California Tribal Families Coalition advocates for improved and consistent county, state and federal policies that support Indian Child Welfare Act compliance, tribal sovereignty and the well-being of tribal children and families. In this effort, CTFC:

Through our advocacy over the past 5 years:

  • California State Department of Social Services (CDSS) developed an Office of Tribal affairs to assist the Department in engaging and consulting with tribes on policies that affect tribal children.
  • CDSS developed an ICWA Statewide Plan including the implementation of an ICWA Complaint Hotline for tribes and ICWA Data Dashboard.
  • State implementation of the federal Family First Prevention Services Act includes requirements for the state and counties to engage and consult with tribes in the development of prevention services and to ensure tribal collaboration in the provision of prevention services to tribal children.
  • Resource Family Approval Written Directives include specific county guidance to collaborate with tribal representatives to apply the social and cultural standards of the Indian community to every home approval for an Indian child.
  • Tribal Customary Adoption – CTFC ensures regulations are reflective of the intent of the law and addressing conflicts with implementation of Resource Family Approval.
  • Statewide Integrated Core Practice Model includes tribal collaboration guidance and consideration of culturally appropriate engagement and service provision strategies.

Current State Policy Efforts

Current Open Consultation/Collaborative Engagement Efforts:

Current California Department of Social Services Workgroups:

  • AFCARS Workgroup
  • CFT/CANS Implementation Workgroup
  • FFPSA Workgroup
  • Placement Workgroup
  • Structured Decision Making Workgroup
  • TCA Workgroup

For more information about California Department of Social Services workgroups and meetings, click HERE.