Both inside and outside the foster care system, American Indian and Alaska Native children are more likely to live in grandfamilies—families in which grandparents, other adult family members, or close family friends are raising children with no parents in the home—than any other racial or ethnic group. This toolkit is designed to give resources and tips to child welfare agencies, other government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, so they can better serve all American Indian and Alaska Native grandfamilies regardless of child welfare involvement. It also explores some unique strengths and challenges of these grandfamilies, which agencies and organizations need to recognize to provide culturally appropriate supportive services.

American Indian and Alaska Native children are more likely to live in grandfamilies than children in any other racial or ethnic group. While American Indian and Alaska Native children make up one percent of all children in the United States, they comprise over eight percent of all children in grandfamilies and two percent of all children in state foster care systems. This tip sheet is designed as a quick reference tool for practitioners and advocates working with grandfamilies and kinship families who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. It is meant to help them provide services in a way that is culturally sensitive and effective and also serves as a reference guide for staff orientation/training to work in these communities.

This report provides a compilation of the success of financial capability integration efforts for tribal communities. The report focuses on two locations in Alaska: the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association (APIA). Household financial living and assessing organizational and community capacity to deliver services are discussed in depth.

This toolkit from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families provides resources on trauma-informed care that are tailored to the needs of AI/AN communities. The resources are divided into sections based on the different stages of the process of implementing trauma-informed human services. For example, an agency in the beginning phases could use the resources in the “What do we mean by trauma-informed services and why is such an approach important?” section. An agency that has already started implementing trauma-informed services could find resources in the “We’ve begun working on theses, issues, but are trying to decide what to tackle next. How can I figure out next steps?” section. The toolkit also includes examples of treatments for trauma that have been adapted specifically for AI/AN communities.

These webinar slides from the Indian Health Service provide an overview of historical trauma and trauma-informed care in health and behavioral health systems. Historical trauma is prevalent among AI/AN individuals, and it can be transferred across generations. The webinar provides case examples of historical trauma, and discusses the secondary trauma or compassion fatigue that providers can experience when working with clients who have experienced trauma. The presenters also included examples of trauma-informed interventions specifically targeted to AI/AN populations.

American Indian and Alaska Native youth are 2.5 times more likely to experience trauma than their non-native peers, and this trauma can result in mental health disorders, substance abuse, violence, and suicide if not treated. This Mathematica Policy Research report, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, contains the results of an environmental scan of trauma-informed programs for AI/AN youth. The authors summarize three interventions that help AI/AN youth address traumatic stress and behavioral health concerns: Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools; Honoring Children, Mending the Circle; and Pathway to Hope. The report concludes with a discussion of the challenges of conducting research in tribal communities, including the need to bridge the gap between mainstream and Native conceptions of mental health and wellness.

This report presents a first-of-its-kind collaborative tribal-federal blueprint for improving the behavioral health of American Indians and Alaska Natives. This was developed in response to calls from tribal leaders for improved collaboration with federal agencies to address the behavioral health of their communities.

Some AI/AN communities have experienced suicide clusters, in which a group of suicides or suicide attempts happen close together in time and space. These suicide clusters are rare and occur almost exclusively among teenagers. This report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides information about suicide clusters and responses in tribal communities and identifies strength-based approaches to prevention and response. The authors begin with background information on the prevalence of suicide among AI/AN populations, a description of suicide clusters, and a discussion of the risk and protective factors for suicide. Next, the authors describe the results of a qualitative study of two communities that experienced suicide clusters: a tribal reservation near Albuquerque, New Mexico and three villages on the Bering Sea coast of Western Alaska. Those communities also provide their perspectives on the resources necessary to prevent and respond to suicide clusters and the barriers to effective response.

This brief from the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center provides an overview of key concepts and statistics about trauma in Indian Country. First, the brief provides data on traumatic experiences and exposure to trauma among AI/AN populations. Next, the authors define several key concepts related to trauma, such as historical trauma, historical oppression, adverse childhood experiences, and resilience and resistance. The brief concludes with a discussion of the associations between trauma and health, organizational and community responses to trauma, and future research and policy directions.

This newsletter from the National Indian Child Welfare Association describes the secondary traumatic stress that may occur among providers who work with AI/AN youth and adults. Also known as vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, or burnout, secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that comes from hearing another person’s traumatic experiences firsthand. Left unchecked, this secondary trauma can lead to burnout and turnover among social workers. To combat secondary trauma, the authors suggest a strategy of relationship-based prevention. Building trust and safety among coworkers and allowing staff members to practice self-care will help prevent secondary trauma symptoms from escalating to burnout. The newsletter also provides self-care tips and resources for social services professionals who are concerned about secondary traumatic stress.