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Oregon Indian Child Welfare Act (ORICWA)
November 2024 Bulletin
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As we celebrate National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, I want to take a moment to express deep gratitude for the strong, ongoing government-to-government relationships our office and ODHS have with the Nine Federally Recognized Tribes of Oregon. This month provides us with an opportunity to honor the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and contributions of Native and Tribal peoples across our state and within our agency.
Each November, we reflect on Oregon's history with Indigenous communities and the important work we continue to do to heal and build meaningful reconciliation. By elevating Tribal voices in all our efforts, we strive to ensure that our programs, services, policies, and supports tribally appropriate and responsive to the unique needs of Tribal communities throughout Oregon, as well as being inclusive.
As we enter the holiday season, please to take a moment to reflect on and celebrate the history, culture, and ongoing contributions of Tribal communities here in Oregon and across Indian Country. Let’s continue to honor and uplift these relationships as we move forward together.
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If you attended the conference but didn’t have the opportunity to complete a survey, we kindly ask that you take a moment to share your feedback now. Your input is incredibly valuable and will play a crucial role in helping us plan and improve next year’s conference. We truly appreciate the time and effort you put into providing your insights! Thank you for helping us make future events even better.
General Session & Breakout Session Survey
Overall Conference Experience Survey
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An ICWA Warrior is a dedicated Child Welfare staff member, Tribal partner, or community ally who passionately supports ICWA/ORIWA and embodies its spirit through their hard work and commitment. These individuals are recognized for their steadfast advocacy and the impact they make in preserving the rights and welfare of Native children and families. As part of this recognition, all ICWA Warriors are invited to attend the annual Tribal-State ICWA Conference.
This year, we are thrilled to congratulate the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC) for being honored as an ICWA Warrior! Their unwavering dedication to ICWA and their work in supporting Tribal families is truly commendable.
 We are excited to highlight the incredible work of this organization, which has made a lasting commitment to cultural connection. They have gone above and beyond to create a diverse and inclusive library, with a dedicated section for Tribal and Indigenous content. Through collaboration with multiple Tribes and partners, they've carefully curated resources that serve a wide range of audiences—including children of all ages, families, resource parents, guardians, adoptive parents, staff, and community partners. All of these resources are easily accessible on their website.
When designing their section on Tribal and ICWA/ORICWA resources, the ORPARC team worked closely with Oregon Tribal artists to ensure the website design reflects authentic Tribal art. This thoughtful approach adds a layer of cultural appreciation to the site.
The staff at this organization are known for their kindness and dedication. They are always ready to assist with special requests and are passionate about helping individuals make important connections. Their commitment to supporting the community truly stands out!
If you would like to view the resources: https://www.orparc.org/resources/Tribal/icwa
Nominations for 2025 ICWA Warriors are now open! Visit the link to share your ICWA warrior nomination.
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Over the next several months we will be diving into active efforts with each bulletin building on the information from the previous month. If you miss a bulletin, visit the Tribal Affairs OWL page to get caught up.
It is important to remember that a cornerstone in the application of active efforts is early engagement and consultation with the child’s tribe in all safety planning and assessment planning, case planning decisions, referrals for services and concurrent planning. Each Tribe has different expectations surrounding active efforts therefore active efforts will look different for each family. To understand the Tribe’s expectations of active efforts ensure you are in active collaboration with the Tribe and for additional information please consult with the Regional ICWA Specialist or ICWA Consultant. ICWA/ORICWA’s provisions, including active efforts, apply whether a child’s tribe is involved or not in the custody proceedings.
Last month we dove into understanding what the key terms within active efforts mean. Active efforts must be tailored to each child and family within each ICWA/ORICWA case and could include additional efforts by the agency working with the child and family. The minimum actions required to meet the active efforts threshold will depend on unique circumstances of the case. It is recommended that the State agency, in coordination with the Tribe, determine which active efforts will best address the specific issues facing the family and tailor those efforts to help keep the family together.
For example, reasonable efforts could be a referral for services, but active efforts are arranging for the best-fitting, culturally appropriate services; helping families overcome obstacles to engage in those services; and following up on the family’s impression of whether those services were successful or how services may need to change.
Let’s put this into practice by comparing reasonable efforts to active efforts when it comes to service referrals:
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Case Work Action
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Reasonable Effort
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Active Effort
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Determining providers to utilize
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Making determination and informing client of providers they should utilize; Determining provider to utilize without attention to tailoring that determination
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Consulting with the parent or Indian Custodian and Tribe to reach determination on providers client should utilize, with discussion regarding: Providers already in place? Positive/negative history with specific providers? Trauma history to consider? Gender preference? Proximity? Schedule compatibility?
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Coordinating Service Referral
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Giving client list of providers to contact themselves; Coordinating referral 2-3 months after service is court-ordered
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Immediately offering to assist the parent with contacting providers and providing any support the parent needs to be successful.
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Post Referral
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Working under the assumption that the service is successfully in place
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Regular contact and communication with the parent to determine if the service is successful. Active engagement with the service provider regarding the parent’s engagement. Consistent, regular communication with the Tribe regarding the progress of the parent.
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Visit the Tribal Affairs ICWA OWL page to access additional information regarding active efforts including an active efforts resource guide, ORICWA administrative rules which outlines minimum active efforts requirements and more!
If you have any questions, connect with your Regional ICWA Specialist or ICWA Consultant.
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 The Tribal Affairs OWL page is home to an extensive video library, offering a wealth of resources for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of Tribal history, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), and the implementation of ICWA/ORICWA in different cases. We encourage you to explore the video library and begin your educational journey. After viewing the materials, feel free to share your thoughts and insights with a staff member from the Office of Tribal Affairs, your supervisor, or a colleague to further enrich your understanding and discussions.
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