By Ariana King, Graduate Assistant Last November, the Supreme Court heard the case of Haaland v. Brackeen*, which challenges the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Long considered a gold standard in child welfare, ICWA prioritizes keeping Native children in out-of-home care with Native families first before looking to non-Native families for foster care or [...]
Mariel Carlson, University of Minnesota MSW Student and Outreach Graduate Assistant at CASCW and Laura LeBrun, MSW, University of Minnesota Graduate and Outreach Graduate Assistant at CASCW July 2021 Welcome to the Expanding Knowledge blog series! The following is an eight-week series that will feature means to enhance your child welfare work through education [...]
Today's guest blogger is Caleb Williamson The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is a social welfare policy that was established by congress in 1978. The law was initially created in response to the high numbers of American Indian youth being removed from their homes and placed in non-Indian foster and adoptive homes (25 U.S.C. 1901-63). [...]
On Tuesday, February 23rd, eight MSW IV-E Fellows attended the University of Minnesota - Duluth School of Social Work's Winter Institute in Hinckley, Minnesota. This year's topic was Addressing American Indian Child Welfare Policy and Practice in Minnesota. Over 260 child welfare practitioners from around the state of Minnesota, representing 19 counties, 7 tribal agencies, [...]
Christi Anderson (right) with her Hennepin Task Supervisor, Sara Crotteau, MSW, LGSW (left). Below, IV-E MSW student, Christi Anderson writes about her advanced field experience at Hennepin County within one of the 4 ICWA units. For me, there is no better time than the present to be a learner and intern within [...]
The latest Legislative Task Force on Child Protection meeting on October 13, 2015, featured a presentation by several tribal child welfare leaders, representing the recommendations of 11 Tribal Nations in Minnesota. Ted Waukey, Family Preservation Supervisor with Mille Lacs Family Services, began with a historical overview of federal policy that adversely affected American Indians, pushing [...]
The UMD Summer Institute in American Indian Child Welfare is an annual opportunity for Tribal child welfare workers and administrators to spend three days together developing new practice skills, sharing their collective experiences, and learning with Indian Child Welfare professionals and scholars in a Tribal context. The theme for 2015 was "Honoring our Strength: Building [...]
The two human services policy bills, SF 1356 (authored by Senators Sheran and Lourey) and its companion bill HF 1535 (authored by Rep. Mack), modify the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA), out-of-home placement provisions, and reporting requirements of maltreatment. Most of the child welfare changes found in this bill specifically impact Indian child welfare [...]