ICWA Webinar Series: Qualified Expert Witness

This 90-minute webinar focuses on the requirement under the Indian Child Welfare Act for a Qualified Expert Witness (QEW). The course will discuss when a QEW is required, who may act as a QEW, how a QEW prepares their opinion, on what issues the QEW will render an opinion, and how the QEW can facilitate building relationships with a Tribe.

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:
•   Understand when evidence from a QEW is required.
•   Understand the role of the QEW in a foster care placement or termination of parental rights.
•   Assist in meeting challenges the QEW may face in preparing their opinion.
•   Locate and engage a QEW in a child welfare case.
•   Appreciate the importance of the QEW as a key component of ICWA designed to prevent the unnecessary breakup of families.

CEUs

0.15

Section Number

243SSA104

Instruction Method

Online class

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Section Schedule

Tues., Mar 4th, 2025, 9:30am to 11:00am

Fees

Instructors

Roger Coffman

Roger Coffman, J.D., is a retired senior deputy county counsel for Placer County. He served as a deputy for 39 years in Placer, Tulare and El Dorado Counties. Coffman has 34 years of experience representing county child welfare agencies, providing court representation, general legal advice, appellate representation and on-going training to child welfare staff. He has been an instructor with the Northern Academy at UC Davis since 1989, the Bay Area Academy for approximately 15 years and an occasional instructor with the Central Academy. He has practiced in state trial and appellate courts and in the federal district courts and the Federal Court of Appeal.

Antoinette Fabela

Antoinette Fabela, M.A., is of Ojibwa, Aztec and Mayo ancestry and lives in Auburn, California. She retired from Placer County in 2011 after 15 years as a social worker in the areas of ER, on-going, mental health, MDIC and ICWA cases. She has been an ICWA Qualified Witness, advocate and consultant for 15 counties since 2012 and has consulted with more than 75 tribes.