The purpose of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is "...to protect the best interest of Indian Children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families by the establishment of minimum Federal standards for the removal of Indian children and placement of such children in homes which will reflect the unique values of Indian culture... "(25 U.S. C. 1902). ICWA provides guidance to States regarding the handling of child abuse and neglect and adoption cases involving Native children and sets minimum standards for the handling of these cases.
Current Events & NewsICWA Quarterly/Annual Report WebEx Training Flyer
Date: Thursday, January 23, 2020- 2:00 to 3:00 pm EST
To download the Flyer, click on the link: Webinar Flyer Link
- 2018 1076-0131 ICWA Quarterly and Annual Report
- Guidelines for Implementing the Indian Child Welfare Act - December 2016
- Sample Parental Consent Form
- Sample Withdrawal of Consent Form
- Sample Notice Form
- Dear Tribal Leader Letter- Announcement of Trainings on New ICWA Rule.
Implementation Questions: – Evangeline Campbell, Chief, Division of Human Services, BIA, evangeline.campbell@bia.gov, (202) 513-7610
Regulation Questions: – Elizabeth Appel, Office of Regulatory Affairs – Indian Affairs, elizabeth.appel@bia.gov, (202) 273-4680
ICWA Quick Reference Guides
- Quick Reference Sheet for Voluntary Proceedings
- Quick Reference Sheet for Tribes
- Quick Reference Sheet for State Agencies
- Quick Reference Sheet for State Courts
- Quick Reference Sheet on Active Efforts
FINAL RULE: ICWA REGULATIONS
- Final Rule: Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Proceedings - PDF, June 17, 2016
- Final Rule: Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Frequently Asked Questions - PDF, June 17, 2016
- Dear Tribal Leader Letter - PDF, June 8, 2016
- Dear State Governor Letter - PDF, June 8, 2016
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Interagency Collaboration Regarding the Indian Child Welfare Act - April 2016. - PDF
News Release -
- Interior Announces Interagency Partnership with Justice and HHS to Strengthen ICWA Implementation and Compliance - April 4, 2016 - PDF
- Indian Child Welfare Act; Designated Tribal Agents for Service of Notice, Federal Register Notice, May 9, 2019.
Documents
Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978
Resources
- The National Indian Child Welfare Association is a national voice for American Indian children and families. They are a comprehensive source of information on American Indian child welfare and the only national American Indian organization focused specifically on the tribal capacity to prevent child abuse and neglect.
- http://www.nicwa.org/
- Measuring Compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act: An Assessment Toolkit - February 28, 2014
- The NCJFCJ is committed to helping state courts achieve full ICWA compliance. A new resource is now available to the courts (or Court Improvement Programs) to help achieve this goal. Measuring Compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act: An Assessment Toolkit, provides concrete tools and recommendations for the state courts to assess their current compliance with ICWA. The Toolkit identifies strengths and weaknesses of different data collection approaches, provides sample tools or questions for the sites, and identifies resources and examples of putting this into practice. If you have any questions or would like additional information about measuring ICWA compliance in your jurisdiction, you can e-mail the research team at research@ncjfcj.org.
- Measuring Compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act: An Assessment Toolkit - February 28, 2014
