Children

The congressional committee, in introducing the Indian Child Welfare Act, commented that there is no resource more vital to the continued existence and integrity of Indian tribes than their children.'This note will discuss the problems of Indian child placement that led to the passage of the Act, the Act itself, and an analysis of cases decided since the enactment of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Background of the ActAn alarmingly high percentage of Indian families have been broken up by the often unwarranted removal of their children by nontribal public and private agencies.Many of these children are placed in non-Indian foster and adoptive homes and institutions, 2 a problem addressed by Russell Lawrence Barsh in his article "The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978: A Critical Analysis." 3 Referring to statements made during the hearings before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs, 4 Barsh states:The costs of massive displacement of Indian children from their homes and tribes have been severe.Prolonged substitute care during youth has been associated with high alcohol abuse and suicide rates within the Indian population.Psychiatrists report that Indians raised in non-Indian homes tend to have significant social problems in adolescence and adulthood.According to a report prepared in 1975 for the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, "there is much clinical evidence to suggest that these Native American children placed in off-1.25 U

Political science · Welfare · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Law · Medicine · Psychology

• The Indian Child Welfare Act

  Suzanne Garner•Wicazo Sa Review•1993

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