Governor Jay Inslee Names First Native American to Washington State Supreme Court
Gov. Jay Inslee helped usher in a historic day for the Washington State Supreme Court when he appointed Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis as the first Native American justice Wednesday in Olympia.
Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page.
Tulalip Tribe Hosts Annual Training on Culture, Law and Policy
On November 18, the Tulalip Tribes hosted a training on Tulalip Culture, Law and Ethics. The Tribes generous agreement to provide this annual training is contained in the MOA between the Tulalip Tribes and DCYF.
DCYF participants included Regional Administrator Natalie Green, Deputy RA Yen Lawlor, Area Administrators, Supervisors, Social Service staff and Program Managers. Also participating were many staff and community members from Tulalip Tribes Including beda?chelh Director Roberta Hillaire who facilitated the event.
The training was held at the Hibulb Cultural Center. The Center includes a 50-acre natural history preserve, an interactive cultural center, a longhouse, an archaeological repository and a gift shop. There is a beautiful array of both historical and contemporary exhibits. The center also hosts many events including films, book and poetry readings and more. Please visit https://www.hibulbculturalcenter.org/ or better yet, visit the center in person!
The event opened with a traditional prayer song by two Tulalip youth and Chelsea Gobin. It was inspiring to see the traditions passed down by Chelsea and other Tribal members to these youth and to hear the positive impact it has had on their lives. This was followed by a welcome delivered by Patti Gobin and DCYF Director of Tribal Relations Tleena Ives. This dual welcome signified the strong government-to-government relationship between the Tulalip Tribes and DCYF.
There were many valuable presentations throughout the day including an excellent training on trauma-informed service delivery by Frank Grijalva; the impact of historical trauma on tribal communities shared by Patti Gobin; an informative overview of Tulalip Tribes Law, Jurisdiction and Families by Reservation Attorney Khia Grinnell; the important role of the beda?chelh Committee in protecting children and advocating for families as told by Alyshia Ramon; and a powerful overview of Coast Salish culture by Inez Bill.
All of the presenters highlighted the strong and effective commitment by the Tulalip Tribes to the safety and well-being of children within both their community and those Tulalip children who live off-reservation. Roberta’s wonderful facilitation created a warm and welcoming environment.
DCYF sincerely thanks the Tulalip Tribes for the wonderful event and extends a special thanks to excellent cooks for the delicious breakfast spread and the Indian tacos we enjoyed for our lunch.
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Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice Seeking Application
Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice (WA-PCJJ) is currently seeking applicants with knowledge in tribal law enforcement and/or juvenile justice systems in tribal communities. The Governor appoints members to the state advisory group through an application process. WA-PCJJ meets as a full body four times a year. The 2020 WA-PCJJ Meeting Dates and Locations are:
- January 23, Seattle
- April 23, Yakima
- July 23, Echo Glen
- October 22, Vancouver
Travel expenses are covered by the Council. Please email alice.coil@dcyf.wa.gov or call 360-529-7339 with any questions.
Click here for more information about the work of the Council.
Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) Child Welfare Workforce Analytics Institute
In 2020, the QIC-WD is hosting a Child Welfare Workforce Analytics Institute to work with additional public child welfare agencies on a short-term project that inspires collaboration between HR and child welfare staff.
The QIC-WD is seeking five to eight public and tribal child welfare agencies that are interested in participating in the Institute. Selected agencies are expected to attend multiple webinars and an all-expenses-paid, two-day workshop in Washington, D.C. on August 25-26, 2020. They will also be assigned a QIC-WD representative to provide coaching and individualized support as the agency prepares for the Institute and develops an action plan to improve an aspect of their workforce data analytics capacity and practice.
The call for applications is available here and the deadline to apply is Feb. 14, 2020. An information session will be held on Friday, January 10, at 9 a.m. Pacific Time using Zoom and/or by phone 646-876-9923.
Please contact rebecca.huffman@acf.hhs.gov with any questions.
Office of Justice Programs Awards More Than $143.7 Million in Child Protection Grants
The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs announced awards of more than $143.7 million in child protection grants. The awards will enhance state, local and tribal jurisdictions’ capabilities to protect children and respond to juvenile victimization.
OJJDP and the Office for Victims of Crime awarded grants to more than 120 sites, jurisdictions and task forces nationwide. The funds will help communities find missing children, support law enforcement investigations and increase overall public safety through prosecution of those who seek to abuse or exploit children.
The grants include:
- More than $48.2 million to support missing and exploited children programs and services.
- A total of $36.1 million to help combat and prevent internet crimes against children.
- Nearly $30 million to fund services for child and youth victims of human trafficking.
- More than $22 million to fund multidisciplinary efforts to improve the community response to child abuse.
- A total of $7.1 million to help communities address youth violence and victimization through a comprehensive school-based approach.
OJJDP also awarded $300,000 to provide culturally relevant training and technical assistance to support Alaska Native youth.
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