The minneapolis american indian centers proposed tribal liaison project for out-of-state tribes is essential for helping the state and hennepin county to address the disproportionalities in indian…

The Project Grant award of $200,000 from the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Title II Grants program supports the Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC) in delivering tribal liaison services. Through this funding, MAIC will provide assistance to approximately 75 families per year who have children involved in the child welfare system and are members or eligible for membership in out-of-state tribes. The tribal liaisons will work to facilitate connections between these families and their tribes, advocate for the families in court proceedings, and help ensure the tribes are able to provide input and recommendations to the court on placements and services. This project aims to address the disproportionately high rate of Indian children in the foster care system by creating and maintaining connections between out-of-state tribes and the child welfare system in the Minneapolis metropolitan area.

The minneapolis american indian centers proposed tribal liaison project for out-of-state tribes is essential for helping the state and hennepin county to address the disproportionalities in indian children in the foster care system, by creating and maintaining connections to out-of-state tribes, whose tribal members are involved in the child welfare system, and helping to ensure that the tribes are able to provide input and recommendations to the court on placements and services. Our urban, native community that the icwa-primary grant covers is diverse with more than 40 tribal affiliations represented. The tribal liaisons for the icwa primary grant serve native, low-income cases, in the metropolitan area including minneapolis (hennepin county). Because most of the minnesota tribes provide tribal assistance for their tribal members involved in child welfare cases, our agency focuses on the many families in the child protection system whose tribes are out of state. To date, the minneapolis american indian centers ICW program has worked with over 75 non-minnesota tribes, making this program not only an important resource for minnesotas tribes, but also for tribes from across the country-- from alaska to arizona, montana to mississippi. Most of the cases we work with involve members from north south dakota tribes for whom we have blanket authorizations to work with all of their tribal members who come through the system, but we also have had case-specific authorizations from another 23 tribes in the past few years. Cases involving out of state tribes are referred to the minneapolis american indian center by hennepin county as they come into the court system the maic tribal liaisons contact the tribes to determine if they would like assistance on the case. The tribal liaison then attends the hearings, helps the family understand what is going on in the court process and how they can work towards a better outcome by engaging with their case plan. The tribal liaison advocates for the family and tribe in court, and conveys the recommendation and requests of the tribe. Through the proposed project, we will provide tribal liaison services to approximately 75 families involved in the child welfare system each year. These families have children involved in child welfare actions who are members of out-of-state tribes or are eligible for membership in those tribes. We estimate that in a given year, we will work with 25-30 different tribes. Success is measured by whether tribes engage with the process and make recommendations to the court for the families, and by the family outcomes in terms of reunification family placements of the children.