Transcript White Earth Indian Child Welfare Initiative Tribal Sovereignty – The Reason for the Initiative’s Importance to us  Our Tribe is a.

White Earth Indian Child Welfare Initiative
2010
Tribal Sovereignty – The Reason for
the Initiative’s Importance to us
 Our Tribe is a separate and
distinct Nation.
 Tribal sovereignty predates
the establishment of the
United States.
 Our customs predate the
establishment of the United
States.
 Defining our child rearing
practices is not something a
State government can
readily do.
Department of Human Services
Priorities
 Reduce disparities in service access and
outcomes for racial and ethnic populations.
Strategies:
1) Support tribes as they develop the capacity
to deliver services directly.
2) Take action steps to reduce disparities in
specific program areas, such as the Native
American population
Disparate Outcomes
 Why were there disparate outcomes for
Native American children involved in the child
welfare system?
 13,755 children in out of home placement in
2008; Native children represented 1.6% of
the State child population but represented
more than 7% of children in out of home
placement, with 1,798 children in placement
in 2008.
White Earth Initiative Phase I
 Authorized August 2005
– Minn. Stat. 256.01, Subd.
14b
 Phase I grant contracts
executed Feb/March
2007: Planning and
building capacity
 Child abuse/neglect
prevention and family
preservation services
begin
Legal Work
 State grant contracts
 Title IV-E agreements between
tribal and state government
 Memorandum of Understanding’s
between tribal, county and state
governments
 State information system
agreements
 Service Level Agreement and
Memorandum of Understanding
 Individual user agreements
Phase I: Planning and Building
Capacity (March 2007 – April 2008)
 Hire and train staff
 Provide child abuse
prevention and family
preservation services
 Access to major state
information systems:
SSIS - case
management, MAXIS Title IV-E eligibility
determinations and
PRISM interface- child
support
Phase II
 During Phase II White
Earth accepted all
cases from Mahnomen,
Clearwater, and Becker
Counties that included
Initiative eligible child
welfare, child
protection, and
reunification. White
Earth accepted all
placement cases from
these three counties
beginning April 4, 2008.
Phase II: Full Continuum of Service
Delivery System (April 2008)
 Child abuse and neglect
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prevention
Family preservation services
24/7 child protection
response system
Accept new reports of
maltreatment and respond
Began the case transfer
process for accepting
existing county cases that
met AICWI criteria.
Goals and Purpose
 Build our own Tribal service delivery capacity.
 Deliver full child welfare services.
 Reduce the overrepresentation of American
Indian children in the child welfare system.
 Provide child welfare services in a culturally
appropriate way that results in improved child
safety and well-being.
Goals continued…
 Demonstrate
Tribal leadership
Providing child
Welfare services
And improve
Outcomes for our
Families
What types of cases are eligible?
 Child welfare (cases that
do not include out of
home placement, but
services to avoid
placements)
 Child protection (may
include cases that result
in out of home
placement)
What services are being provided?
 Prevention
Preservation
 Safely maintaining
children in the home
of a parent or relative
Maltreatment Response System
 24/7 child protection
response system
Tribal Foster Care System
 70 licensed homes
 Predominantly relative
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homes
Located throughout all
of the Tribal
communities
Adhere to Tribal Foster
Care Standards
Monitored by Tribal
Worker
Monthly trainings
Reunification
 Case plan within 30
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days
Frequent court hearings
Frequent home visiting
Family Drug Treatment
Court
Tribal Team
collaboration
Funding
 State appropriations
$4.8 million annually
 Federal reimbursement
– Title IV-E
maintenance,
administrative and
training
 First federal claim
submitted 2008
Lessons Learned
Migwetch (Thank you)