Tribal Star Resources

ICWA Bias, Media and Historical Context eLearning

This eLearning course will explore how media and propaganda have affected our perceptions resulting in a bias toward American Indians. During this course you will be asked to identify three events in American history related to American Indians – and what do these events have in common?




Guidelines for Implementing ICWA

These guidelines are intended to assist those involved in child custody proceedings in understanding and uniformly applying the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and U.S. Department of the Interior (Department) regulations (also referred to as a “rule”).



Federal Register, ICWA Regulations (2020)

This final rule adds a new subpart to the Department of the Interior’s (Department) regulations implementing the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), to improve ICWA  implementation.


Bureau of Indian Affairs Quick Reference: Active Efforts

This useful informational sheet is provided by the bureau of Indian Affairs regarding active efforts. Active efforts are affirmative, active, thorough, and timely efforts intended primarily to maintain or reunite an Indian child with his or her family.


ICWA Best Practice

This resource includes some best practices to remember to support ICWA compliance when working with an Indian child.


ICWA at a Glance

This resource provides a brief overview of the five provisions of ICWA that fulfill the intended purpose of the law: inquiry and notice, active efforts, proper placement, concurrent planning and qualified expert witness.



National Resource Center for Tribes Background and Need for ICWA

This webpage includes resource links in connection to the need for the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and background information. It was complied by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Tribes, a service of the Children’s Bureau and a member of the T/TA Network.


National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

The NCJFCJ is engaging tribal courts and judges in cultural humility with an understanding that best practices in tribal courts may be different than state courts and diverse perspectives strengthen solutions.


Judicial Branch of California ICWA Resources

The Tribal/State Programs Unit of the Center for Families Children and the Courts has developed the resources on this webpage to assist those involved in these kinds of proceedings understand their legal obligations under ICWA and comply with those requirements.



Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians

Since time immemorial the descendants of the Soboba people are those whom have lived on and occupied the land that is presently known as the cities of San Jacinto, Hemet, Valle Vista and Winchester. See this website for more information on Sobobo history, events and economy.


Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians

For more than 10,000 years the Pechanga people have called the Temecula Valley home. See this website for more information on the Pechanga history, culture, government and economy with a focus on the past, present and future.


Pala Band of Mission Indians

This website will assist you in learning more about the people, history and culture of the Pala Band of Mission Indians.


Morongo Band of Mission Indians

This website provides information on the history, heritage, community, Tribal government and Tribal departments of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.


Kumeyaay Nation

This site is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Kumeyaay culture.


Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel

This site includes the history, culture, tribal enterprises and other information about the Iipay of Santa Ysabel.


Chemehuevi Indian Tribe

As part of the Great Basin Culture Area, the Chemehuevi (a Mojave term meaning “those that play with fish”), a branch of the Southern Paiute, have been persistent occupants of the Mojave Desert.


Sharing Our Lived Experiences Understanding the Two-Spirit Journey

Sharing Our Lived Experiences: Eight Tips for Understanding the Two-Spirit/LGBTQ Journey for Native Youth in the Child Welfare System fact sheet is intended to assist and support Native youth who may be Two-Spirit and/or LGBTQ (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/questioning). Native youth in child welfare placements can experience many challenges. These include feelings of abandonment, guilt, shame, disconnection from extended family, and many feelings related to unresolved grief and loss due to multi-generational historical traumas.




Tribal STAR Judge’s Checklist

This checklist has been developed to help judges determine the best circumstances surrounding placement of a child in a non-Indian home. The intention of this list is to provide guidelines that can strengthen the potential for a successful outcome.


Tips for Cross-Cultural Training

The aim of this tip sheet is to effectively increase understanding of the complex issues surrounding Child Welfare Services for Tribal youth by illuminating historical events and how they have shaped today’s Tribal and non-Tribal relationships.


FACES – Implementing the Indian Child Welfare Act

Follow the Spirit of ICWA: The American Indian Enhancement Project is an effort of the California Disproportionality Project, a Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) resourced through the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the California Department of Social Services, Casey Family Programs, and the Stuart Foundation. In collaboration with Administrative Office of the Courts, California Social Work Education Center, Child and Family Policy Institute of California, California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership, the National Resource Center for Tribes, Tribal STAR, and Shenandoah Films.


American Indian Enhancement Toolkit

The American Indian Enhancement Project is an effort of the
California Disproportionality Project, a Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) resourced through the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the California Department of Social Services, Casey Family Programs, and the Stuart Foundation. In collaboration with Administrative Office of the Courts, California Social Work Education Center, Child and Family Policy Institute of California, California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership, the National Resource Center for Tribes, Tribal STAR, and Shenandoah Films.

Dedicated to all the American Indian/Alaska Native children and families in California.


Contrasting Values

This document compares traditional Indigenous values and dominant culture values.



Kumeyaay Timeline

This document provides a detailed timeline of the Kumeyaay people from pre to post-contact with European settlers.



Bureau of Indian Affairs

The Indian Affairs offers an extensive scope of programs that covers the entire range of federal, state and local government services. Programs administered by either Tribes or Indian Affairs through the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) include an education system, social services, natural resources management on trust lands, economic development, law enforcement and detention services, administration of tribal courts, implementation of land and water claim settlements, housing improvement, disaster relief, replacement and repair of schools, repair and maintenance of roads, bridges, dams and irrigation.



American Indian Early Childhood Education

This webpage provides a description of early childhood education projects for American Indians, which are designed to assist with reading-language arts, math, and self-esteem for American Indian children in prekindergarten through grade four.


Reasons Why People Do Not Claim To Be American Indian

There are many reasons why individuals do not claim their American Indian heritage. This has implications for ICWA compliance especially in the area of inquiry and noticing. This tip sheet offers social workers practice tips for inquiry and noticing those who do not claim to be American Indian.



National Indian Child Welfare Association ICWA Information

This webpage provides information on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 including resources for families, ICWA technical assistance and training, NICWA and ICWA compliance, ICWA Reports and Documents and Tools for ICWA Compliance.


Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978

This document outlines the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) law as stated in the original 1978 document. The intent of ICWA is to prevent the unwarranted breakup of American Indian families, recognize tribal jurisdiction to make custody decisions involving the removal of Indian children from their homes, and establish minimum federal standards that county and/or state courts must follow when Indian children are removed from their homes and placed in foster care or adoptive homes.


Bureau of Indian Affairs ICWA Designated Agents 2017

The regulations implementing the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) provide that Indian tribes may designate an agent other than the tribal chairman for service of notice of proceedings under ICWA. This notice includes the current list of designated tribal agents for service of notice.



Fact Sheet for County Social Workers

This fact sheet provides basic information on customary adoption and AB1325 for county social workers. This information is shared with permission from the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians.


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