Tribal Resources

• Child Welfare Information Gateway: Fostering Connections Act
  Information about the Fostering Connections Act from the Child Welfare Information Gateway and the Administration for Children & Families
• Summary and Section-by-Section Description of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (H.R. 6893)
  This memorandum provides a section-by-section overview of major provisions included in the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.
• Comprehensive overview of ACF-PI-10-11
  This powerpoint by the Children's Bureau is a comprehensive overview of ACF-PI-10-11, which provides title IV-E agencies information on the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, P.L. 110-351.
• Summary by ACF/DHHS of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations
  An overview of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations submitted to the Administration for Children and Families.
• Resources from CDF on policies and programs related to Fostering Connections Act
  An array of resources by the Children's Defense Fund on policies and programs related to the Fostering Connections Act.
• Tribal Customary Adoption Information
  The organization Tribal STAR has assembled an array of resources about Tribal customary adoption, including fact sheets, agency memoranda, a PowerPoint presentation, and sample forms for Tribal customary adoption orders.
• Funding Opportunity: Tribal Title IV-E Plan Development Grants
  ACYF has also released an announcement for Tribal Title IV-E Plan Development Grants that provide one-time funding for the development of a plan to implement a Title IV-E foster care, adoption assistance and, at the option of the tribe, a guardianship assistance program. This grant deadline is also July 5, 2011.
• WEBINAR: Supporting Tribal Child Welfare through a Better Understanding of the Opportunities under Fostering Connections
  The power-point presentation from the August 12th, 2010 Webinar, hosted by FosteringConnections.org in conjunction with the National Indian Child Welfare Agency.
• WEBINAR - New Title IV-E Tools for Tribes to Take Advantage of Opportunities Under Fostering Connections
  The slide show presentation from the August 10th Webinar on New Title IV-E Tools for Tribes to Take Advantage of Opportunities Under Fostering Connections, hosted by the Fostering Connections Resource Center in conjunction with the National Indian Child Welfare Association.
• Q&A from Tribal Webinars--August 10 & 12, 2010
• National Resource Center for Tribes
  This National Child Welfare Resource Center is funded by the Children's Bureau and is part of the Training and Technical Assistance Network administered by the Children's Bureau.
• Overview of Tribal Provisions in P.L. 110-351
  Detailed description of the tribal provisions of Fostering Connection.
• Technical Assistance on American Indian Child Welfare Systems
  National Indian Child Welfare (NICWA) staff and consultants provide technical assistance (TA) in the area of the Indian child welfare service systems development and improvement. The emphasis is on empowering tribal programs and increasing their capacity. TA services are adapted to meet the needs of both Indian and non-Indian organizations who request assistance in developing child welfare systems that impact American Indian children and their families.
• The President Signs Into Law Historic Child Welfare Legislation with New Tribal Funding for Foster Care, Guardianship, Adoption and Independent Living Services
  Provides an overview of Tribal Provisions of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.
• Tribal/State Title IV-E Intergovernmental Agreements: Facilitating Tribal Access to Federal Resources
• Indian Child Welfare Act; Designated Tribal Agents for Service of Notice
  Federal Resource: This list of Indian Child Welfare Act; Designated Tribal Agents appeared in the Federal Register on Wednesday, May 19, 2010.
• Connecting Children to their Native American Roots. Tribal Contact Lookup:
  Private Company Created Resource: Ayazuta. Provides up to date information on Tribal Contacts and additional resources for states to strengthen their notice of tribes in child welfare cases.
• National Indian Child Welfare Association's Information on Customary Adoption
• The Indian Extended Family and Its Relationship to Parenting
• Traditional Native American Culture and Contemporary U.S. Society: A Comparison
• National Indian Child Welfare Association on Mental Health
  The website for the National Indian Child Welfare Association on Mental Health
• Systems of Care Tribal Communities
• Native American Child Health
  Information on Native American Child Health from the AAP.
• Key Considerations and Best Practices for Tribal Title IV-E Data Collection and Reporting
  This report by Dr. Priscilla Day and Erin Geary provides an overview of the critical issues related to American Indian child welfare and data collection. It describes the data reporting requirements under Title IV-E. Drawing on the experiences of successful tribal agencies that have collected and reported data in an effective, culturally relevant way, it describes challenges, lessons learned and best practice related to child welfare data collection. It further provides an assessment tool for tribes to use to assess their readiness to implement Title IV-E services.
• Title IV-E: Helping Tribes Meet the Legal Requirements
  Many tribes have tribal codes, regulations and policies but many of these were developed outside the requirements of Title IV-E as tribes did not directly operate Title IV-E programs. When seeking to operate Title IV-E programs, tribes will need to assess their current codes, regulations and policies and make changes as needed. This report by Jack F. Trope provides tribes with detailed information about the Title IV-E issues that tribes must address through codes, regulations or policies and offers strategies that tribes can use to make needed revisions.
• Circles of Care
• Trauma Exposure in American Indian/Alaskan Native Children
• Native American Children and Youth Well Being Indicators: A Strengths Perspective
  This paper is the result of an exploratory research project that investigated Native American well being indicators for children and youth from a strengths perspective. The research presented builds on previously conducted research on Native American well-being indicators for children and youth.
• Native American Kids, 2001. Indian Children's Well Being Indicators: Databook
  This report presents a literature review of 10 well-being indicators for American Indian and Alaska Native children.
• Transition Programs in Indian Country
  Provides an initial understanding of programs available to American Indian youth and services provided within American Indian communities.
• Improving Access to Independent Living Services for Tribes and American Indian Youth.
  Describes how Tribes can access independent living services for Indian youth and be involved in the development of culturally appropriate services to assist Indian youth as they begin the transition from tribal and state foster care systems to adulthood.
• Court Reform and American Indian and Alaskan Native Children: Increasing Protections and Improving Outcomes
  Description of court reforms related to handling of cases involving American Indian and Alaskan Native children.
• Resources from CLASP on policies and programs related to the Fostering Connections Act
  An array of resources by the Center for Law and Social Policy on policies and programs related to the Fostering Connections Act.
• Key Considerations and Best Practices for Tribal Title IV-E Data Collection and Reporting
  The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) National Policy Research Center recently published Key Considerations and Best Practices for Tribal Title IV-E Data Collection and Reporting to describe the Act's data collection and reporting components that affect Tribes and to provide guidance to Tribes on applying for funding. The paper includes feedback about current Tribal practices from surveys of 27 Tribes and interviews with eight Tribal program administrators.