On Tuesday, May 12, HHS published final rule for the updated Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) regulations and requirements. AFCARS data reported by states annually helps to build a profile of the “child welfare” population by producing annual numbers on children in out-of-home (foster) care, adoptions and youth aging out to
On Tuesday, May 5, the Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and the Secretary of Interior David L. Bernhardt announced how billions of dollars in Coronavirus Relief Fund money will be distributed to Native American tribal governments throughout the country. The CARES Act, which passed on March 25, included a set aside of $8 billion for tribal governments
On Tuesday, January 21, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation hosted the fourth annual celebration of the National Day of Racial Healing, which was established in 2017 to promote healing as a critical path for ending racial bias and creating a society in which all children can thrive. The program featured Kellogg Foundation’s President and CEO La
On Thursday, December 12, the Senate HELP Committee approved the reauthorizations of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (S. 2971) and the Adoption Opportunities Act (S. 2969) by voice vote. Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) remarked that today, the Senate HELP Committee approval of legislation would help states prevent child abuse and ensure the
November is Native American Heritage Month in which the country recognizes the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of this nation. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) released the annual 2019 State of Native Youth Report: Native Youth Count and hosted an
On Thursday, November 7, a federal appeals court announced that it would revisit the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) August decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that upheld ICWA as constitutional. The 5th Circuit rejected a lower court ruling that sought to strike down ICWA. The decision by the U.S.
Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its 42nd report on the country’s health status, Health, United States, 2018. The new report indicates progress in infant mortality and teen pregnancy rates but still highlights differences within subpopulations. While infant mortality was down by 14 percent between 2017 and 2007, the differences
On August 9, 2019 a US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit rejected a lower court ruling that sought to strike down the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). On October 4, 2018 a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, (Brackeen V Zinke), Judge Reed O’Connor, known for his
The Family First Transition and Support Act (HR 2702/S 1376) bipartisan cosponsored by Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE), Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Jim Langevin (D-RI), and Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) in the House and sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in the Senate.
Shaquita Ogletree The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is a long-standing federal law protecting the well-being of Native children by upholding family integrity and stability within their community; and the “gold standard” in child welfare policy. October 2018, Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled that
