The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network hosted a webinar in May 2023 to cover strategies for tribal programs wishing to engage in collaborative services to support kinship and grandfamilies. The webinar addressed how government or private organizations can best prepare for collaboration with tribes. Additionally, the webinar helped participants be able to discuss why grandfamilies and relative care providers can benefit from collaborative approaches among tribes, or between tribes and non-Native government or private service providers; become familiar with principles that support successful cross-cultural and cross-jurisdiction collaboration; and be able to explore and weigh several issues when planning a collaboration. The recording and presentation are available for review.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration hosted a webinar on May 8, 2023 and brought together experts from Native American organizations and tribal entities to discuss the prevalent use of opioids in Tribal communities and how the workforce system combats the impacts associated with the opioid crisis. Following a presentation of an overview on the opioid and substance misuse in Native American communities, representatives from the Cherokee Nation shared how the tribe leverages its workforce system and Department of Labor grants to promote recovery and reintegration.

This National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center recording on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR), domestic violence, and Native maternal health explores the intersection of safety, health, and family well-being in Tribal communities. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners working with Native families, the recording provides important context on how domestic violence and systemic barriers can affect family stability and access to services. It also highlights the importance of responsive approaches that recognize community strengths and lived experiences. TANF practitioners can use this resource to and begin exploring ways to strengthen partnerships and improve supportive services for Native families and Tribal communities.

This resource highlights a training opportunity designed to support Native women, Tribal communities, and Tribal leaders in addressing violence, safety, and broader community well-being, including the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs serving Tribal communities, it emphasizes approaches grounded in cultural responsiveness, trauma-informed practice, and community leadership.

It also provides an opportunity for Tribal TANF practitioners to strengthen partnerships with organizations and better respond to the needs of Native families impacted by violence. In doing so, programs can improve how services are delivered in ways that build trust, reflect community priorities, and support safety. The resource further highlights leadership development and community engagement strategies that can help reinforce protective networks for families facing crisis or instability.

This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network guide helps ground your work in the importance of keeping children connected to family, culture, and community, an approach that closely aligns with the goals of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The guide explains how policies like the Indian Child Welfare Act support relative caregiving and why that matters for long-term stability. For Tribal TANF programs or TANF programs working with Tribal families, this guide also provides understanding on how to better support kinship caregivers who may not fit neatly into traditional program models. It offers context you can use to design more responsive services, strengthen family-centered approaches, and ensure that benefits and supports reflect the realities of the families you serve.

Research shows that separating children from their families causes lasting trauma. Child protection agencies should exhaust all means to ensure children and families receive essential support to safely remain together. In instances when temporary out-of-home placement is necessary, finding the best possible family-based setting helps to mitigate trauma. Placement preferably should be with kin, but when kinship care is not possible, placing children in a safe family setting with a resource caregiver in their community is essential.

To ensure family-based placements meet the differing needs of children in the child welfare system, child protection agencies should actively recruit and retain resource caregivers from varied backgrounds. This Casey Family Programs brief highlights a menu of strategies for recruitment and retention of resource families, as well as a selection of tools and resources to help develop comprehensive, integrated recruitment and retention plans.

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a critical period and can be particularly difficult for youth aging out of foster care. Administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program supports youth in or formerly in foster care as they transition to adulthood. Selected state officials told the U.S. Government Accountability Office that they decide on their service array by using data, participant feedback, and information from other states. These officials also reported offering youth services based on individual skills and needs. The most widely used services in selected states are related to education, health, and housing.

This U.S. Government Accountability Office report addresses: (1) how selected states support youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood, (2) ACF resources for states on effective Chafee services, and (3) the extent that state and federal funds are used to support services for older youth.

This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network primer was developed to offer service providers basic information about federal programs that can be used to finance kinship services and programs. Information for each source includes which federal agency administers the funding source, services the funding source can finance, and basic eligibility information. This funding primer is not intended to be an in-depth explanation of each source but, rather, a high-level overview that can be used to aid further research.

Early childhood development (ECD) investments are rarely considered an important part of economic development, yet they are deeply interconnected. When children have a healthy start in life, they are more likely to become the scholars, innovators, and entrepreneurs that drive economic development in their communities. This Administration for Children and Families resource highlights an important return on investment approach to investments in ECD that is uniquely augmented in Native communities.