Child Welfare Information Gateway
Skip to main content
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  • Administration for Children & Families
  • Children's Bureau
Child Welfare Information Gateway
REPORT ABUSE OR
NEGLECT
FIND HELP WITH A
PERSONAL SITUATION   

Home Topics Publications Library State Resources More Tools & Resources News & Events
REPORT ABUSE OR
NEGLECT
FIND HELP WITH A
PERSONAL SITUATION   
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Chat
  • Free Subscriptions
  • Resources in Spanish
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Chat
  • Resources in Spanish
  • Shopping Cart
  • Home
  • Topics
    • Family-Centered Practice
      • Philosophy and Key Elements of Family-Centered Practice
      • Family-Centered Practice Across the Service Continuum
      • Engaging Families
      • Family-Centered Casework Practice
      • Family Group Decision-Making
      • Engaging Communities to Support Families
      • Creating a Family-Centered Agency Culture
    • Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Definitions of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Identification of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Risk Factors That Contribute to Child Abuse and Neglect
      • People Who Engage in Child Abuse or Neglect
      • Impact of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Child Abuse & Neglect Fatalities
    • Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
      • National Child Abuse Prevention Month
      • Overview: Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Promoting Child & Family Well-Being
      • Public Awareness & Creating Supportive Communities
      • Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs
      • Developing & Sustaining Prevention Programs
      • Evidence-Based Practice for Child Abuse Prevention
      • Evaluating Prevention Programs
    • Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Introduction to Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
      • Assessment in Child Protection
      • Differential Response in Child Protective Services
      • Child Protection Casework Practice
      • Responding to Child Maltreatment Near Fatalities and Fatalities
      • Trauma-Informed Practice in Child Welfare
      • Collaborative Responses to Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Supporting & Preserving Families
      • Supporting Families With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
      • Introduction to Family Support and Preservation
      • In-Home Services Involved With Child Protection
      • Family Support Services
      • Resources for Managers of Family Support and Preservation Services
      • Family Preservation Services
    • Out-of-Home Care
      • National Foster Care Month
      • Overview: Out-of-Home Care
      • Foster Care
      • Group and Residential Care
      • Kinship Care
      • Casework Practice in Out-of-Home Care
      • Transition to Adulthood and Independent Living
      • Placement Decisions
      • Resources for Foster Families
    • Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
      • Overview: Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
      • Reunifying Families
      • Recruiting and Retaining Resource Families
      • Permanency With Relatives and Kin
      • Guardianship
      • Permanency for Specific Youth Populations
      • Legal and Court Issues in Permanency
      • Interjurisdictional Placements
      • Working With Children, Youth, and Families in Permanency Planning
      • Working With Children, Youth, and Families After Permanency
      • Resources for Administrators and Managers About Permanency
      • Resources for Families About Permanency
    • Adoption
      • National Adoption Month
      • All-In Foster Adoption Challenge
      • Children's Bureau Adoption Call to Action
      • Adoption and Guardianship Assistance by State
      • Introduction to Adoption
      • Ethical Issues in Adoption
      • For Adopted People
      • For Adoption Program Managers & Administrators
      • For Expectant Parents Considering Adoption and Birth Parents
      • How to Adopt
      • Laws Related to Adoption
      • Parenting After Adoption
      • Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice
      • Postplacement Adoption Casework Practice
      • Search & Reunion in Adoption
    • Management & Supervision
      • Administering & Managing Child Welfare Agencies & Programs
      • Child Welfare Practice Improvement
      • Disaster Preparedness & Response
      • Ethical Practice & Client Rights
      • Evaluating Program and Practice Effectiveness
      • Funding
      • Information Systems & Data
      • Supervising Child Welfare Services
      • System Reform
      • Training
      • Workforce
    • Systemwide
      • Assessment
      • Behavioral Health & Wellness
      • Courts
      • Cultural Responsiveness
      • Diverse Populations and Communities
      • Domestic Violence
      • Human Trafficking
      • Laws & Policies
      • Service Array
      • Statistics
      • Well-Being
      • Youth
  • Publications
    • Publications Series
    • Browse by Topic
    • Browse by Title
    • índice de Títulos en Español (Spanish Title Index)
  • Library
    • Library Services
    • Library Search Help
  • State Resources
    • State Statutes
    • National Foster Care & Adoption Directory
    • State Guides & Manuals Search
    • State-Related Organizations Lists
    • Adoption and Guardianship Assistance by State
  • More Tools & Resources
    • Related Organizations
    • Learning Center
    • Resources From the Children's Bureau
      • Children's Bureau Discretionary Grants
      • The Story of the Children's Bureau
      • Children's Bureau Video Series
    • Child Welfare Information Gateway Podcast Series
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Webinars
    • Family Engagement Inventory
  • News & Events
    • Free Subscriptions
    • Adoption Triad
    • Children's Bureau Express (CBX)
    • The Grantee Connection
    • New on Information Gateway
    • New From the Children's Bureau
    • Event Calendar
  • Home
  • Topics
  • Systemwide
  • Diverse Populations and Communities
  • Engaging American Indian Children and Families
  • Supporting the Well-Being of American Indian Youth

Supporting the Well-Being of American Indian Youth

Many American Indian and Alaska Native youth have experienced intergenerational trauma and marginalization. Some youth may have experienced abuse, neglect, and witnessed violence. Youth may be facing a lack of hope in their current environment, which raises concerns of depression and suicide. The following resources in this section offer insight into the perspectives of American Indian and Alaska Native youth and provide information on services and programs specifically designed to support the well-being of these young people. Resources supporting Native youth in out-of-home care are also included.

Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute
Provides information on health and educational opportunities and programs focused on Native American youth.

Cowlitz  Indian Tribe Youth Program
Cowlitz Indian Tribe
Works with Cowlitz Indian Tribal youth to teach them the cultural traditions of the Tribe, including respect, honor, and culture, by connecting them to Tribal elders, people, and history. 

Cultural Connectedness and Indigenous Youth Well-Being Fact Sheet (PDF - 548 KB)
National Indian Child Welfare Association (2019)
Explores the concept of cultural connectedness and its importance for positive mental health outcomes and promoting the well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native youth. The resource examines facilitators of connectedness, youth-partnered activities, and how to measure connectedness.

Healthy Native Youth
Provides a culturally relevant curriculum and resources for the sexual education of Native American and Alaska Native adolescents.

It Takes a Village: Interview With Cheri Goodwin [Podcast]
Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (2020) 
Presents an interview with Cheri Goodwin, director of Red Lake Children and Family Services, about supporting children and families with culturally specific services during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Meskwaki Nation Youth Development Program
Offers life skills and educational programs to Meskwaki youth to improve their well-being and give them a sense of place and tradition in the Tribal community. 

Native Youth Programs
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
Highlights opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native youth to participate in events on a national scale. NCAI supports Native youth in their commitment to their communities.

Physical and Mental Health
Youth.gov
Outlines health disparities that affect American Indian and Alaska Native youth, including mental health issues, substance use, suicide, injury, pregnancy, trafficking, and others. The website provides a list of resources on working with Native youth.

Supporting Two Spirit/Native LGBTQ+ Youth [Webinar]
Capacity Building Center for Tribes (2018)
Provides part one of a two-part webinar series offering information on Native LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and others) and Two-Spirit identities and how professionals can create welcoming and supportive environments for youth in care.

Supporting Native Youth Into Adulthood (PDF - 213 KB)
Capacity Building Center for Tribes, Tribal Information Exchange (2021)
Presents a collection of resources for child welfare professionals to use when working with American Indian and Alaska Native youth. The resources can help support the health, well-being, and cultural connectivity of these youth as they transition into adulthood.

Traditions & Culture 
Running Strong for American Indian Youth
Describes the trauma Indigenous people have faced and how Tribes are working to revive their traditions and cultures through language, ceremony, and education programs for Native youth.

Tribal Youth Program
Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
Describes the services provided to Native American youth to instill traditional values, raise cultural awareness, and promote overall well-being in the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Tribal Youth Program (TYP).

We R Native
Offers an online health resource for American Indian and Alaska Native youth featuring content and stories provided by Native youth. The website aims to promote growth and well-being in Native communities.

(Back to Top)

Supporting Native youth in out-of-home care 

American Indian & Alaska Native Grandfamilies: Helping Children Thrive Through Connection to Family and Cultural Identity
Generations United & National Indian Child Welfare Association
Offers information and resources for child welfare professionals and organizations working to support American Indian and Alaska Native grandfamilies.

Foster Care and Adoption
National Indian Child Welfare Association
Provides research and resources on American Indian and Alaska Native children in the foster care system along with project examples and information on policy and advocacy.

Foster Care Support
NAYA Family Center
Assists youth and families involved with State and Tribal foster care systems through the provision of culturally appropriate information and resources.

The Indian Child Welfare Act for Kin Givers & Foster Parents (PDF - 245 KB)
Judicial Council of California (2017)
Explains the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), the rights of children and families covered under ICWA, and how foster or kinship caregivers can work with those families.

Trauma-Informed Practice Strategies (TIPS) for Supporting Caregivers of Native Youth in Out-of-Home Care (PDF - 1,220 KB)
Capacity Building Center for Tribes (2022)
Guides kinship and nonrelative caregiver placements in growing their knowledge of strategies to respond intentionally, consistently, and carefully to ensure the child’s ability to have meaningful and authentic connections with their Tribe and culture.

(Back to Top)

Spotlight On

Capacity Building Center for Tribes

Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative

Center for Native Child and Family Resilience

Cultural Considerations

Youth.gov

Tribal Information Exchange

Capacity Building Center for Tribes

Related Content

Youth

Types of Health Services

Human Trafficking

Engaging and Involving Youth

Children and Youth Well-Being

Children's Bureau - An office of the Administration for Children and Families

Child Welfare Information Gateway is a service of the

  • Children’s Bureau
  • Administration for Children and Families
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
↑ Back to top
  • HOME
  • TOPICS
    • Family-Centered Practice
    • Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Supporting & Preserving Families
    • Out-of-Home Care
    • Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
    • Adoption
    • Management & Supervision
    • Systemwide
  • National Initiatives
    • National Adoption Month
    • National Child Abuse Prevention Month
    • National Foster Care Month
  • Publications
    • Publications Series
    • Browse by Title
    • Browse by Topic
    • Índice de Títulos en Español
  • Library
    • Search the Library
  • State Resources
    • State Statutes
    • National Foster Care & Adoption Directory
    • State Guides & Manuals
    • State Related Organizations Lists
    • Adoption Assistance by State
  • More Tools & Resources
    • Related Organizations
    • Learning Center
    • Children's Bureau Resources
    • Information Gateway Podcast
    • Multimedia
    • Family Engagement Inventory
  • NEWS AND EVENTS
    • New on Information Gateway
    • New From the Children's Bureau
    • Event Calendar
  • ABOUT US
    • How to Report Child Abuse or Neglect
    • Find Help With a Personal Situation
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Glossary
    • Search A to Z
  • Contact Us
    • 1-800-394-3366
    • info@childwelfare.gov
    • Subscribe to Free Updates
    • Chat With Us
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on YouTube
  • POLICIES & HELPFUL LINKS
    • Disclaimer and Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility
    • FOIA requests
    • No FEAR Act data
    • Office of the Inspector General
    • Performance reports
    • Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
    • USA.gov
    • Download Acrobat Reader
  • ↑ Back to top