The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was passed so that Tribes could protect and pass on the cultural heritage and values of the Tribe to its children's children.

The Indian Child Welfare (ICW) worker assumes responsibility, on behalf of the Tribe, for the protection, care and well-being of at-risk children who are enrolled or eligible for enrollment in the Tribe.

The goal of the ICW worker is to limit the separation of these Indian children from their families and culture.

The ICW worker is also responsible to develop additional guidelines for the ICW program. The Tribe must establish its own policies and procedures with regard to child abuse prevention, child protection, foster care and adoption procedures.

The ICW worker can further protect the cultural values and heritage of all Native American Children by supportive membership in the appropriate State, National and Indian Organizations and by providing cooperative services as requested by Native American Tribes.

One of the goals of all Tribal ICW programs is to provide fair and uniform services, in a confidential manner, to all Tribal members.

The objective of every Indian child and family service program is to prevent the breakup of Indian families and, in particular, to ensure that permanent removal of an Indian child from the custody of his/her parent or Indian custodian is a last resort. ICW Child and Family Service Programs may include, but are not limited to:

1. A system for licensing, regulating, maintaining, and supporting Indian foster and adoptive homes;

2. The operations of maintenance of facilities and services for the counseling and treatment of Indian families, Indian foster and adoptive children and for the temporary custody of Indian children;

3. Family assistance, including homemaker and home counselors, day care, after school care, and employment, recreational activities, and respite care; family assistance including homemaker and home counselors, day care;

4. Home improvement programs;

5. The employment of professional and other trained personnel to assist the tribal court in the disposition of child welfare matters;

6. Education and training of Indians, including tribal courts judges and staff, in skills relating to child and family service programs;

7. A subsidy program under which Indian adoptive children may be provided support comparable to that for which they would be eligible as foster children, taking into account the appropriate State standards of support for maintenance and medical needs;

8. Guidance, legal representation, and advice of Indian families involved in tribal, State or Federal child custody proceedings.

1. Assistance with Private Adoptions and home studies which did not originate in local tribal or state court as a result of dependency hearings.

2. Assistance with juvenile delinquency petitions when the juvenile is not a ward of the tribal child welfare court.

3. Assistance with divorce custody home studies or custody disputes between parents.

4. Assistance with legal fees.

TYPES OF PROGRAMS FOUND WITHIN ICW PROGRAMS:

1.Family Preservation Services (Case Management)

a. In-home family counseling

b. Crisis Assistance

C. Resource referral, such as, parenting classes, budgeting and therapy

2. Investigation of Child Abuse Complaints

a. On State Land (OKDHS)

b. On Indian Land (BIA)

3. Foster Care placement Services

a. Kinship Family Placements

b. Tribal Foster Homes

c. Use State Foster Homes- as required

4. Family Reunification Services

a. Transfer cases to Tribal Court

b. Establish Individual Service Agreements

c. Monitor State Court Cases

d. Provide Children and Family Social Services

5. Permanency Planning

a. Seek to prevent foster care drift

b. Supportive Services for Adoptive Families

c. Qualify Adoptive Placements

6. Research Grant Development

a. Seek additional funding to implement each of the above areas

b. Conduct research to measure the effectiveness and impact of the total ICW program