The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families oversees county agencies’ work and collaborates with Tribal Nations to enhance the safety and well-being of American Indian children and families. The federal Indian Child Welfare Act guides this work, relevant regulations and guidelines from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, and the Minnesota Tribal/State Agreement.
At the forefront and integrated throughout this work is challenging systemic racism and dispelling stereotypes that may lead to the overrepresentation of American Indian and Alaska Native children and families within the state’s child welfare system. The team emphasizes the necessity and importance of Native American culturally appropriate practices, policies, services, and connections for Native American children and families’ well-being. Our work is unique, and our day-to-day operations vary given the different ways the 574 different Tribal sovereign nations engage with government-to-government. Each team member encourages our counterparts to educate themselves about Native American history to learn about the devastating impact of federal and state government policies on Tribal communities/nations, so as not to perpetuate those negative impacts or retraumatize AI/AN children, families, and/or Tribal communities.
