American Indian and Alaska Native children are more likely to live in grandfamilies than children in any other racial or ethnic group. While American Indian and Alaska Native children make up one percent of all children in the United States, they comprise over eight percent of all children in grandfamilies and two percent of all children in state foster care systems. This tip sheet is designed as a quick reference tool for practitioners and advocates working with grandfamilies and kinship families who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. It is meant to help them provide services in a way that is culturally sensitive and effective and also serves as a reference guide for staff orientation/training to work in these communities.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance hosted the 2022 Regions IX and X Virtual Tribal TANF and NEW Technical Assistance Meeting on August 23-25, 2022. The Strengthening Partnerships Between Tribal TANF and Child Welfare session was targeted to Tribal TANF programs interested in coordinating programming with Child Welfare, specifically for tribes that did not have a Tribal TANF-Child Welfare (TTCW) grant. It was also applicable for participants that were considering applying for a TTCW grant in the future. Participants learned about resources available for increasing coordination, including the Resource Toolbox for Tribal TANF-Child Welfare Coordination Projects, the Continuous Quality Improvement framework, and the Collaboration Assessment Tool.

This article lists symptoms of historical trauma and cites the negative impact of historical trauma as part of the explanation behind Native American mental health issues. Further, the article identifies examples of trauma recovery programs that are found to be successful for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. These programs include: Beyond Trauma, a culturally specific recovery group created by South Dakota Urban Indian Health; the Tanana Chiefs Conference Old Minto Family Recovery Camp, an Athabascan alternative to substance abuse treatment; the Red Road to Wellbriety, a culturally appropriate mutual help approach based on Lakota/Nakota/Dakota world views; wellness courts; and Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans.

Approximately 1.3 percent of the U.S. population, or roughly 4.2 million Americans, identify themselves as having Native American or Alaska Native heritage. Native/Indigenous people in America report experiencing serious psychological distress 2.5 times more than the general population over a month’s time. This Native and Indigenous Communities and Mental Health webpage includes an infographic on the number of Native Americans/Alaskan Natives who reported having a mental illness as well as resources on demographics/societal issues, cultural factors, prevalence, treatment issues, and access/insurance.

The recent large investments in the Tribal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act present an opportunity for tribes to enhance their early childhood systems to meet their goals, promote child development, and support working parents. The significantly increased funds offer tribes a chance to invest broadly in their child care and early childhood infrastructure to support higher program quality and improved child and family outcomes. This Information Memorandum provides an overview of how Tribal Lead Agencies can use existing CCDF funds, including supplemental funds provided through the ARP Act, to implement their tribe’s vision for a stronger system of high-quality early care and education at the tribal community level. It offers examples of activities that Tribal Lead Agencies may implement that are allowable under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act and the CCDF regulations.

The Administration for Children and Families will host a webinar on December 13, 2021 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET as part of a series of webinars on topics related to implementation and coordination of early childhood programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This webinar supports participants in learning about approaches to building and improving facilities for early care and education in tribal communities. During the webinar, participants will hear an overview of issues related to building and improving facilities for early care and education, followed by a panel highlighting innovations and promising practices being implemented in tribal communities. Participants will discuss highlighted strategies with peers and hear about resources they can use in their own communities and programs.

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is accepting applications for grants for the Domestic Violence Prevention (DVP) program. This IHS grant supports development and expansion of DVP programs by incorporating prevention efforts that address social, spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of victims. The grants facilitate integration of culturally appropriate practices and trauma-informed services for tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian organizations (UIO) serving the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population. This IHS program promotes prevention efforts that address domestic and sexual violence, including sexual exploitation/human trafficking, Missing and Murdered AI/AN people, and child maltreatment. Applications are due by February 2, 2022.

This bulletin briefly overviews racial disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system and the factors that contribute to the problem. It then describes practices that child welfare caseworkers, administrators, program managers, and policymakers can implement to address these issues in general and at specific decision-making points along the child welfare continuum (such as prevention, reporting, screening and assessment, service delivery for children and affected families, and permanency for children in out-of-home care in a child welfare case). Further, the bulletin also stresses the importance for State and local child welfare agencies to understand Tribal sovereignty within the relationship between the two agencies. The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) allows for the formation of Tribal-State agreements which often serve to improve ICWA compliance and outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native children, and to increase Tribal access to Federal child welfare funding.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the livelihoods, finances, and well-being of millions of individuals in Indian Country. Compounding the burden of job losses are widespread school shutdowns and the lack of affordable child care, which simultaneously hinder TANF-participating parents, particularly mothers, from gaining meaningful employment while imposing additional costs on already tight family resources. These trends present urgent and essential demands on Tribal TANF programs. To respond to these challenges, the Office of Family Assistance hosted a webinar on October 27, 2021, which provided insights on Federal and State resources that can assist parents in transitioning into employment, as well as innovative practices from Tribal TANF, child care, and community organizations to support low-income families. The webinar also identified strategies for coordinating Tribal TANF and Child Care offices.

The American Public Human Services Association and the National Association of Welfare Research Statistics will host a hybrid (in-person and virtual learning) conference from August 22 to August 25, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The conference will bring together policy, practice, research, and various programs to advance the collective goal of achieving economic mobility and well-being for everyone. Workshops are being developed to help health and human service leaders, policymakers, and researchers in developing human services programs through collaboration, integration, modernization, and guidance on effectively monitoring quality control and performance management. A registration fee is required.