ICWA: History, Policy and Practice (Virtual Training)

This course will briefly review the historical, social and political basis of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the principals of working with Indigenous families. The remainder of the course will focus on the how the ICWA is applied throughout the dependency court process.

After attending this training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the purposes of ICWA
• Connect ICWA with the foundational behaviors of the California Child Welfare Core Practice Model
• Identify key concepts under ICWA such as Tribal Sovereignty, Indian Child, Active Efforts, Reason to Know, Placement Preferences under the Act and the concept of Good Cause. 
• Demonstrate the ability to implement the steps necessary to comply with ICWA at each stage of the dependency process, from intake to adoption.

The course will utilize video presentation, PowerPoint slides, lecture/discussion by the instructors and a hypothetical from which participants will work to determine the appropriate application of ICWA at each stage of dependency proceedings via group work.