Native America Calling: Native child welfare notches wins in a time of adversity

Indianz.Com > News > Native America Calling: Native child welfare notches wins in a time of adversity

Native America Calling

Listen to Native America Calling every weekday at 1pm Eastern.

Alternate Links: Native Voice One | NAC

Native America Calling: Native child welfare notches wins in a time of adversity

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

nativeamericacalling.com nativeamericacalling nativeamericacalling

Native child welfare notches wins in a time of adversity

A rule change in South Dakota opened a door that has allowed a sizable increase in the number of eligible foster parents.

The development is a boon for places like the Pine Ridge Reservation. As recently as three years ago, the Oglala Sioux Tribe declared an emergency in foster child placement.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Supreme Court turned back another challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) as the legal justifications for such claims dwindle. And in Arizona, learn about a Pascua Yaqui tribal secretary who has opened her home to more than two dozen foster children over the years.

A woman holds a sign reading “Stop Stealing Native Kids: Protect ICWA” on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in an Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) case on November 9, 2022. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Guests on Native America Calling

Nancy Marie Spears (Cherokee), Indigenous Children and Families reporter for The Imprint

Susan Schrader (Oglala Lakota), director of the Child Protection Services and ICWA program for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, kinship caregiver, and an elder

Toni Giago (Oglala Lakota), family planner for Oglala Sioux Tribe Child Protection Services

Anna Evans (Chickasaw and Cherokee), mother and foster caregiver in Oklahoma