Cal-ICWA

Cal-ICWA Mission Statementcalicwalogo

The mission of CAL-ICWA is to ensure that American Indian children and families in the California juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency system receive the protections, services and rights recognized by the federally enacted Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA)

Why Cal-ICWA?

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was passed by Congress to address abuses against Indian families.  Unfortunately, too little has been done by local county and state social service agencies to comply with ICWA.  Often agencies don’t know or acknowledge that Indian children and families require distinctive accommodations that are culturally and traditionally unique.  Further, agencies need to be aware of Indian peoples’ political status as self-governing nations which requires appropriate interaction.  These issues will continue to exist until tribes, Indian organizations, and those dedicated to child welfare unify and speak with one voice.  Cal-ICWA is an active advocacy association that continually promotes ICWA compliance in California.

What does Cal-ICWA do?

  • Strengthens tribal governments and Indian organizational effectiveness with outside agencies by implementing a process of “working things out by talking things through” to successfully resolve challenges and create solutions to Indian child welfare concerns.
  • Provide training to tribal leaders, Indian organizations, ICWA workers, and social workers in cross-cultural communication, leadership, and negotiation.  Informational presentations on Indian child welfare.
  • Convenes a broad range of tribal decision makers to reach agreement on issues of concern, resolve differences, build consensus, identify priorities, and develop strategies for meeting the needs of Indian children and families.
  • Identify and engage relevant local, state, and federal partners with Indian tribes and organizations in order to reach cooperative agreements and build strategic alliances that facilitate implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
  • Mobilize essential technical and financial resources to build, evaluate, and sustain Indian child welfare solutions.
  • Support other states in replicating appropriate local solutions and processes.
  • Advocate for state and federal legislation or policy change.

Ways you can get involved!

  • Become a member and be added to the Cal-ICWA email listserve.bxp46559h
  • Follow Cal-ICWA here on our blog http://calicwa.wordpress.com , or on facebook: California Indian Child Welfare Association.  Comment or contribute a blog posting.
  • Contact Cal-ICWA with your questions about ICWA implementation in California.
  • Contact Cal-ICWA for support with specific local Indian child and family issues or concerns.
  • Contact Cal-ICWA to start or participate in ICWA Roundtable meetings in your county.
  • Contact Cal-ICWA for training and strategy processes for your tribe, organization, or agency.
  • Ask your tribal council to prioritize and support Indian child welfare services and funding.

Cal-ICWA, established in 2004, is supported by Indian Dispute Resolution Services, Inc. (IDRS), a national Indian organization that offers Collaboration and Conflict Resolution services to Indian tribes and organizations. IDRS works to strengthen tribal self-determination and build “government to government” relationships with federal, state and county government agencies.

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By The Numbers

Of approximately 4.5 million American Indians 689,120 are Californians (2008).

• That’s almost the Indian population of Oklahoma and Arizona combined.

• American Indians are 1.9% of CA population.

• 9.9M Californians are under 18yo.

• 46,522, or <.5% of Californians under 18 are American Indian children/youth

• About 75,000 children in foster care in California

• About 5000 young people age-out of foster care each year.

• 1 in 4 are likely to be incarcerated within 2 years

• Less than 50% are likely to graduate high school

• 1 in 5 are likely to experience homelessness within 1.5 years of aging out.

• There are about 1500 identified Indian foster care cases in California (2008)

• 2% of CA foster care cases are identified Indian Child cases (are identified as Indian children AND meet ICWA requirements)

• A minimum of 3.2% of the Indian youth in California are in foster care!

• 400-500 Indian youth EXIT CA foster care system each year.
(Exits are county-defined: reunification, Kin-gap, emancipation, guardianship, adoption, age-out).

**Indian children are grossly under-reported in county systems; mostly because they are not identified by county workers as Indian.

**These foster care numbers do not include juvenile detention or probation placements

**These foster care numbers do not include Indian children who are not eligible for tribal membership.

Data Sources: www.kidsdata.org and The Child Welfare Dynamic Report System.
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