The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network hosted a webinar in May 2023 to cover strategies for tribal programs wishing to engage in collaborative services to support kinship and grandfamilies. The webinar addressed how government or private organizations can best prepare for collaboration with tribes. Additionally, the webinar helped participants be able to discuss why grandfamilies and relative care providers can benefit from collaborative approaches among tribes, or between tribes and non-Native government or private service providers; become familiar with principles that support successful cross-cultural and cross-jurisdiction collaboration; and be able to explore and weigh several issues when planning a collaboration. The recording and presentation are available for review.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration hosted a webinar on May 8, 2023 and brought together experts from Native American organizations and tribal entities to discuss the prevalent use of opioids in Tribal communities and how the workforce system combats the impacts associated with the opioid crisis. Following a presentation of an overview on the opioid and substance misuse in Native American communities, representatives from the Cherokee Nation shared how the tribe leverages its workforce system and Department of Labor grants to promote recovery and reintegration.

Research shows that separating children from their families causes lasting trauma. Child protection agencies should exhaust all means to ensure children and families receive essential support to safely remain together. In instances when temporary out-of-home placement is necessary, finding the best possible family-based setting helps to mitigate trauma. Placement preferably should be with kin, but when kinship care is not possible, placing children in a safe family setting with a resource caregiver in their community is essential.

To ensure family-based placements meet the differing needs of children in the child welfare system, child protection agencies should actively recruit and retain resource caregivers from varied backgrounds. This Casey Family Programs brief highlights a menu of strategies for recruitment and retention of resource families, as well as a selection of tools and resources to help develop comprehensive, integrated recruitment and retention plans.

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a critical period and can be particularly difficult for youth aging out of foster care. Administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program supports youth in or formerly in foster care as they transition to adulthood. Selected state officials told the U.S. Government Accountability Office that they decide on their service array by using data, participant feedback, and information from other states. These officials also reported offering youth services based on individual skills and needs. The most widely used services in selected states are related to education, health, and housing.

This U.S. Government Accountability Office report addresses: (1) how selected states support youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood, (2) ACF resources for states on effective Chafee services, and (3) the extent that state and federal funds are used to support services for older youth.

This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network primer was developed to offer service providers basic information about federal programs that can be used to finance kinship services and programs. Information for each source includes which federal agency administers the funding source, services the funding source can finance, and basic eligibility information. This funding primer is not intended to be an in-depth explanation of each source but, rather, a high-level overview that can be used to aid further research.

Early childhood development (ECD) investments are rarely considered an important part of economic development, yet they are deeply interconnected. When children have a healthy start in life, they are more likely to become the scholars, innovators, and entrepreneurs that drive economic development in their communities. This Administration for Children and Families resource highlights an important return on investment approach to investments in ECD that is uniquely augmented in Native communities.

The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) awarded $21.4 million to 26 Tribes and Native organizations to help improve their communities’ social and economic well-being and Native language programs in Fiscal Year 2024. This ANA resource announces the community partners who received funding for the Native Language Preservation and Maintenance programming, the Esther Martinez Language Immersion grant, Strategic Economic Development (SEDS), Strategic Economic Development — Alaska (SEDS-AK), and Environmental Regulatory Enhancement (ERE).

The Environment Protection Agency developed this curriculum, Lead Awareness in Indian Country: Keeping our Children Healthy!, by collaborating with over 200 tribal partners. The curriculum creates a starting point to hold informed conversations within communities to teach parents and caregivers about lead. It also is a robust set of educational tools that provide practical, on-the-ground, community-based resources to reduce childhood lead exposure in communities.