{"id":38812,"date":"2026-09-30T10:28:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T10:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/?p=38812"},"modified":"2026-09-30T19:03:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T19:03:27","slug":"icwa-family-preservation-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/icwa-family-preservation-program\/","title":{"rendered":"How does North Dakota\u2019s ICWA Family Preservation Program help Native American families stay safely together?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"content-section light fresh-text single wp-block-fresh-text backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n\n \n \n <!-- The CTA is moved up next to the title when in the Head Section style -->\n \n  <div class=\"callout\"><p>Nationwide, Native American children are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system, with foster care placements at a rate more than 2.5 times greater than their proportion in the general population. In at least a handful of states, this ratio is even higher.<\/p>\n<p>For Native American children and families that have been separated, these numbers are not an abstraction. They speak to the risk of real \u2014 and often avoidable \u2014 harm from being drawn into a system that has inflicted historical trauma on generations of Native American communities. Once involved in the child welfare system, Native Americans too often find themselves the sole Indigenous people in case meetings and court hearings where consequential decisions about their families are being made. Even attorneys appointed to represent them and the best interests of their children may meet with families only minutes before a hearing and understand little about the context of their lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <!-- conversly to above, we need to not show the CTA here if it's the Head Section style -->\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"quote content-section light wp-block-quote backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom padding-top padding-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n  <div class=\"basic-quote text-revolver\">\n <blockquote class=\"relative z-0\"><p>The program gives me a more comprehensive view of ICWA cases that I work on and makes it a lot easier for me to find and retain the best qualified witness for a case. This not only ensures I meet the legal criteria, it ensures I\u2019m doing the right thing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n  <figcaption class=\"text-md text-right mt-9 font-sofiapro\"><cite>&mdash; Mary Melech, Assistant State\u2019s Attorney, Burleigh County, North Dakota<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"content-section light fresh-text single wp-block-fresh-text backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n\n \n \n <!-- The CTA is moved up next to the title when in the Head Section style -->\n \n  <div class=\"callout\"><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/icwa-gold-standard\/\">Indian Child Welfare Act<\/a> (ICWA) was passed in 1978 to address the history of separation of Native American families, and to protect children and families from further trauma. Adherence to ICWA at the state and county levels is not just the law, it is the right thing to do. In North Dakota, the ICWA Family Preservation Program supports accurate implementation of ICWA and helps Native American families preserve family, community, and cultural ties. The program honors the spirit and letter of ICWA by prioritizing family unity and Tribal sovereignty in child welfare decision-making.<a href=\"#footnotes\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>An evaluation focused on 485 families that have received program services since 2020 documented several promising outcomes:<a href=\"#footnotes\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Decreased time in foster care. <\/strong>The average time in foster care for a child receiving ICWA Family Preservation Program services was 4.4 months. Statewide in 2020, the median length of stay for American Indian\/Alaska Native (AI\/AN) children who entered foster care was 403 days (more than 13 months).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fewer terminations of parental rights (TPR).<\/strong> TPR occurred in 6% of program cases, compared to 25% of cases involving AI\/AN children in North Dakota who entered the system in 2020.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safety was preserved. <\/strong>The number of children re-entering the child welfare system did not increase: 7% for families participating in the program, which was no more than the statewide number in 2020.<a href=\"#footnotes\"><sup>3,4<\/sup><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To learn more about adherence to ICWA principles, see: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/icwa-courts-strategies\/\">What lessons can we learn from ICWA courts?<\/a><a href=\"#_ednref1\" name=\"_edn1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <!-- conversly to above, we need to not show the CTA here if it's the Head Section style -->\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content-section light fresh-text single wp-block-fresh-text backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block back-warm-ceramic margin-top margin-bottom padding-top padding-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n\n \n \n <!-- The CTA is moved up next to the title when in the Head Section style -->\n \n  <div class=\"callout\"><h1>Family ties are restored<\/h1>\n<p>As soon as Karla\u2019s daughter lost parental rights to care for her son, Karla let her county child protection agency know that she wanted to care for her grandson. The agency, however, seemed unwilling to consider her as a placement option. Karla felt like her pleas were falling on deaf ears. After seeing her grandchild experience eight different foster homes, she became discouraged and considered giving up. As a last resort, she reached out to her Tribe, which connected her to Bobbie Kastner, an ICWA family preservationist based in the county where her grandson lived. According to Karla, that phone call changed the course of their family\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<p>Bobbie and Karla spoke regularly on the phone, and despite living several hours apart, met in person when they could. Whereas Karla felt like the county caseworker saw her through a lens clouded by bias and stereotypes, \u201cI feel like Bobbie really got to know me,\u201d she says. Bobbie provided the Tribe\u2019s ICWA representative with a new perspective on Karla\u2019s family \u2014 one informed by Tribal context, shared identity, and trust. That\u2019s when things began to change. When Bobbie informed the ICWA representative that the county was not following through on mandates under ICWA, the representative began advocating with the county for placement with Karla.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Karla\u2019s grandson has a safe and stable home with his grandmother. Bobbie referred Karla to community services that helped make their two-bedroom apartment more secure and comfortable, and helped her clear back rent that was past due. \u201cWorking with Bobbie, I felt like I had someone who could understand me, understand our people,\u201d Karla says. \u201cShe\u2019s the only reason I got my grandson back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <!-- conversly to above, we need to not show the CTA here if it's the Head Section style -->\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"quote content-section light wp-block-quote backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom padding-top padding-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n  <div class=\"basic-quote text-revolver\">\n <blockquote class=\"relative z-0\"><p>There\u2019s such power in a family knowing we showed up for them. It\u2019s a different kind of support. It\u2019s about having support from someone who looks and sounds like you and wants to know how you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n  <figcaption class=\"text-md text-right mt-9 font-sofiapro\"><cite>&mdash; Jessi Leneaugh, ICWA Family Preservation Program Director, Native American Training Institute<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"content-section light fresh-text single wp-block-fresh-text backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n\n \n \n <!-- The CTA is moved up next to the title when in the Head Section style -->\n \n  <div class=\"callout\"><h2>What does an ICWA family preservationist do?<\/h2>\n<p>An ICWA family preservationist (IFP) supports families during court hearings, family team meetings, and visits with children. They educate parents on processes and therefore help them become more actively engaged in case planning and decision-making. IFPs also may connect families to cultural resources that can support family reunification. If the state or county requests, and the Tribe supports it, an IFP may even become part of a family\u2019s safety plan, designated as someone the family can contact for assistance. \u201cBut we aren\u2019t case managers,\u201d lead IFP Leah McCloud explains. \u201cThat\u2019s the state or county\u2019s responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An IFP is assigned at a Tribe\u2019s request as soon as the Tribe is given notice of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/turtletalk.blog\/2020\/09\/03\/icwa-regulations-reason-to-know-and-the-importance-of-in-re-z-j-g\/\">reason to know<\/a>\u201d that a child in the child welfare system may be an enrolled member or eligible for enrollment. Unlike ICWA representatives who work for a Tribe and juggle up to 200 cases at once, IFPs typically work with 25 families at a time and therefore have more time and flexibility to get to know families and their circumstances, hear their stories, and connect them to resources. Their job entails:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Outreach to all parties.<\/strong> An IFP begins engaging families by providing information about the program, their rights under ICWA, local services, healing practices, and traditional medicines. The IFP is encouraged to set aside active or past case files, which may contain biased information, until after hearing a family\u2019s story directly. After meeting with a family, the IFP reaches out to the county caseworker to learn about the child protection agency\u2019s plan, and briefs a Tribal representative to provide information about the status of the family and the case with an Indigenous lens.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Provide relational support.<\/strong> Building trust and connection with a family is an important part of the IFP\u2019s job. \u201cA lot of our native families have a mistrust with CPS because of historical trauma or personal experience,\u201d says Michelle Harrison, ICWA director for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. &#8220;The IFPs are able to build trust with these families, get them to open up and engage.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monitor active efforts<\/strong>. Another important aspect of the IFP role is to inform the Tribe and county court about whether the state has provided <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bia.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/dup\/assets\/bia\/ois\/ois\/pdf\/idc2-041405.pdf\">active efforts<\/a> to preserve or reunify the family, as required under ICWA.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Support Tribal placement preferences<\/strong>. IFPs often augment efforts to search for family members who could be placement resources if needed. \u201cIFPs are boots on the ground, helping us look for relatives,&#8221; Harrison says. \u201cIn doing so, they\u2019re helping us follow the ICWA placement preferences and honoring our sovereignty, ensuring cultural connections remain in place.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Offer expert testimony<\/strong>. If a Tribe approves, IFPs provide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ntcwcia.org\/\">qualified expert witness<\/a> testimony during removal and TPR hearings, in accordance with ICWA. They testify specifically to the individual family\u2019s circumstances and the prevailing social and cultural standards of the Indian child\u2019s Tribe. Some Tribes opt to have only enrolled members serve as expert witnesses, while others consent to an IFP enrolled in a different Tribe to serve in that role. In either case, the IFP provides context rather than recommending particular outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <!-- conversly to above, we need to not show the CTA here if it's the Head Section style -->\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"quote content-section light wp-block-quote backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom padding-top padding-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n  <div class=\"basic-quote text-revolver\">\n <blockquote class=\"relative z-0\"><p>Our ICWA Family Preservationists are essential. Their first-hand knowledge, cultural perspective, and dedication to our native families help ensure every child and family is served with respect, compassion and cultural understanding.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n  <figcaption class=\"text-md text-right mt-9 font-sofiapro\"><cite>&mdash; Michelle Harrison, ICWA Director, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"content-section light fresh-text single wp-block-fresh-text backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n\n \n \n <!-- The CTA is moved up next to the title when in the Head Section style -->\n \n  <div class=\"callout\"><h2>How did the IFP program begin and grow?<\/h2>\n<p>The ICWA Family Preservation Program in North Dakota was initiated with a federal ICWA Implementation Partnership Grant, which trained state and county child welfare workers to work with Native American families and created a program to recruit and train qualified expert witnesses. Harmony Bercier, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, was hired by the University of North Dakota to work on the first task, and Jessi Leneaugh, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, was tapped for the second.<\/p>\n<p>Bercier and Leneaugh soon identified barriers that the grant alone could not address: 1) Tribal ICWA offices were woefully under-resourced and under-staffed; 2) county caseworkers sometimes had difficulty engaging Native American families and carrying out mandated ICWA practice in a timely fashion; and 3) expert witnesses, whose time and expertise often were not compensated, were being brought in at the end of cases and therefore did not always have time to get to know the families well.<\/p>\n<p>Leneaugh and Bercier therefore envisioned a paid position for someone who would understand each case deeply \u2014 from a Tribal perspective \u2014 and support the family accordingly, similar to a guardian <em>ad litem<\/em>. They reasoned that by walking the life of the case alongside the family, these advisors could provide higher quality, better informed expert testimony while also helping families understand, engage, and navigate the child welfare system.<\/p>\n<p>ICWA representatives from four North Dakota Tribes worked with Leneaugh and Bercier to develop all aspects of the program. However, it took time to convince their own grant Principal Investigators to share power with their Native American colleagues and advisors. After two years of planning and advocacy, and with allyship from non-native colleagues, the pilot launched in two counties in 2020. The program expanded steadily across more counties and became statewide in November 2025. Representatives from each county meet monthly to address challenges. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to encounter roadblocks in every county independently,\u201d Bercier says: \u201cWe learn from each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, Leneaugh directs the ICWA Family Preservation Program under the auspices of the <a href=\"https:\/\/nativeinstitute.org\/\">Native American Training Institute<\/a> in North Dakota.<\/p>\n<h3>Relationships are everything<\/h3>\n<p>When Leneaugh and Bercier approached Grand Forks County about piloting the ICWA Family Preservation Program there, 49% of the county\u2019s children in foster care were Native American \u2014 an alarming rate given that only 3% of the county\u2019s general population is Native American. \u201cWe were used to being the only experts,\u201d recalls Traci Van Beek, program administrator for Grand Forks County Children and Family Services. \u201cIt was very uncomfortable to realize there were significant areas where we needed to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Overcoming that discomfort and developing an effective partnership required a lot of trust. \u201cWe quickly learned relationship was everything,\u201d she says. Van Beek spent months with the program developers prior to launch. County child welfare staff went through a series of trainings, which included videos on the spirit of ICWA, personal coaching, and a curriculum Bercier developed about bias.<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing that her staff needed to get out of their comfort zone, Van Beek sought to create an environment where that was the norm. \u201cWe had to ask each other difficult questions about our practice, hold each other accountable, unwrap why we were feeling defensive,\u201d she says. \u201cWe had to acknowledge our biases and choose relationships over pride and ego.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since program implementation, the rate of children in foster care in Grand Forks County has dropped to 17% \u2014 a massive win with, as Van Beek acknowledges, still room to grow. The population of all children in care has also been reduced by more than 70 percent since the program began. She says she now talks about the program \u201cas \u2018us\u2019 and not \u2018us vs them.\u2019 The moment we shifted from trying to be the expert to being a partner, that\u2019s when our outcomes improved.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <!-- conversly to above, we need to not show the CTA here if it's the Head Section style -->\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"quote content-section light wp-block-quote backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom padding-top padding-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n  <div class=\"basic-quote text-revolver\">\n <blockquote class=\"relative z-0\"><p>We guide our work with intent, impact, and commitment, and we stay committed to taking the time and space to honor impact \u2014 whether good, bad, or ugly. Having those difficult conversations has helped us grow together instead of growing apart.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n  <figcaption class=\"text-md text-right mt-9 font-sofiapro\"><cite>&mdash; Harmony Bercier, Grant Manager, North Dakota ICWA Implementation Partnership, University of North Dakota<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"content-section light fresh-text single wp-block-fresh-text backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n\n \n \n <!-- The CTA is moved up next to the title when in the Head Section style -->\n \n  <div class=\"callout\"><h2>Lessons learned<\/h2>\n<p>Today, the ICWA Family Preservation Program is funded by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, embedded in state agency policy, and there is greater clarity across partners about the program\u2019s purpose, approach, roles and strategies. But getting to this point took significant time and effort. Lessons learned include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Build widespread support for the program to ensure sustainability.<\/strong> Fostering relationships with a broad base of champions within the state, counties, and Tribes is key to overcoming funding challenges when political or executive leadership turns over. Create champions by finding alignment between program objectives and state and county child welfare system practice goals, such as emphasis on family engagement, community partnership, and cultural competencies. \u201cThis\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0silo work,\u201d Leneaugh says. \u201cThe more people who know\u00a0what\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0up to, the better.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Focus on the <em>why<\/em> to build commitment.<\/strong> Adding a new person to a case to ensure ICWA compliance can feel like criticism to state or county caseworkers who feel they already are doing their best for families. Explain to caseworkers how an IFP helps support agency goals. \u201cImplementing the program out of compliance is not going to be enough,\u201d Van Beek says. \u201cYou have to bring heart to it.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Address bias.<\/strong> Conscious or not, cultural bias about Native American families plays a role in their disproportionate representation in and disparate treatment by child welfare systems. Cultural training of system staff is ongoing, not one and done. Even with training, Bercier says, \u201cnot everyone is cut out to serve Indian families.\u201d Burleigh County Assistant State\u2019s Attorney Mary Melech says the continual education is one of the most beneficial aspects of the program. \u201cI have learned so much about our regional Tribes\u2019 practices and cultures, and I think that helps me be a better attorney and advocate for the state,\u201d she says. \u201cI think our judicial officers have become more culturally aware, as well.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Select IFPs on cultural fit and their ability to communicate effectively.<\/strong> Each IFP in North Dakota is a Tribal member with experience living on reservations or visiting families there. IFPs should be effective communicators, serving as a liaison between parties in an ICWA case \u2014 helping agency and court representatives better understand families and explaining child welfare proceedings to family members in Tribal-friendly language. \u201cI think our families engage better with the IFPs because IFPs can understand their lives better than someone who doesn\u2019t come from the reservation, doesn\u2019t know the history, and doesn\u2019t understand the cultural realities of our community,\u201d Harrison says.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Train for knowledge.<\/strong> Most new IFPs have not had a background in the child welfare system, or even social work. As a result, their training is extensive and includes education on ICWA and Motivational Interviewing. Each new IFP also completes three to four months of shadowing, coaching, and mentoring before taking on cases alone. The only way to truly understand the complexities of ICWA cases is by working them, IFP McCloud says. \u201cLearning about ICWA in school is not the same.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Welcome different perspectives.<\/strong> To assist in ICWA cases, IFPs need to solicit and correlate information from multiple sources that bring different experiences and perspectives and operate within different constraints: families, public child protection agencies, Tribes, and courts. Valuing and welcoming those varying perspectives is critical.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Manage conflicts with respect.<\/strong> To build and maintain positive relationships between partners, tensions that occasionally arise between individual IFPs and agency caseworkers are managed at the supervisory level or higher. After program leaders discuss the issue, they trust each organization to determine how best to communicate new understandings and any procedural changes to their own staff. This helps create trust and is an effective pathway for increasing understanding more broadly among frontline agency staff.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Treat Tribal sovereignty as paramount.<\/strong> Each participating Tribe has a formal memorandum of understanding with the program. Amplifying Tribal voice in child welfare proceedings and decisions made about their children and families is a shared vision among all tribes, but the specific ways IFP involvement can support that common goal should reflect \u2014 and respect \u2014 each Tribe\u2019s own needs, values, and sovereignty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <!-- conversly to above, we need to not show the CTA here if it's the Head Section style -->\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"quote content-section light wp-block-quote backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom padding-top padding-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n  <div class=\"basic-quote text-revolver\">\n <blockquote class=\"relative z-0\"><p>Whenever we meet with a family it\u2019s like we\u2019re meeting with relatives. They might have a problem they\u2019re working on at the moment, but that doesn\u2019t mean they are a problem. We try to keep an open mind and open heart with our families who are struggling.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n  <figcaption class=\"text-md text-right mt-9 font-sofiapro\"><cite>&mdash; Leah McCloud, Lead ICWA Family Preservationist<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"content-section light fresh-text single wp-block-fresh-text backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n\n \n \n <!-- The CTA is moved up next to the title when in the Head Section style -->\n \n  <div class=\"callout\"><h2>What the future holds<\/h2>\n<p>With sustainability in mind, the program established a pathway for federal Title IV-E reimbursement if state funding ever lags. A fidelity assessment anchored by a theory of change is now underway to document program effectiveness for inclusion in the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse.<\/p>\n<p>The Native American Training Institute in North Dakota provided essential infrastructure to power the program\u2019s success, including administration support and monthly trainings open to anyone interested in learning more. As program director, Leneaugh is working to expand the program through MOUs with Tribes in neighboring states. She says she would like all states to have the infrastructure to ensure compliance with ICWA and for all Tribes to have access to local support anywhere an enrolled member is involved with a state or county child welfare system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA nation of IFPs would be a dream come true,\u201d she says, adding that her team is willing to share its forms, job descriptions, and even the full program design. \u201cIf anything speaks to you, we want to give it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <!-- conversly to above, we need to not show the CTA here if it's the Head Section style -->\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"qff_disclaimer align wp-block-disclaimer content-section\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-0 md:px-5\">\n <div class=\"qff_disclaimer__wrapper text-salt-box text-xs font-sofiapro border-t-2 border-spring-wood\">\n <p>Casey Family Programs consults with individuals and teams across the country to compile research, experiences, and insights about approaches that can safely reduce the need for foster care and ensure the well-being of children and families. We share this information broadly to help child welfare leaders and their partners tackle similar issues in their own communities. For questions about this resource, or if you have other child welfare information needs, please email <a href=\"mailto:kmresources@casey.org\">kmresources@casey.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"footnotes\" class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:2px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"footnotes\" class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"footnote wp-block-footnote\">\n  <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5 text-3xs text-black-currant\">\n    <p>1 This brief was informed by interviews with Harmony Bercier, Grant Manager, North Dakota ICWA Implementation Partnership, University of North Dakota; Jessi Leneaugh, ICWA Family Preservation Program Director, Native American Training Institute, North Dakota; Michelle Harrison, ICWA Director, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; Leah McCloud, Lead ICWA Family Preservationist, Native American Training Institute, North Dakota; Mary Melech, Assistant State\u2019s Attorney, Burleigh County, N.D.; Traci Van Beek, Children and Family Services Program Administrator, Grand Forks County, N.D.; and Karla, a grandparent who received support from the ICWA Family Preservation Program, whose last name is withheld for privacy purposes.<\/p>\n<p>2 Data analysis conducted by Native American Training Institute (North Dakota) and the University of North Dakota as part of a program evaluation. Not yet published, the findings were shared with Casey Family Programs via Harmony Bercier in July 2026.<\/p>\n<p>3 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children\u2019s Bureau. Available from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, AFCARS Dataset. The receiver of the original data (the Archive, Cornell University) bears no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.<\/p>\n<p>4 Comparison data based on the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) Round 4 definition of children re-entering foster care.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content-section light fresh-text single wp-block-fresh-text backgrounds-and-margins-aware-block margin-top margin-bottom\">\n <div class=\"container mx-auto px-5\">\n\n \n \n <!-- The CTA is moved up next to the title when in the Head Section style -->\n \n  <div class=\"callout\"><script>\nvar 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