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APRIL 25, 2001

The Child Welfare League of America on Tuesday apologized for its role in placing thousands of American Indian and Alaska Native children in non-Native households during the 1950s and 1960s.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs contracted the services of the group in placing children in foster homes. Shay Bilchik, executive director of the Child Welfare League, said the group at the time believed they were helping Indian children escape poverty and other social conditions.

The adoption policy was officially stopped and rebuked by Congress with the passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978.

The National Indian Child Welfare Association has been negotiating with the group for an apology for the past couple of years, said executive director Terry Cross. The group made its apology at a conference the Association held in Anchorage, Alaska, this week.

Get the Story:
Natives receive apology for 1950s racial adoptions (The Anchorage Daily News 4/25)

Relevant Links:
National Indian Child Welfare Association - http://www.nicwa.org