The kathryn M. Buder center for american indian studies at washington university in ST

This $880,840 Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention cooperative agreement award will support the "Native Child Advocacy Studies (NCAST)" project. The 3-year project, awarded to the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Missouri-St. Louis Child Advocacy Studies Program, will enhance training and education for child protection professionals serving Native communities. Key activities include:

• Conducting an analysis of curricular needs related to child advocacy studies at tribal colleges and universities, Native non-tribal institutions, and Native-focused centers nationwide, and providing recommendations.
• Recruiting and training existing Native American faculty and child protection professionals to serve as facilitators for indigenized problem-based learning simulations.
• Offering six virtual colloquia on topics like trauma-informed reasoning and mandated reporting for over 120 child protection professionals.
• Providing 15 Native students or paraprofessionals with Child Advocacy Studies credentialing through UMSL courses and fieldwork.

The project aims to strengthen the child protection workforce serving Native communities through enhanced training, curriculum development, and professional development opportunities.

Louis (buder center), and the university of missouri-ST. Louis child advocacy studies program (UMSL-CAST) will join in partnership for project native child advocacy studies (NCAST) to enhance and expand child protection professional workforce development for native law enforcement officers, social workers, mental and medical health professionals, and prosecutors. NCAST will conduct an analysis of curricular needs related to child advocacy studies in all tribal colleges and universities (TCUS), native non-tribal institutions (NNTIS), and native-focused centers and departments in non-tribal institutions throughout the united states and provide a completed report on the status of native child advocacy studies and recommendations to ojjdp.NCAST will recruit and train existing native american faculty and child protection professionals and their surrounding native communities. NCAST will offer six virtual colloquiums (two each year) in key NCAST components, to include application of indigenized models of the core concepts of trauma for children and youth, trauma-informed reasoning skills, mandated reporting, minimal facts interviewing, trauma screening, etc.finally, NCAST will provide for each partner entity to select and award scholar cohort status to three undergraduate or graduate level native students or paraprofessionalsto join the cohort of scholars (15 total) who will attend umsls child advocacy studies courses. Upon completion of three courses and a fieldwork component, scholars will receive nationally recognized child advocacy studies credentialing.