Native American and Alaska Native families are disproportionately likely to be involved with child welfare systems. And they may not get culturally appropriate support from standard services.

A tribal family coach gives culturally appropriate support to Native American and Alaska Native families. This helps families safely avoid child welfare involvement. It also puts cultural identity and needs first in all interactions.

How to do this

Figure out how to identify tribal status. Decide how you will find out if a person or family has tribal status. Remember that someone calling the hotline may have no information or wrong information about a family or child's status. It's always best to ask families directly when you can. In Oregon, all screened-out hotline calls with a tribal member from 1 of Oregon's 9 tribal nations go directly to tribal social services.

Work with local tribes to design your referral system. Create a referral system together that works best for each tribal nation. For example, 1 tribe may want to receive and handle all screened-out calls for their members. Another may want to be told about calls but accept help from a tribal family coach. Not all tribes have the ability to guide families through services, which is key to serving tribal families.

This strategy in action

Oregon's District 11 Klamath/Lake Counties started a tribal family coach program in 2020. The Klamath Tribe noticed that families were getting multiple screened-out calls. These calls kept adding up until children were eventually removed. Families weren't getting help with the problems that led to hotline calls in the first place.

Now, when hotline calls about Native families get screened out, the tribe shares them with the tribal family coach. The coach and a tribal support person visit the family together. They offer help with whatever the family needs. The tribal family coach also works with the tribal TANF team.

The Klamath Tribes handle their own members with help from an ODHS Family Coach. The ODHS tribal family coach helps all other Native families in the area, whether they're from one of Oregon's 9 federally recognized tribes or tribes anywhere else.

Oregon's District 11 is now the only district in the state that has both cut the number of Klamath Tribal children in foster care and eliminated over-representation of Native children in care.

Resources