|
The Seattle Times | Opinion by Leonard Forsman
A case argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month threatens to revive a dark period in our history when Native American children were taken away from our families and tribes.
Safeguard the Indian Child Welfare Act
An Alaska Tribal court judge breaks down ICWA's past, present and future
Agency rules could protect ICWA processes in Wyoming while task force develops state-level law
Iowa tribes reflect on progress at march for children lost to foster care
Hello, my name is Kelly Linscott and I am the new Region 5 Tribal Liaison in the Office of Tribal Relations at DCYF.
I have been with the Department officially since June of 2010 when I graduated with my MSW from UW-Tacoma as a CWTAP student. Prior to my ‘official’ tenure with DCYF, I was a case aide for CFWS for a college practicum in 1995 and I have been a foster/adopt parent since 1997. Once ‘official’ I first worked in CPS in Tacoma and then moved to CFWS as an ICW worker in Bremerton where I stayed for 8 years. In 2018, I moved into the Bremerton Permanency Outcomes Facilitator (POF) position where I continued ICW work as a QEW for a short time as well as helping with LICWAC facilitation, assisting SW’s in Tribal Outreach, eligibility research and providing active efforts along with my other duties.
I am VERY excited to continue ICW work and look forward to collaborating with others in Region 5 and across the State!
|
Safe Babies Court Coordinator
Thurston County is seeking a Safe Babies Court Coordinator! The Safe Babies Court Coordinator position oversees the daily operations for Thurston County Safe Babies Court, including convening and facilitating all policy development processes, team meetings, and overseeing case coordination of all Safe Babies participants. For more information about the position, or to apply, click here.
Indigenous Research and Education Postdoc position
Please see below for information about an Indigenous Research and Education Postdoc position at University of Idaho. https://uidaho.peopleadmin.com/postings/38589
Tribal Communication Consultant (CC4)
This communications consultant position will be working with the Office of Tribal Relations at the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Learn more and apply here.
Director of Early Care and Education Programs
Exempt Director announcement Position 63576 16677
International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking a bilingual WARN Advocate
WHAT: IRC’s Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network (WARN) Program offers support to survivors of human trafficking as they rebuild their lives free from trauma and exploitation. The Bilingual WARN Advocate provides person-centered, trauma-informed support to minor victims of labor trafficking; developing service plans to match individual and family needs utilizing a range of financial, medical, social, vocational, and other services and resources based on participant needs, eligibility, and priorities. The WARN Advocate also participates in program planning, outreach, training, and service development through committees, task forces, and work groups. Spanish Professional Proficiency is Required.
How To Apply: Learn more information or apply here.
Tribal Community Program Coordinator
The Nakani Native Program (NNP) is a non-profit organization serving American Indian/Alaska Natives in King County.
Job Summary: To serve as a Tribal Community Program Coordinator is to support Nakani Native Program meeting their overall organizational goals and objectives. To serve as a coordinator between the Nakani Native Program’s Traditional Medicine Program, the students, Traditional Medicine partnerships and program participants. All program participants are considered Nakani student
The ideal candidate is exceptionally organized, has strong writing skills, capable of managing and prioritizing multiple tasks, a collaborator, and maintains a high level of attention to detail. This program is funded through the end of 2023 and has potential for additional years of funding based on implementation success.
Visit: https://www.nakani.org/ for more information. Please submit a cover letter and resume to Lisa@Nakani.org.
Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) will begin to expand its prevention service array to include more culturally responsive and appropriate services for Native families, beginning with a set of pilot contracts. Through this pilot, DCYF hopes to contract with Tribal Nations and Recognized American Indian Organizations (RAIOs) to offer culturally responsive prevention services that keep Native children safe and supported at home with their families and, thereby, prevent entries into foster care. DCYF anticipates learning about what it takes to successfully deliver services to Native families and what agency practices and policies best set Tribal Governments and RAIOs up for success.
Learn more: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/20221130_PreventionServicesRFA.pdf
Phyllis Stanley, a member of the DCYF WA Compass development team, and extreme distance runner, recently was selected for sponsorship by The Active Joe for the Western States Endurance Run.
Phyllis Stanley, age 47, grew up on the Navajo reservation in northeast Arizona in a rural area far from an urban environment. She ran growing up because part of the Navajo culture included morning prayer runs with the rising sun. While she took a break from running through her college years, eventually running found her again as an outlet to help her cope with the death of multiple family members over several years from cancer and other health issues. Phyllis found trail running especially grounded her and gave her strength to get through the rougher parts of life.
In honor of her late loved ones, Phyllis takes part in positive things and gives back to her local trail running community. She's a part of her local running group OlyTrailRunners, she participates in trail work parties to recover and maintain trails, and she has worked all aspects of trail races, from serving soup to marking the course to handing out race bibs to course sweeping!
Read the full article.
King County CSEC Task Force is hosting a training: Understanding and Responding to Running Away Behavior in CSEC
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WHERE: held virtually, register here
WHAT: The living situations of youth in the custody of child welfare who are commercially sexually exploited (CSE) are characterized by frequent changes, including high rates of detention placements and runaway episodes. This presentation will provide findings from the first rigorous study of the lifetime juvenile justice and child welfare administrative records of children in the custody of child welfare who were commercially sexually exploited. These findings will be placed in the context of a multidisciplinary task force that works to identify and intervene with CSE youth in child welfare to stabilize youth placements, prevent runaways, reduce the use of detention to securely place youth, and intervene with youth on the run.
The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) is hosting a webinar: Lessons Learned from Representing Survivors of CSEC
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022 | 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: held virtually, register here
WHAT: Juvenile treatment courts are not new, but emerging specialized legal practices to address therapeutic needs of child-participants is a more recent trend. The CEASE Clinic, an in-house legal clinic specializing in representing survivors of CSEC in dependency proceedings, partnered with UGA's School of Social Work to represent survivors in Georgia's first juvenile CSEC treatment court. This session will discuss CEASE's use of the ABA Model Act for Child Representation and trauma-informed principles in representing survivors of CSEC, and reframe how we think about outcomes for survivors involved in the child welfare system. This session will outline a multi-tiered evaluation effort of practices, attitudes, beliefs on trauma, and ethics. This webinar is FREE for NACC Members, and $45 for non-members.
2022 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) Task Force Annual Summit
Dates:
- Wednesday, Dec. 14, Family Talking Circle Open to families & survivors only Doors open at 4 PM, dinner will be served at 5 PM, and the Talking Circle will begin at 5:30 PM
- Thursday, Dec. 15 | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 16 | 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Location: Hosted by the Puyallup Tribe at Emerald Queen Casino
2024 E 29th St. | Tacoma, WA 98404
Register: https://www.research.net/r/WB75DDD
Find additional information on the MMIWP Task Force Annual Summit page.
Making a Difference for American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Innovations and Wise Practices
Indigenous Educator Pathways
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022 | 9:00 a.m. | Virtual Webinar
Indigenous Educator Pathways is the first installment of a three-part series, Making a Difference for American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Innovations and Wise Practices. The series will explore systemic efforts and innovations that prepare, recruit, and sustain American Indian and Alaska Native educators.
Zoom Registration
Washington State Aggression Replacement Training (WSART)
If any tribe is interested in receiving WSART training, please contact:
Stanley (Rudy) Nix, EBP Tribal Outreach Liaison/JRCA
DCYF, Juvenile Rehabilitation - Region5 & 6 Lacey Parole Office
(Office) 360-407-3206 or (cell) 360-951-0332
National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College
These self-paced courses cover the basics of the Missing Child Investigations in Indian Country (MCI-IC) online training series introduces the series, and is specifically designed to support understanding of the six key challenges law enforcement officers and supporting agencies working in or with Indian Country communities often face when a child goes missing. Visit the NCJTC website for more information.
Hold the Date: The Washington State Indian Education Association Conference April 3 - 5
The WSIEA will be holding their 2023 conference at Yakama Nation’s Legends Resort/Casino in Toppenish on April 3 - 5, 2023.
The WSIEA Board has chosen “Teach the Truth. Open Your Hearts. We Can Do This Together!” as their theme for 2023. Our goal is to offer a diverse agenda with something of interest to everyone.
Please keep an eye out for addition information. The WSIEA Website is being updated and should go live soon with additional information on lodging, registration, etc. Please let me know if you have any questions.
The WSIEA website will be update with the 2023 information soon.
Strong Hearts Native Helpline
Strong Hearts offers free, 24/7 support and resources to Native American and Alaska Natives affected by domestic and sexual violence at 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483). Anyone can call, text, or chat online. Visit the website
Native and Strong Crisis Lifeline launched for Washington Residents
Washington State recently launched the Native and Strong Lifeline, the first program of its kind in the nation dedicated to serving American Indian and Alaska Native people. Calls are answered by Native crisis counselors who are tribal members and descendants closely tied to their communities. The lifeline can be accessed 24/7 by calling 988, then pressing 4 to connect to a counselor who is familiar with historical, intergenerational trauma, self-care and more traditional elements. Read More
Washington Indian Behavioral Health Hub
The Washington Indian Behavioral Health Hub is a statewide central resource line developed to meet the needs of tribes and tribally affiliated people who may need help navigating the complex behavioral health system. The Hub assists tribal agencies, health care professionals, hospitals, and in- and outpatient programs as well as families and individuals. For more information, call the Hub directly at 1-866-491-1683.
Tacoma Housing Authority
The Tacoma Housing Authority offers the program, and young people served by the Puyallup Tribe, who meet the child welfare eligibility criteria would be able to be served by this federal program.
These are the eligibility criteria:
Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) – Eligible Youth means a youth that the PCWA (Public Child Welfare Agency – DCYF) has certified to be at least 18 years old and not more than 24 years of age (has not reached their 25th birthday) who left foster care, or will leave foster care within 90 days, in accordance with the transition plan described in Section 475(5)(H) of the Social Security Act, and is homeless or is at risk of becoming homeless at age 16 or older. This means that the youth must have been dependent and placed outside the home at some point between their 16th and 18th birthdays.
In order to get vouchers, HUD requires a short Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between a child welfare agency and a housing authority. The child welfare agency certifies eligibility of the young people, and agrees to “provide or arrange provision of” supportive services. The housing authority asks for vouchers for each young person from HUD (up to 25 vouchers).
Interested youth can submit the following form to see if they qualify for housing voucher: FYI/FUP Self- Referral Form. For general questions about Foster Care Alumni Services email ILreferrals@seattleymca.org.
When children and youth are placed into foster care, away from parents, siblings, and extended family—they can lose their cultural identity. That is why supporting, encouraging, and honoring a child’s race, ethnicity, and culture is so important. While this may seem hard, one way to support a strong cultural identity is through literacy!
Here are three books we recommend:
- Native Americans in History| Jimmy Beason
- Finding My Dance | Ria Thundercloud
- Powwow Day | Traci Sorell
Early Childhood Matters Podcast
Tribal Sovereignty and Early Childhood Care and Education Systems
Brackeen v Haaland Supreme Court Case
In case you missed the Brackeen v Haaland oral arguments, the Court posts transcripts of that day’s arguments. On the Friday of each argument week, the Court also makes the audio of the week’s arguments available.
Make No Bones About It and View from the Shore
KAOS 89.3 FM has two Native focused shows:
- Make No Bones About It | Sunday from 4 – 5 p.m. | Hosted by DCYF’s own Brian Frisina
- View from the Shore | Sunday from 6 – 8 p.m. | Hosted by GW Galbreath
Daybreak Star Radio brings you REEL NATIVES!
REEL NATIVES! | Thursdays at 7 p.m. repeats on Sundays
Daybreak Star Radio brings you REEL NATIVES! Radio Host RONN!E, the Blue Eyed Native is a Two-Spirit artist and designer from the (Sƛ̕púlmx) Cowlitz Tribe of Washington. Check them out, airing Thursdays at 7p.m. and repeats on Sundays.
|
