12/03/2007 - American Indian children are overrepresented in the
nation's foster care system at more than 1.6 times the expected
level, according to a new report by the National Indian Child
Welfare Association and the national, nonpartisan Kids Are
Waiting campaign, a project of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The
report was released Nov. 20 at the annual national convention of
the National Congress of American Indians in Denver. NCAI has
been a partner with NICWA on several child welfare initiatives.
The report, ''Time for Reform: A Matter of Justice for American
Indian and Alaska Native Children,'' details how Congress
created the mechanisms for foster care funding that excluded
Indian children who are receiving case management from tribal
social services. States receive about $7 billion from the Title
IV-E fund in 2006, which accounts for 50 percent of the federal
child welfare funds provided to state-administrated foster care.
David Simmons, NICWA director of government affairs and
advocacy, spoke at the even