People, not ICWA, meet cultural needs of kids

By Journal Editorial Board | Saturday, October 20, 2007

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We applaud the efforts of the Oglala Sioux Tribe to better address the needs of its children who must leave the custody of their parents each year.

Almost 850 Oglala Lakota children experienced the trauma of being removed from their families last year in South Dakota. Many of them — about 250 — were from Pennington County. Because of those high numbers, the decision of the Oglala Nation Tiospaye Resource and Advocacy Center (ONTRAC) to open a Rapid City office is a wise one.

The new office will oversee the Indian Child Welfare Act as it applies to the adoption and foster care of Native children in this area. ICWA was created in 1978, thanks in large part to former Sen. James Abourezk (D-S.D.) Chief among its goals is to place neglected or abused Native children who need foster care with other relatives or Native families who can love and protect them.

In theory, ICWA is a noble effort to strengthen and preserve Native American families and culture. In reality, it does not always live up to its original vision for one simple reason: governmental and tribal agencies cannot give a Native child a Native family. Only individuals can do that.

States can and must do more, most notably by reimbursing foster parents at a fair rate. A recent national report found most states are far below its recommended basic rates of $629 per month for 2 year olds up to $790 per month for 16-year-olds.

South Dakota falls short of those basic payment rates, paying up to $464 per month for children ages 0-12 and $557 per month for 13-18 year olds. Rates for special needs children are higher.

We should compensate our South Dakota foster homes fairly in the hopes that it will help recruit more good-quality caregivers.

In the end, though, government can only be part of the solution.

ONTRAC is limited in what it can accomplish without the participation of Native families, couples and individuals who are willing to open their homes and their hearts to a child in need of kinship care, temporary foster care or permanent adoption.

There are too few licensed foster families, of any kind, to meet the needs of the 500,000 or so kids who are in foster care nationwide on a given day. But the shortage is particularly acute when it comes to Native American foster homes. We hope more people with that particular cultural gift will choose to share it with the children who need it.