1. The Gathering TRIBAL STAR’s mission is to ENSURE that
Tribal foster youth
are connected to
CULTURE,
community and resources
throughout their transition to adulthood
thereby increasing
POSITIVE outcomes
for Tribal Foster YOUTH.
Tribal STAR is a program of the Academy for Professional Excellence at San Diego State University School of Social Work

2. Understanding The Past
Stepping onto the Path *
Understanding The Past
Valuing The Present
Creating The Vision

3. Welcome & Introductions
Why are you here today? ~
Introduction of Clans
Introduction to materials

4. of the Tribal STAR Project
MODULE 1
History and Purpose
of the Tribal STAR Project

5. Funded by the California Department of Social Services, Tribal STAR is a result of a partnership between the SDSU School of Social Work, Academy for Professional Excellence and:
Southern Indian Health Council
SD HHSA Indian Specialty Unit & Independent Living Unit
Indian Health Council
Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel
YMCA YFS
South Bay Community Services
San Diego Youth Services
Intertribal Court of Southern California, Southern CA Tribal Chairmen’s Association
San Bernardino County Child & Family Services
Orange County Social Services Agency
Casey Family Programs, San Diego Field Office
Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians
Pala Band of Mission Indians, Social Services Dept.
Valley Oaks Foster Family Agency
County of San Diego, Office of Education, Foster Youth Services   

6. Training & Technical Assistance
Training Opportunities:
The Gathering (training for frontline workers)
The Summit (training for management/supervisory staff)
The Collaborative (adapted ½ day training)
Let the Spirit Lead: ICWA, In the Best Interest of the Child
The Other Side of ICWA
Statewide Training for Trainers Series
Statewide Training for MSW Students
Technical Assistance includes:
Independent Living / Trainer Forums
Tribal STAR website
Drumbeats newsletter
Community based collaborative support

7. What do we know about the
needs of Tribal Youth?
Dropout rates range from 45-85%
High teen pregnancy rates (45% before the age of 20)
Unemployment rates of up to 80% on the reservations
35% of Tribal youth experience out of home placement (more than any other racial group)

8. The Landscape of California
CA has the largest Native American population in the nation
(333,511 / 2000 Census, US Census Bureau /
CA is the State with the largest number of foster youth

9. basis as other children.”
Chafee Guidelines
“States must make benefits and services available to Indian children in the state on the same
basis as other children.”
“State must certify in its plan that: state will consult and coordinate with each Indian tribe in the state.”
*all CA Tribal Chairs received a copy of the Proposed State Plan for Fiscal Years

10. How are Tribal Foster Youth Affected By The…
CFSR (Child & Family Services Review)
SIP (System Improvement Plan)
ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act)

11. What goals do you have to improve services for Tribal youth?
What outcomes does your county intend to improve in the area of Tribal Youth & their families?
What goals do you have to improve services for Tribal youth?

12. MODULE 2
Connection
and
Loss

13. What About Connections?
How could grief and loss affect the way youth and families interact with you and your staff?

14. Bringing Them Back – A Tribal Perspective
Host a traditional ceremony
Open communication
Cultural awareness
Non-judgemental
Host a gathering
Address their fears
Help them find balance
Patience

15. Historical Context of American Indians
MODULE 3
Historical Context of American Indians

16. 500 Nations

17. What Events Have Shaped Our Current Cross-Cultural Relations
With Native Communities?

18. Indian History 1492-1800 European Conquest
Pre-Reservation Period
Early Reservation Era
Indian Reorganization
Termination Era
Self Determination
1980-now The Present

19. The “Indian Problem vs. Euro-American Problem”
For four centuries, non-Indians in North America have had an “Indian problem”. In its most basic form, this problem has had three aspects:

20. Economic: how best to secure access to Indian resources, land in particular
Cultural Transformation: how best to accomplish the cultural transformation of Indians into non-Indians
Political: how to maintain effective controls
so that the problems 1 and 2 could be more satisfactorily resolved

21. Euro-American problem
In essence, Tribal survival: the maintenance of particular sets of social relations, more or less distinct cultural orders, and some measure of political autonomy in the face of invasion, conquest and loss of power.
The working out of these two conflicting agendas has given context and shape to Indian-White relations.

22. An Apology
Remarks of Kevin Gover, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Department of the Interior at the
Ceremony Acknowledging the 175th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Bureau of Indian Affairs September 8, 2000

23. Another Apology
In 2001, the Child Welfare League of America acknowledged wrongful involvement in the 1950’s/1960’s effort to facilitate the adoption of Indian children into White homes for the purpose of “saving” these children from their own culture and language.

24. What are some of the contributions
of Native Americans to
contemporary society?

25. Contributions of Native Americans
Presentation
Contributions of Native Americans

26. The Indian Child Welfare Act

27. Purpose
The purpose of ICWA is to protect the best interests of the Indian children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families by establishing minimum federal standards for the removal of Indian children from their parents or Indian custodians.

28. Intent of ICWA
Prevent the unwarranted breakup of American Indian families
Recognize tribal jurisdiction to make custody decisions
Establish minimum federal standards that are to be followed when children are removed

29. Placement Preferences For Out of Home Placement
FOSTER CARE
1. Extended family
2. Foster care licensed
by Tribe
3. Indian foster home
licensed by State
4. Institution approved
by Tribe
5. Other foster homes

30. Placement Preferences For Pre-Adoptive and Adoptive (Permanent) Placements
1. Extended family
2. Tribal member
3. Other Indian family

31. What is your role in ensuring ICWA compliance?
Case Worker
Follow ICWA and local protocols for notification and placement
IL Staff, Probation Officer, Case Manager, Counselor, Education staff etc.
If there is any reason to believe youth is a member of a tribe, report to the CW case worker and collaborate with local ICWA staff.

32. Resources http://www.gpo.gov http://www.nicwa.org

33. American Indian Values & Culture
MODULE 4
American Indian Values & Culture

34. Who are you and where are you from?
Group Discussion
Who are you and where are you from?

35. What are the differences in the value systems between American Indian and Western Mainstream Culture?
How does this impact our thoughts and practice when providing services to Tribal youth and families?

36. (Tribally) Traditional: People who hold onto their native culture tightly, never being forced to assimilate into another culture. 
(Western) Acculturated: A person who changes his or her cultural identity, values, beliefs, practices and norms just to get experiences with a different culture.
(Western) Assimilated: People who choose to give up most of their old ways, in order to adopt another dominant culture’s beliefs, values, and norms.
(Horejsi et. al., 1987)

37. Traditional Indian Values vs. All American Values Mainstream Values
Clan/communal emphasis Individual Emphasis
Sharing Winning
Present-time orientation Future Orientation
Spiritualistic Materialistic
Time non-awareness Time awareness
Harmony with nature Conquest of nature
Passive Aggressive
Giving/spending Acquiring/saving
Appreciates/honors silence Avoids silence
Respect of other religions Converting/proselytizing
(Source: The Indian Child Welfare Act, Handbook by Rose-Margaret Orrantia; Cultural Awareness; the Indian Perspective, Marilyn Robinson).

38. Clan Discussion
What can you do to be more culturally sensitive when providing services to
Tribal youth?

39. Walking in Their Moccasins
MODULE 5
Walking in Their Moccasins

40. Presentation Listening to Those Who Have Been Affected by Foster Care
What do youth and families feel when they are in the system?
What do youth experience?
What would help us provide more effective services in the future?

41. Events to Consider as Important for Tribal Foster Youth
Naming ceremonies
Sweat lodge and other purification ceremonies
Sundance and other renewal ceremonies
End of life services, wakes, burials
End of cycle after death ceremonies

42. Resilience A New Word; An Old Meaning
Spirituality
Family Strength
Elders
Ceremonial Rituals
Oral Traditions
Tribal Identity
Support Networks

43. Stepping Into The Circle
MODULE 6
Stepping Into The Circle

44. The Talking Circle Process
Every individual participates and some can choose not to speak
When someone else is speaking it is our turn to listen
This is our time to speak our thoughts, our truth
The process is not complete until everyone has participated
(Por, G., 2005)

45. Welcome!
The Gathering ~Day 2

46. Honoring the Seasons of Change
MODULE 7
Honoring the Seasons of Change

47. What do we know about adolescent development?
What do we know about American Indian adolescent development?
What is the purpose of American Indian puberty rites?
How might unresolved grief and loss play a role in one’s development?

48. Typical Independent Living Development
Cameron Hill Associates, 1997

49. Independent Living Development for Young Adults in Care
Cameron Hill Associates, 1997

50. Western Contemporary vs. American Indian Society Traditional Systems
CHILD 
Name given
baptism
Learns to use the toilet 
Goes on first date 
Learns to drive a car and obtains drivers license 
Gets first job
CHILD
Initiation into clan, moiety, or subgroup by ceremony
 Learns to assist with family chores
Puberty rites: learns gender-specific roles, family, community, and tribal expectations 
First hunt or first menses 
Naming ceremony – establishing identity in relation to family, clan, moiety, and tribal context

51. Western Contemporary vs. American Indian Society Traditional Systems
ADULT
Turns 18
and
Leaves for college
ADULT
Participates in Tribal community decision making
Participates as adults in ceremonies

52. Western Contemporary vs. American Indian Society Traditional Systems
SENIOR CITIZEN
Turns 65
ELDER
Turns 55
Is venerated by community
and
acknowledged as an elder

53. Comparison of Developmental Stages of Youth Clan Activity
What issues affect stages of development for Native youth in foster care? Compare the developmental stages and fill in your answers in your Workbook (Module 7).
Normal ~ Youth in ~ American
Adolescent Foster Care Indian Youth
in Foster Care

54. Recommendations for Workers
Build on young peoples’ connection to all living entities
Encourage and openly discuss their spiritual development
Make use of the outdoors.
Recognize the vital role played by elders, aunts, uncles, and other extended family, blood-clan-moiety involvement and encourage their participation in these groups’ activities.

55. Encourage generosity of spirit.
Incorporate more cooperative learning activities.
Respect their individualism.
Allow for a longer response time.
Be more flexible with timelines.
Respect that learning can also occur through listening and in silence.
(Source: Munsell, G Tribal Approaches to Transition: The John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, NRCYS)

56. Identifying Services for Tribal Youth
MODULE 8
Identifying Services for Tribal Youth

57. Activity Drawing Our Youth
What are the needs of adolescent youth? BLUE
What are the needs of adolescent Tribal youth? RED
What organizations/individuals/resources can address these needs? GREEN

58. Positive Outcomes from a Tribal Perspective
Youth are contributing members of the community
Youth have a sense of belonging to the community
Youth are actively connected to Tribal and non-Tribal resources to achieve inter-dependency
Youth recognize the importance of community involvement
Youth are continuously exposed to culture, customs, and traditions
Achieve cultural permanency through modification of parental rights (flexibility)
Non-Tribal guardians of Tribal youth have access to Tribal cultural & community resources and allow youth to experience and explore their cultural identity

59. Ways Which Tribal Youth In Foster Care May Behave
More traditional youth may not question the position they find themselves.
Youth may be too intimidated by service providers or the bureaucracy they represent to request services.
Those who apply for and are denied services may not complain or assert themselves.
Youth may present to service providers, expecting those providers, like traditional healers, to know their needs, while they sit passively.

60. What can you do differently as a result of learning this information?
What surprised you about the needs of adolescent American Indian youth?
What can you do differently as a
result of learning this information?

61. Strengths & Barriers to Collaboration
MODULE 9
Strengths & Barriers to Collaboration

62. What are examples of successful local collaboration?
What makes them successful?
What’s the difference between collaboration, coordination, and cooperation?

63. Collaboration Coordination Cooperation Commitment to common mission
Understanding of compatible mission
Individual interpretations of mission
Mutual goals and plans
Some planning and division of roles
Informal structure
Well-defined communication channels operating on many different levels
Communication channels established
Information shared as needed
Resources contributed and pooled or jointly secured
Resources available
Limited or no resources
(Jones, et al., 1999).

64. Clan Discussion Review: “Positive Outcomes for Tribal Youth”
Discuss: How could collaborations support successful outcomes for your agencies, your county, your youth?

65. Applying Strengths & Addressing Barriers
MODULE 10
Applying Strengths & Addressing Barriers

66. Cross-Cultural Collaboration
A recognition and appreciation of each participant’s world view, role and function
and the values and mission of the
organization they represent.

67. The Importance of Introductions

68. Culturally Responsive Communities, Tribes and Native Organizations Increase Cross-Cultural Understanding Through the Following:
Establish a welcoming environment
Assist local organization/tribes/communities that enhance cross-cultural understanding
Sponsor regular meetings with the community/leaders
Assist organizational personnel with the involvement of Elders
Provide an annual open house /workshop
Develop mechanisms to coordinate services of all local programs
Provide encouragement and support for community members who show an interest & involve them as resources

69. Who to Contact First? ICWA representative or Tribal contact
A personal visit, or phone call is better than a letter or an .
-Is anyone in the community working with Tribal foster youth?
-Who do people go to for advice when working with Tribal foster youth?
-Who should I contact at Tribal council / what is the best way to approach them?

70. Tips for Following Protocol
Demonstrate respect for Elders & leaders
Schedule meetings and events around meals
Publicly acknowledge Tribal participation in meetings & make introductions
Model a spirit of cross-cultural collaboration by including and recognizing all efforts

71. Values and Protocol That Enhance Collaboration
Personal connection will go farther than a written letter
Accepting food and drink and scheduling meetings during mealtimes cultivates trust
Be natural – but not intrusive, remember that communication within communities is also non-verbal

72. Tribal STAR Best Practice Model Circle of Care
Independent Living Skills Case Manager
Foster/Kinship Parent, Group Home Staff
Social Worker
Juvenile Judge / Attorney
Community Based
Organization
Tribal Foster Youth
Biological Family
Probation Officer
CASA
ICWA
Worker
Education System
-Teacher
-Guidance Counselor
-School Social Worker
Cultural Connections
Religious, ethnic and community leaders/members
Community College Independent Living Skills Director

73. Clan Discussion As a Clan, identify:
3 specific objectives that will improve outcomes for Tribal foster youth
Concrete action steps for each objective
Community partners for each objective

74. Developing Action Plans
Complete your Personal Action Plan
Provide Tribal STAR with the yellow copy
Keep the white copy for yourself

75. Stepping Into The Circle
MODULE 11
Stepping Into The Circle
Talking Circle
(Por, G., 2005)

76. Academy for Professional Excellence SDSU School of Social Work
Thank you…
for working to ensure that outcomes for Native American foster youth improve!
Tribal STAR
Academy for Professional Excellence
SDSU School of Social Work
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