Tribal Courts of New York
Cayuga  •  Oneida  •  Onondaga  •  St. Regis Mohawk  •  Seneca  •  Tonawanda Seneca  •  Tuscarora  •  Shinnecock  •  Unkechaug
N.Y. State Unified Court System  •  United States Courts for the Second Circuit Resident in the State of New York
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Projects - Indian Child Welfare and Child Support Enforcement


The Forum has been very active in providing and assisting with basic and advanced education on the Indian Child Welfare Act. Educational programs at the First and Second Listening Conferences held in 2006 and 2016 included panel discussions on important topics and concerns involving native children and the state-tribal court relationship. In addition, the Forum actively and continuously participates in judicial training for state court judges. In addition, the Forum remains focused on the issues of child support enforcement and the objective of some tribes and nations to develop a memorandum of understand (MOU) with New York State on the repatriation of child support cases currently in the state courts.

In November 2007, the Forum sponsored two educational sessions on ICWA which brought together clan mothers, law guardians and other persons involved in care of children who come before the courts.

ICWA Conference Materials

 

Overview of the Law

 

Resources

ICWA Contact Database

A new resource aims to utilize technology to help agencies and organizations meet legislative requirements necessary for Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) compliance. Ayazuta, which means "connect" in the Lakota language, is a comprehensive source for up-to-date and searchable ICWA contact information. The database is updated every 6 months to include:

  • Downloadable ICWA Tribal contact data
  • Information on qualified ICWA expert witnesses
  • Other resources searchable by Tribe name, State, or keyword

To view these tools and more, visit: Ayazuta or Department of Interior ICWA Guideline

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