On July 20, 2023, the Children’s Bureau Learning & Coordination Center hosted a webinar titled “Redressing the Wrongs of History,” which highlighted the ways the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) promotes the well-being of Native children and families in the aftermath of generations of government policies designed to separate them. Host Kimee Wind-Hummingbird of the University of Montana called ICWA the “gold standard” for child welfare policies, noting that it centers active prevention of family separation, promotes connection of families to each other and their culture, and places a child through kinship care if imminent danger exists. She praised state efforts to promote the welfare of Native children, such as states with their own comprehensive laws on ICWA and states that have ICWA courts. The webinar closed with an emphasis on the power of voting to preserve and promote ICWA. The recording and resources will be available on the website.
By Jacqueline Glenn, Policy Intern