tribe of OklahomaAnvik Tribal Council

Pamela AdairNicole AdamsShirlene Ade

Lola AdedokunShannon Ahtone

Cynthia AlexanderCaroline Archibald

Barbara ArviJulie Atkins

Elizabeth AvelarIlona Avery

Linda Ayagarak-DaneyRonelle BakerDode Barnett

Christine BaronIvonne Barrios

LouAnn BensonErin Binneboese

Sara BissenKathy Black BearJohn Bradley Jr.Nadia Brigham

Stephanie BrownShannon Brown

Nicole BrunBarbie BuchananPenthea BurnsKelly Bushey

Terri CapoemanRalph CokerKimi Coker

Rita CoosewoonTsali Cross

Jason CrossJackie Crow Shoe

Vera DawseyVerlin Deerinwater

Brandi DobsonJesus DonacioCaitlin Donald

Jan DonaldKarla Eisen

Jennifer ElliottAdirian Emery

Rochelle EttawageshikJudy FernandezDonne Fleagle

Jocelyn FormsmaKathy Foy

Debra FrancisRaquel Franklin

Annette GachupinKaren Geerken-OttertailDanielle Glenn-Rivera

Edwin Gonzalez-SantinMyrna Gooden

Olivia GrayMorningstar Green

Robert GriffyMichael Guilfoyle

Zahra HadiTami Haley

Josephine HalfhideChristine Harbour

Lise Hayden Maureen Heffernan

Cora HintonBarbara Hitchcock

Thelma HouleKelly Hubbell

Sarah HuesmannGloria HuffmanJessica Hughes

Irene HunterThomasine Iron

Yvonne ItoDenise Jefferson

Foran JillPeggy JourdainNora JourdainIris Jourdain

Dixie KamimuraSharron KaneCornelia KartyAndrea Konik

Sonya LaCoute-DanaCandace LaGouKathy LaPlante

Robert LindecampLeah Lujan

Rebekah MainJolene MartinAndrew MasielLinda McNall

Harmon MeldrimNatalie Meyring

Jennifer MiseganSandra MithloMallory Moon

Summer MorganJeffrey Olson

Lorraine Orosco

Hankie OrtizLisa Otipoby

Tracy OttertailJodi Michele Owings

Elizabeth PaezYvonne PageTricia PalaciosRena ParisienDeAnna ParkerRobert Paulson

Jay PedroAmy Perron

Lacey PetersonPearl Pickett

Phyllis PiersonShannon Porter

Misty PowellRick Rabenort

Carlette RandallSharon Randle

Tammy Red OwlTerry Roe LundSonia Ruedas

Yonevea SapcutPete Small Bear

Robert SmithShannon Soop

Amanda SpragueRobyn StevensonNadine Swartout

Sheridan TerbasketSenora Thompson

Paige ThorsonLeoda Tommie

Pam WadsworthChristine WaquieDeanna Warren

Marcel Weasel HeadNethia WhiteJoni WilliamsJackie Wilson

Karen WolfTasha Yatchmeneff

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NICWA Board of Directors

OfficersGil Vigil (Tesuque Pueblo)President

Theodore Nelson, Sr. (Seminole Tribe ofFlorida)

Vice President

Rochelle Ettawageshik (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians)

Secretary

Gary Peterson (Skokomish)Treasurer

MembersPatricia Carter-Goodheart (Nez Perce)Angela Connor (Choctaw)Paul Day (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe)Jennifer Elliott (Sac and Fox)Donne Fleagle (Athabascan)Jocelyn Formsma (Swampy Cree)Debra Foxcroft (Tseshaht)Linda Logan (Oklahoma Choctaw)Aurene Martin (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

Robbie McGhee (Poarch Band of Creek Indians)

Jaymee Moore (Colorado River Indian Tribes)Mary Tenorio (Santo Domingo Pueblo)Derek C. Valdo (Pueblo of Acoma)Alex Wesaw (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi)Jeffrey C. Whelan (Saint Regis Mohawk)

Board of RegentsBrad Earl (Nez Perce descendent)David Powless (Oneida)Sherry Salway Black (Oglala Lakota)Don Sampson (Walla Walla)John Shagonaby (Potawatomi)Mike Tiger (Seminole Tribe of Florida)

Council of EldersAnita Chisholm (Absentee Shawnee)William Clark (Cherokee)Don Milligan (Métis: Cree/Assiniboine,Yakama, Kootenai)

Lola Sohappy (Warm Springs)

Strategic Leadership CouncilJefferson Keel (Chickasaw)Ernie Stevens, Jr. (Oneida)

Wisdom Circle Scholarship for NICWA Members Announced Greetings from your membership department! We are so pleased to welcome the more than 100 new members over the winter quarter, and of course, thank you to all of our renewing members who continue to demonstrate commitment to the work NICWA does building tribal capacity to provide culturally competent Indian child welfare (ICW) services in their communities. Our member-ship is now more than 450 strong, and we hope to see all of you at our upcoming conference in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Stop by our membership booth to say hello and for your chance to win some members-only goodies. We’d love to hear from you!

NICWA recognizes that our members are dedicated profes-sionals, from a wide array of career fields, who have com-mitted themselves to learning and implementing best prac-tices and fostering innovative, solutions-focused ways of working in Indian child welfare.

To honor the diligence of our members in staying apprised of ad-vancements in the Indian child welfare field, NICWA is very happy to offer our new member benefit, the Wisdom Circle Scholarship, which will be rolled out at the membership recep-tion at our 32nd Annual Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect.

The Wisdom Circle Scholarships are four merit-based scholar-ships that will be awarded on an annual basis, in varying amounts not to exceed $125 per person, to individuals who work in or with the ICW field and who demonstrate significant motivation in advancing their education or their professional skills in ICW. The awards may be used for tuition, study materials and curricula, conferences, workshops, or training fees for ICW-related educa-tional or professional opportunities.

To be eligible, you must be a current member (individual member or working for a tribal/organizational member) and you must be doing ICW work in one of the following fields:• Social Work• Law• Tribal Sovereignty

The award year is May 1 through April 30. The application and required materials will be available on May 1 on the NICWA web-site and through the NICWA membership department. To inquire about this new benefit, or provide feedback on this or other mem-bership services, please contact Member Relations Manager Ava Hansen at [email protected].

Ava Hansen

• Education• Policy• Research

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NICWA Ends 2013 with Community ServiceEvery year, NICWA staff come together and work toward giving back to the local community and showing ap-preciation for organizations in the community doing good things for Native children and their families. In De-

cember 2013, NICWA staff decided to host a bake sale and dedicate the proceeds to buy presents for the children at the Siletz Tribal Head Start Program in Portland, Oregon.

The Siletz Tribal Head Start Program is an early childhood education program designed to foster the development of preschool-aged children and to promote school readiness. The program also works to ensure that children are up-to-date on preventive medical and dental care. The classrooms provide cultural enrichment, connect families to resources in the community, and build commu-nity through parent and family involvement.

With the nearly $500 raised from the December 13 bake sale, NICWA staff were able to purchase presents to fulfill the children’s wish lists. “It was important for us to connect with the local Native American community,” said NICWA Project Support Alexis Contreras. “Giving back to Native families and children is a deeply held value by NICWA. The excitement and joy it brought the children reminded staff why we do what we do.”

NICWA Cares

32nd Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and NeglectApril 13–16, 2014Fort Lauderdale, Florida

NICWA Training InstitutesApril 17–18, 2014Fort Lauderdale, Florida• Positive Indian Parenting

NW Native Art ShowJuly 19–20, 2014Portland, OregonA portion of the proceeds will go to NICWA.

NICWA Training InstitutesSeptember 8–10, 2014Portland, Oregon• Positive Indian Parenting• ICWA Basics• Advanced ICWA

NICWA Training InstitutesDecember 1–3, 2014San Diego, California• Positive Indian Parenting• ICWA Basics• Advanced ICWA

33rd Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and NeglectApril 19–22, 2015Portland, Oregon

NICWA Training InstitutesApril 23–24, 2015San Diego, California• Positive Indian Parenting• ICWA Basics

To learn more, visit www.nicwa.org

Upcoming NICWA Events

The bake sale raised nearly $500.

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NICWA receives well over one thousand requests for information (RFIs) each year by phone, email, mail, social media, and in-person walk-ins. Recognizing the often-critical nature of many of these requests, staff make every effort to respond in a timely manner to each request.

Sometimes, we can respond over the phone in just a few minutes. Other requests require more research and more time. Each RFI is unique and requires staff to collect some basic information for our records like the requestor’s name, contact information, rea-son for calling, and tribal affili-ation. Intake staff will ask if the reason for calling is an emergen-cy or time-sensitive matter. For example, staff will determine if the matter involves an imminent ter-mination of parental rights, pend-ing adoption, or caller in crisis? Again, NICWA makes every effort

I Need Help, Now What Do I Do? A Guide to NICWA’s RFI Processto connect these requestors with information, resources, and referrals to those who may be able to further help the requestor.

Other times, callers seek consultation. Many RFIs re-quire a particular area of ex-pertise—how certain federal

or state legislation could affect them, knowledge of or trib-ally or geographically specific policies, fa-miliarity with certain data or statistics, for example. Still oth-ers seek assistance with other general resource questions—adult adoptees seeking help in tracing lineage and researchers needing data, for example.

A great deal of calls we receive concern the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). More specifically, NICWA’s ICWA Specialist Mary Renville responds to many requests each month from parents or other relatives who seek relief from ICWA in child custody disputes.

The provisions of the law are very specific. Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of confusion about when ICWA applies and when it does not.

When we cannot help directly, NICWA makes every effort to connect a requestor to someone who can. When those options are exhausted, we encourage people to call us again to develop another plan. When there is no further avenue to pursue, we make every attempt to explain directly and thor-oughly why this is.

There are instances when NICWA staff must explain that ICWA does not apply to a specific custody case, or tell callers that NICWA does not provide direct legal advice or inter-vene in specific cases. These are especially difficult conversations to have. NICWA staff understand that people reach out in times of crisis and that, by contacting us, they seek to resolve very critical issues involv-ing their families.

NICWA is not a direct service pro-vider nor a legal services provider to individuals. We work with tribes, Native organizations, policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and the legal community to strengthen tribal child welfare and improve policies for Native children. This has created a deep network of relationships that we call on to help our constituents directly.

RFIs ebb and flow. Currently, we are experiencing a higher-than-ever volume of requests. NICWA staff recognize that each RFI represents a family in need, and we take this responsibility very seriously.

NICWA added Renville to its staff, with support from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

NICWA is not a direct service provider nor a legal services provider to individuals. We work with tribes, Native organizations, policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and the legal community to strengthen tribal child welfare and improve policies for Native children. This has created a deep network of re-lationships that we call on to help our constituents directly.

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NICWA NewsNational Indian Child Welfare Association5100 SW Macadam Avenue, Suite 300Portland, OR 97239