The project will directly benefit american indian families by bringing focus to the issues faced by alternate caregivers and parents of indian children whose lives are impacted by indian child welfare…

The project will directly benefit american indian families by bringing focus to the issues faced by alternate caregivers and parents of indian children whose lives are impacted by indian child welfare act (icwa) state systems. The project will focus on the training and resource needs of these alternate caregivers who include kinship relative, foster, adoptive, kinship other extended family care providers. The project proposes an on-line icwa resource center for caregivers hosted by the rocky mountain tribal leaders council on its website. Rmtlc will systematically survey tribal caregiver workers, social service, and icwa workers to continue identifying a list of training topics. Rmtlc will facilitate meetings with the icwa caregivers steering committee comprised of tribal workers providing kinship, foster, adoptive care services, elders, grandparents raising grandchildren, guardians, adult with foster care lived experience, and a state worker. The steering committee will prioritize a list of training sessions to be developed by the rmtlc training center. The project recognizes that many of the alternate caregivers of indian children may not reside on tribal land or communities, nonetheless, the indian child in their care is still subject to the jurisdiction of the tribal court and case involvement by tribal services. Therefore, the project wants tribal workers to be included in tailoring the type of training needed by alternate caregivers. Through the course of consultation, the project will also reach out to state child and family services workers who regularly work with tribes on icwa case proceedings to gain their perspective on the training needs of alternate caregivers of indian children involved in the icwa state systems.