Via Puyallup Tribe of Indians: Pierce County Juvenile Court held an opening celebration Sept. 24 to welcome in its new Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Courtroom.
Passed in 1978, the ICWA was developed as a responsive measure to Indian children being removed from their homes by nontribal public and private entities. The United States House of Representatives reported at the time that that 25 to 35% of Indian children were being removed from their homes using survey data from The Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA). More often than not, these children would subsequently be placed into nontribal adoptive and foster services. The ICWA serves to protect Native children by introducing the child’s Tribe and family into the decision-making process regarding services and placements. Click here to read the rest of the story.
