American Indian Title IV-E Application Planning Process: Tribal Progress, Challenges, and Recommendations

This report provides a current picture of the American Indian Title IV-E grantee planning process authorized under the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. This legislation gave tribes the authority to directly administer and operate IV-E programming for tribal children. Under the authorizing legislation, plan development grants were awarded to seven American Indian tribes in 2009, four American Indian tribes in 2010, and one American Indian tribe in 2011. Despite great effort, only one tribe, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe in Washington State, has been approved to directly administer its Title IV-E child welfare program. It is notable that they were able to accomplish this without a IV-E Plan Development Grant. This report presents the experiences, concerns, and recommendations of tribes who received the Title IV-E Plan Development Grant. These tribes have been active in the planning process as they seek to assume their sovereign rights and responsibilities for youth, improve funding, develop culturally congruent child welfare programming, and develop models, tools, and methodologies that can also assist other tribes. The report focuses on bringing forth the voices of the participating tribes.