(NAME-MCE) Issues of fairness and justice for American Indian foster youth April 19-22 Reno NV

[Anselmo Villanueva]

National Indian Child Welfare
Association<http://apps.facebook.com/causes/8816?m=7d290bcb>

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: February 23, 2009

Contact NICWA for more information:
Kristy Alberty, Executive Communications Manager
503.222.4044, ext. 133

Thirty years following the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and months after
the passage of historic child welfare reform and funding access for tribal
foster care programs, the question of creating better programs to serve
American Indian/Alaska Native foster (AI/AN) children and at-risk youth
gains greater empowerment among program staff and tribal leadership.

For over 500 social workers, case managers, clinic staff, advocates,
juvenile court administrators, and students, the “Protecting Our Children”
National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect is an
experience of learning, connections, and renewal.

Sponsored by the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), the
annual conference will have 60 workshops and a few “collaborative discussion
groups” among participants about improving social services for American
Indian youth and families, according to Isla Dane, NICWA event manager. The
conference will be in Reno, Nevada, April 19-22, 2009, at the Peppermill
Resort Casino.

New this year is a pre-conference institute focusing on Canadian-U.S. border
child welfare issues. Titled, “Collaboration and Commonalities between
Canadian and United States Child Welfare Practice,” the special institute
includes a poster session and special guest speakers. The cost is $50 in
addition to the regular conference attendee rate.

The conference has been a centerpiece of NICWA for over 25 years. The AI/AN
child welfare advocacy organization’s fundamental purpose has been to
improve the social services provided to Indian communities through
legislative reform and representation, technical training of social workers,
program planning that is culturally relevant, research of Indian child
welfare indicators, and compliance with ICWA.

The presenters represent child welfare advocates across the U.S. and Canada
from universities, tribes, and urban Indian communities. The conference
theme, “Access to Prevention, Protection, and Treatment: A Matter of
Fairness,

Justice, and Action,” will be represented in the 60-plus workshops during
the week. Special keynote speakers at this date include Frank LaMere
(Winnebago), who received the Peacemaker of the Year award from the
Nebraskans for Peace for his work to stop the illegal flow of alcohol onto
the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and has been active in
state/national politics since 1987; and Tabitha Whitefoot, assistant
director of Portland State University Native American Student Community
Center and the college’s Education Equity Program. Other speakers are in the
process of being confirmed for the conference.

Exhibition and vendor spaces are still open. Interested businesses and
artists should contact Laurie Evans, NICWA project support, at
laurie at nicwa.org, or call 503.222.4044, ext. 124, for a vendor application.
Advertising space in the conference program book is open until February 27;
contact Laurie for more information.

NICWA is a national nonprofit and the most comprehensive source of
information on American Indian child welfare and works on behalf of Indian
children and families. NICWA provides public policy, research, advocacy,
information, training, and community development services to a broad
national audience, including state child welfare agencies and other
organizations, agencies, and professionals interested in the field of Indian
child welfare. Their website is www.nicwa.org or you can call 503.222.4044
for more information.