Indian Child Welfare Act

1689 Words7 Pages
Child Abuse and the Indian Child Welfare Act CHAPTER 1 Description of Problem The Native American Tribes have faced many hardships throughout the years, but none as hard as the loss of their children to non-Indian families. In the early 1600’s Indian children were sent to white boarding schools to be properly educated. Through the period of 1958-1968, The Indian Adoption Project took Indian children and adopted them to non-Indian families, ignoring the fact that these children were losing touch with their Tribal Heritage. Throughout the early years the Department of Social Services was also removing Indian children from their families due to child abuse complaints. The majority of the complaints were founded concerns. Congress found…show more content…
Non Indian judges and social workers were failing to meet the needs of Native American families. These agencies failed to see the cultural difference between a Traditional American family and traditional Native American family. This issue brought many people to congress demanding a change resulting in the implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. The passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 is an almost milestone in congressional action to protect and maintain Indian families and tribes. The intent of the act is to stabilize Indian families by reducing the number of Indian children removed and placed in non-Indian adoptive and foster homes. The act established minimum federal standards for removal of Indian children and outlines procedures that aid in their placement in homes reflecting Indian culture as well as establishing programs within tribal systems to prevent the removal of Indian children from their…show more content…
The intent of the act is to stabilize Indian families by reducing the number of Indian children removed and placed in non-indian adoptive and foster homes. The act established minimum federal standards for the removal of Indian children and outlines procedures that aid in their placement in homes reflecting Indian culture as well as establishing programs within tribal systems to prevent the removal of Indian children from their homes. Child Abuse is the worst thing a child can go through, not only on the flesh, but also on the entire structure of the mind. (Coles, 1991.) Child Abuse has become a major worldwide issue that can no longer be ignored. In this paper I will be discussing emotional, physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect I will also be exploring historical approaches to abuse, some of the reasons why children are abused as well as the impact it has on a child's development. Ways to prevent abuse will also be discussed and examined..The mistreatment of children is deeply entrenched in history. Violence is a reflection of patriarchal tradition (Mandell, 2001) The mistreatment of children through violent means is not of the dangers of society and teach the child to deal with everyday problems more effectively.(Derrick and Gilbert)There are various associations that are trying to prevent the abuse and
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