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- Title
Operationalizing ICWA compliance to improve Native American child & family outcomes.
- Authors
Sage, Melanie; Barkdull, Carenlee
- Abstract
Objective: The 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is a federal law enacted to prevent the unnecessary removal of tribal children from their families and cultures. This methodological report describes how a research team operationalized court compliance with ICWA through a statewide record audit conducted over three years in a Midwestern state. Method: We designed an ICWA Compliance Checklist to serve as a basis for evaluating ICWA compliance and used it to assess court records. We analyzed the process of developing a compliance tool and documented the lessons learned. Results: Methodological difficulties included matching research strategies to available data and negotiating the project's scope with the partners. However, the Checklist provided a unique opportunity to report on statewide compliance and shape local practice. Conclusions: Amid increasing calls for the use of system data, social work scholars can consider strategies for a successful research partnership and bring an advocacy perspective to the assessment of public data, especially regarding sovereignty issues.
- Subjects
NATIVE American children; CHILD welfare; COURT records; SOCIAL services; FAMILY traditions; INDIAN Child Welfare Act of 1978 (U.S.)
- Publication
Juvenile & Family Court Journal, 2022, Vol 73, Issue 1, p7
- ISSN
0161-7109
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/jfcj.12212