Happy Holidays from the Office of Tribal Relations Team

Seeking Local Indian Child Welfare Advisory Committee (LICWAC) Members

What is LICWAC and what does a member do?

LICWAC members serve in an advisory capacity to DCYF caseworkers and supervisors by recommending culturally appropriate case plans and services for Indian families.

What is the time commitment?

LICWAC staffings typically occur once a month, often for 2 hours. Although LICWAC usually takes place in person at a DCYF office, due to COVID-19 it occurs via Zoom video calls, giving LICWAC members added flexibility.

How do I find out more? What is the next step?

Potential LICWAC members must complete volunteer paperwork, including signing a confidentiality statement and background check form. Upon satisfactory completion of the background check and approval of the Regional Administrator, the individual is approved for LICWAC. LICWAC members are provided with initial training and will have opportunities for other training opportunities.

Please contact tribalrelations@dcyf.wa.gov for more information.

COVID-19 Grant for Caregivers and Family Time and Group Care Providers

DCYF will be giving a one-time grant to all Caregivers and Family Time and Group Care Providers to offset expenses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant funding can be used to offset the cost of COVID-19 related expenses you have or may incur such as personal protective equipment or additional technology needs to assist with at-home school support.

Most, if not all, of these funds come from the federal CARES Act. DCYF is working to get these payments out to caregivers and providers as soon as possible. 

We will share more detailed information in the coming weeks regarding how and when you will receive these funds.

Thank you for all that you do. 

New In-Person Family Time Guidance

Confronted with the rise in COVID-19 disease activity across the state, DCYF and court partners worked with the Washington State Department of Health to develop new in-person Family Time guidance that directs parties in every case to work together to reduce the opportunity for viral transmission during visits. The guidance does not eliminate in-person Family Time, due to the vital importance of keeping families connected during the pandemic, which has serious emotional and cognitive consequences for children and youth. This is in accordance with recent direction from the federal Children’s Bureau that courts and child welfare agencies provide continued access to Family Time, whenever possible.

The Temporary COVID Aware Family Time Plan guidance creates a three-tiered process to support the co-creation of individualized plans.

TIER 1 – Agreed Temporary COVID Aware Family Time Plan
The parties and the visit provider review the family’s current plan and agree on changes to reduce the chances of viral transmission. Changes should be based on measures that are scientifically determined to reduce transmission risk and documented in a Temporary COVID Aware Family Time Plan.

Key components of a Temporary COVID Family Time Plan include:

• If in-person contact is reduced or suspended, it should be supplemented with expansive virtual contact, such as daily video check-ins, good night calls and texting.
• A review date must be set, within four to six weeks, to discuss how the plan is working and if/when in-person contact can be expanded or resumed.

TIER 2 – Facilitated Temporary COVID Aware Family Time Plan
If the parties can’t agree to a new plan, or special circumstances exit, a Shared Planning Meeting will be held within one week. At the meeting, the team will engage in a conversation to examine each family’s vulnerability and the risks they share, with the goal of developing a Temporary COVID Aware Family Time Plan. 

A useful online survey, the COVID Family Time Assessment Tool, was created to help the case worker gather information, facilitate an open and honest conversation and identify a plan that reduces the risk of transmitting COVID while acknowledging the impact on family relationships.

TIER 3 – Court Ruling on Family Time Plan
If the previous efforts are unsuccessful, DCYF counsel will file a motion with the court to propose changes the Family Time Plan. Evidence gathered as part of the effort to develop a Temporary COVID Aware Family Time Plan should be provided to the court to inform its decision.

Resources:
Temporary COVID Aware Family Time Plan Guidance
DCYF Revised Family Time In-Person Visit Protocols for Providers
Dec. 4, 2020, Letter to the Field from Jerry Milner, Associate Commissioner, Children’s Bureau  

Indigenous Science Education Winter 2020 Send Home Packet

These activities center indigenous ways of knowing and Native culture and are designed to affirm resiliency and self-care, getting your children away from their computer screens, and engaging in learning that is fun for the family.

• Letter From OSPI
• Self-Care BINGO
• Hot Chocolate Breathing
• Traditional Games
• Herbal Resilience Guide
• Salmon Activity Book
• My Little Nature Almanac
• Calling Out The Power
• Digging into the Pain

Funding Opportunities

Tribal Organizations and Urban Indian Organizations (Youth and Family TREE)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2021 Enhancement and Expansion of Treatment and Recovery Services for Adolescents, Transitional Aged Youth, and their Families grant program (Short Title: Youth and Family TREE). The purpose of this program is to enhance and expand comprehensive treatment, early intervention, and recovery support services for adolescents (ages 12-18) and transitional aged youth (ages 16-25) with substance use disorders (SUD) and/or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders (COD), and their families/primary caregivers. Application Deadline: Feb. 8, 2021. Apply Here.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are domestic public and private nonprofit entities. For example:

• Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes, tribal organizations, Urban Indian Organizations, and consortia of tribes or tribal organizations
• State governments; the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau are also eligible to apply
• Governmental units within political subdivisions of a state/territory, such as a county, city or town
• Public or private universities and colleges
• Public/Private non-profit health care systems such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred-provider organizations (PPOs), Federally Qualified Health Care systems or hospital systems
• Community- and faith-based organizations.

Award Information

• Funding Mechanism | Grant
• Anticipated Total Available Funding | $9,524,682
• Anticipated Number of Awards | 17 (At least 3 awards will be made to tribes/tribal organizations pending sufficient application volume from these groups)
• Anticipated Award Amount | Up to $545,000 per year
• Length of Project | Up to 5 years
• Cost Sharing/Match Required? | No
• Proposed budgets cannot exceed $545,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in any year of the proposed project. Annual continuation awards will depend on the availability of funds, grantee progress in meeting project goals and objectives, timely submission of required data and reports, and compliance with all terms and conditions of award.)

Spirit Aligned Leadership Program

Inviting Applications for Legacy Leaders and Future Legacy Leaders | An Intergenerational Call to Spirit: Restoring the balance of the world during a pandemic requires transformative solutions that center Indigenous Peoples and our ancestral knowledge. Join us by lifting up our leadership and knowledge. Apply now or learn more at www.spiritaligned.org.

Intergenerational Fellowship Design: 8 intergenerational partnerships consisting of a Legacy Leader and Future Legacy Leader will apply together in one application to do a knowledge transfer project.

• Age range for a Legacy Leader is 65+
• Age range for a Future Legacy Leader is 18-40 years
• Application Deadline is Feb. 1, 2021
• Legacy Leader receives $75,000
• Future Legacy Leader receives $45,000
• Project Funding up to $25,000

Upcoming Meetings/Training

Alliance January Webinars

Tribal Workers, please use this Registration Form to register for the Alliance courses.

Contact Us