Date: January 7, 2008
United
for Tiospaye (Families):
The
Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)
for
WIcozani (the Well-being)
of
South Dakota’s Native Wakanyeja (sacred Children)
Name and Purpose 2
Mission and Vision Statement 3
Principles and Values Guiding the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle’s)
Work 3
Areas of Focus 4
A Commitment to Outcomes, Ownership of and Accountability
for Results 8
Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) Membership 9
Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) Leadership 10
Meetings 11
Annual Retreat/Enrichment/Education 12
Annual Report 12
Committees 13
Amendment Procedures 13
Recruitment and retention of
Native American resource Tiospaye (families) has been a concern for both tribes
and the South Dakota Division of Child Protection Services since the passage of
the Indian Child Welfare Act (hereafter, ICWA). Although recruitment of Native
resource Tiospaye (families) has had sporadic attention, in more recent years a
focus has returned to this important issue and in 2002 a state-tribal foster
and adoption work group was formed. Over the next year and a half, the group
met to discuss continuing issues related to recruitment and retention;
strategies to bridge barriers, including developing a brochure to address myths
about being a resource family; and implementing a cooperative effort between
State, Tribal, and private organizations, such as Casey Family Programs and
Children’s Home Society.
Although initial attendance at the
tribal-state work group meetings was good, by the fall 2003 meeting attendance
had begun to dwindle. In late fall of 2004 at the Adopt-Us-Kids statewide
strategic planning session, participants addressed issues related to
recruitment and retention of all resource families in the state. The
state-tribal foster and adoption work group was identified as key to improving
recruitment and retention of Native resource families and the revitalization of
the work group began. The National Child Welfare Resource Center for
Organizational Improvement and Adopt-Us-Kids facilitated the next work group
meeting in March 2005 at Chamberlain, SD. Thirty tribal and state
representatives attended and decided, through a consensus of the work group,
that it was time the work group evolved into a true collaborative of tribal and
state partners. The group identified interim leaders and a scope of
work—developing a mission statement, organizational structure, membership and
by-laws—to begin the collaborative effort.
At the second meeting of the
Tribal-State Collaborative in June 2005, these tasks became reality and the
group named the collaborative United for Families: the Collaborative Hocoka
(Circle) for the Well-Being of South Dakota’s Native Children. In addition, the
Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)’s structure and membership criteria were established.
By September 2005, it was anticipated that the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)
would be a formal entity with newly seated members who will tackle the
recruitment, retention and child welfare concerns of its members.
This document summarizes all the decisions
made to create and implement the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) and serves as a
living charter to guide the work of the Circle.
The name of the organization shall
be: United for Families: The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) for the Well-Being
of South Dakota’s Native Children.
The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)
was formed to bring together stakeholders in South Dakota—the Tribes, the South
Dakota Division of Child Protection Services, families, providers, and other
partners—who are committed to improving outcomes for South Dakota’s Native
children.
Mission
The Native children and families
of South Dakota who come into the child protection system need and deserve
better results in the areas of safety, stability, and well-being. Therefore, we
have come together—families and youth, providers, Tribes, State and local
agencies, and other community stakeholders—to create a formal Collaborative
dedicated to achieving better outcomes. To ensure that these results can be
achieved, each member commits to functional, trusting, working relationships
with each other and with other community stakeholders, and to constantly strive
to improve those relationships.
As we work together for South
Dakota’s Native children and families, we strive to protect those children
through a system that:
Vision
We, the Collaborative Hocoka
(Circle), envision a system of child and family services and supports in South
Dakota that ensures that each Native child is safe and thriving in a permanent,
appropriate home; that families are supported in their communities; and that
communities themselves take responsibility for ensuring that this vision
becomes a reality.
Principles and Values Guiding the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle)’s Work
The following principles and values guide our work:
·
We
acknowledge the recognition of tribal sovereignty by the State of South Dakota
Department of Social Services and the members of the Collaborative Hocoka
(Circle). The inherent sovereign power of Indian tribes and nations to govern
themselves predates the establishment of the Unites States of America, and was
recognized by the United States in numerous Treaties made with the bands of the
Great Sioux Nation, notably the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868. Because
the integrity of our families and the relationship of the coming generations to
their tribes is central to the exercise of tribal sovereignty, the State and
the nine Tribes of South Dakota pledge to recognize and respect each other's
sovereignty and to conduct the work of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) on a
nation-to-nation basis.
·
We
work together to promote trusting relationships within the Collaborative Hocoka
(Circle) and with other community partners, building on and using the
strengths, ideas, and resources of each member.
·
We
collectively assume responsibility for achieving better outcomes for Native
children and families in South Dakota.
·
Whenever
possible, we promote a preventive approach by:
o
providing
services and supports upfront to prevent Native children and families from
coming into the child protection system;
o
helping
families understand their rights;
o
promoting
parental empowerment and participation in a cultural context; and
o
moving
children and families out of the system as soon as possible.
·
We
work as a Circle to ensure that:
o
All
services and supports provided in South Dakota are family-centered,
culturally-based and individualized to meet the needs of the clients.
o
Families
are engaged as full partners in defining their needs and goals and in achieving
those goals. Families’ extended members and other informal sources of support
are also engaged to keep children safe, in permanent homes, and achieving
well-being.
o
All
decisions regarding Native children are made in full compliance with the Indian
Child Welfare Act (ICWA) through collaboration between the Tribes, the State,
and private agencies. When children need an out-of-home placement in order to
be safe, relatives and other Native families are considered first.
o
Tribes
are empowered to meet their own child and family service needs, including
developing the resources and infrastructure to license Native resource families
on and off the reservations.
o
Native
children are able to maintain their own family, community, and cultural ties
when they are in out-of-home placements, and even after termination of parental
rights if that becomes necessary, through various services and supports such as
mentoring by Native Americans, urban cultural centers, cultural family plans
and agreements, transfer protocols, family group decision-making, and training.
·
Since
so many Native children come into care as a result of alcohol abuse, all
members of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) demonstrate and promote a
heightened sensitivity to this issue and its implications for outcomes for
children.
The
Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) currently works in three broad areas:
·
setting
an agenda for addressing the needs and improving the outcomes of Native
children and families in the child and family services system;
·
developing
and advocating for new service strategies to address the needs of Native
children and families; and
·
Monitoring,
supporting, and reassessing these activities and maintaining accountability for
ICWA implementation and compliance and for improved Native child and family
outcomes in child protection.
As the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle), we set the agenda for
what needs to be done, and begin by focusing on nine areas:
The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) takes as one of its main
responsibilities overseeing ICWA implementation and compliance, including the
State of South Dakota ICWA Commission Report/Recommendations. Therefore, the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle):
·
receives
feedback from the Collaboratives standing committees about ICWA implementation
and compliance issues in their areas;
·
reviews
annually all the specific recommendations of the Commission Report and monitors how these recommendations are being
implemented;
·
identifies
needed improvements in meeting these recommendations and develops action plans
to address them;
·
provides
annual feedback on ICWA implementation and compliance to South Dakota’s state
governance (including, but not limited to, Tribal Chairpersons, Child
Protection Services, Governor’s Office, legislative committees, etc.); and
·
promotes
special ICWA training for court advocates (attorneys) and judges, including
tribal judges.
Another of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)’s main
responsibilities is legislative review and development—specifically proposed or
existing legislation that impacts Native child welfare. Therefore, the Circle, in partnership with
the leadership of the Division of Child Protection Services:
·
regularly
reviews proposed legislation and monitors existing legislation and related activities
as they impact on Native children and families, and advocates as necessary and
appropriate;
·
develops
procedures and protocols for these reviews and monitoring that clarifies for
all four kinds of Circle members (Tribes, State, family members and youth, and
providers) and communicates these procedures and protocols with them so that
all parties know how to proceed with proposed legislation;
·
develops
proactively with the Circle’s four members needed new legislation and advocates
for the legislation’s passage as necessary and appropriate; and
·
develops
an annual plan for legislative relationships (for example, regular meetings
with legislators and legislative staff who work on Indian child welfare).
In order to keep Native children out of child protective
services and/or to safely return them to stable families, South Dakota needs a
range of effective child and family services and supports. Therefore, the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle):
·
regularly
assesses the adequacy of the service array in the seven regions, through the
regional collaboratives;
·
assesses
the accessibility of child and family services and supports in terms of
geography, culture, and language;
·
assists
tribes in assessing their own service arrays as requested;
·
promotes
the sharing of resources; and
·
addresses
funding issues, including IV-E contracts, required infrastructure for IV-E
contracting, staffing, lack of service providers, and funding for tribal
courts.
When children need an out-of-home placement to be safe, a
variety of placement resources are needed. Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka
(Circle):
·
promotes
the use of Family Group Decision-Making or family meetings to plan the
placement;
·
promotes
the identification, preparation, and support of relative resource families;
·
supports
the recruitment and retention of Native American resource families (relative,
foster, and adoptive families) for Native children, with special emphasis on
adolescents and children with special needs; and
·
advocates
for culturally appropriate services in other placement resources (e.g., group
homes, residential treatment facilities).
The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) acknowledges the need for
education of the general public, and for addressing the training needs of
resource families, tribal staff, and public and private sector staff.
Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):
·
promotes
public education about resource families:
o The different types of out-of-home
family placements (relative, foster, adoptive).
o Requirements to become resource
families (relative, foster, adoptive).
o Funding available to help meet the
needs of children in placement.
o Positive contributions that resource
families make to children and to the community.
·
promotes
training for resource families, including cultural training;
·
monitors
the implementation of the Child Protection Services Statewide Strategic Plan,
particularly as it relates to education and training of resource families,
kinship families, and public, tribal and private agency child protection staff.
From the beginning discussions about creating the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle), there was consensus regarding the need to create parallel
regional structures. Each plays a critical role: regional collaboratives
identify service needs and report how systems are working at the local level,
while the statewide Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) sees the picture across the
state and helps set statewide priorities. Collaboration across these levels
supports effective cross-system collaboration at the case level, so children
and families receive integrated services in day-to-day practice. Regional
collaboratives are particularly important as we implement the strategic plan
for the recruitment and retention of resource families, including Native
families.
The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) takes as one of its main
responsibilities the creation and support of a child welfare collaborative in
each of South Dakota’s child protection service regions.
As the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) has grown and matured,
it has become clear that we need to develop resources to support the important
work of the Circle and the regional collaboratives, as well as to manage and
sustain the human and financial resources we have from our four kinds of Circle
members (Tribes, State, family members and youth, and providers) and from other
benefactors. Therefore, the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle):
· seeks out additional needed human
and fiscal resources from benefactors who are committed to the innovative
collaboration we are developing through the Circle in order to support the work
of the Circle and the regional collaboratives;
· develops and implements plans to
sustain the Circle’s human and financial resources;
· challenges the four kinds of Circle
members to continue their human, in-kind, and financial contributions to the
Circle; and
· manages the Circle’s fiscal
resources by monitoring financial activities and creating an annual financial
report.
Part of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)’s maturation
process has been the realization and consensus that in order to work together
and accomplish our mission, vision, and activities, we must constantly tend and
nurture trust building among the four kinds of Circle members. Indeed, we have learned—sometimes
painfully—that trust building must be an explicit and a continuous process
throughout the life and work of the Circle, particularly in the context of the
history of the relationship between public child welfare and the tribal nations
in the United States and in South Dakota.
We have also learned that if we take trust building for granted, we will
suffer the consequences.
Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):
· commits itself at the level of the
Circle to build trust in Native child welfare through truth telling,
acknowledging, restoring, and relating;
· assists the regional collaboratives
as they are ready developmentally in building trust at the local level;
· Promotes trust building in child
welfare among the four kinds of Circle members and other community Stakeholders
across the State of South Dakota.
9. Membership Recruitment and
Retention.
Continued human investment in the work of the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle) and its committees and special projects does not just happen
spontaneously. The Collaborative Hocoka
(Circle) must be proactive in ensuring full participation by all four kinds of
its members as well as by other community stakeholders throughout South Dakota,
and proactive in retaining their participation after recruitment. Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):
· continuously works to ensure full
participation and retention on the Circle of all four kinds of Circle members;
· conducts an annual review with the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle) of the participants of all the Circle’s committees (standing
and ad hoc) and special projects to ensure full participation and retention on
these bodies by all four kinds of members;
· works proactively to recruit and
retain the participation of other community stakeholders in South Dakota in the
work of the Circle, its committees, and special projects (for example, public
and private sector providers of child welfare services; mental health,
substance abuse, and domestic violence service providers; educators, health
care providers, home visiting program staff; court, legal, and law enforcement
officials, including CASA volunteers; birth parents, family caregivers [foster,
adoptive, and kinship] and youth; child abuse prevention advocates and staff;
other key providers—for example, housing, food resources, transportation;
elected officials and administrators, including legislators and legislative
staff; media staff; and representatives of the business, faith and labor
communities).
As the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) commits to improving
results for Native children and families who come into child protection in
South Dakota, it is critical that we focus on improved outcomes, own the
results of our own efforts, and hold ourselves and the Collaborative Hocoka
(Circle) accountable for success. Therefore, at meetings of the Collaborative:
1.
The
South Dakota Division of Child Protection Services presents :
· current data on Native children and
families in child protection services in South Dakota (relevant CFSR
indicators: for example, the number of Native children currently in the system;
how many are receiving in-home services, and in out-of-home placements; for
those children in out-of-home placement, how many are in out-of-state care,
institutional care, group care, kinship care, Native family foster care,
non-Native family foster care, etc.; average length of time in out-of-home
care, timeliness of achieving stability, etc.); and
· The strategies in South Dakota’s
Child and Family Services Plan and/or Program Improvement Plan addressed to
improve outcomes for Native children and families.
2.
Based
on this information, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) identifies outcomes we
want to improve for Native children, and the strategies we will promote to
achieve this improvement.
3.
At
each meeting, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) reviews the most current data
on Native children in child protection and implementation of the Child and
Family Services Plan to see if our efforts and strategies should be modified.
4.
As
we succeed in improving these outcomes, we will consider addressing others.
·
Tribes. There are nine tribes in South Dakota.
Each tribe selects two representatives, using criteria developed by the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle), resulting in a tribal membership of 18 members. One of the two
tribal representatives is the Tribal ICWA Director. In addition, each tribe
selects one alternate who serves when either of the Tribe’s regular members is
unable to attend a meeting.
·
Birth Parents, Family Caregivers
(foster, adoptive, kinship), and Youth. The Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle) includes six birth parents, family caregivers, and youth. Three
parents are selected from different tribes. Parents may be foster, adoptive, or
kinship parents, or a birth parent who has been involved previously with the
child protection system. In addition, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)
recruits three Native youth/alumni from different tribes between the ages of 18
and 25.
·
State Officials. Nine State officials are members of
the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle): the Assistant Division Director of the
Division of Child Protection Services, the ICWA Program Specialist, and one
representative from each of South Dakota’s seven Child Protection Services
regions. Regional representatives hold supervisory positions and represent
their entire region.
·
Other Partner Representatives. Other partner representatives including
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Children’s Home Society, Lutheran Social
Services, and the South Dakota Association of Residential Youth Care Providers
are members of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle).
Terms of
office are as follows:
·
State
official members serve as long as they hold their positions.
·
Other
partner representatives serve as long as their employers designate them.
·
Tribal
members are appointed by their respective tribes and serve at the discretion of
their leadership
·
Family
members and youth serve as long as they are willing.
Should a membership position become vacant for any reason,
the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) will initiate actions to refill the position,
led by membership recruitment committee.
All members of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) are
responsible for exercising leadership to achieve the purposes of the Circle.
However, six persons comprise the elected leadership (Executive Committee) of
the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):
·
Two
co-chairs/co-facilitators—one tribal representative and one state
representative—preside over meetings. The co-chairs/co-facilitators also
appoint any ad hoc committees that may be needed, and nominate members for standing
committees; nominees must be approved by the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle).
·
Two
alternate co-chairs/co-facilitators—one tribal representative and one state
representative—preside over meetings when their counterparts are absent. The
alternates can also assist the co-chairs/facilitators with their duties if so
requested.
·
A
recorder who takes minutes or causes minutes to be taken, and sends minutes,
meeting agendas and other materials to members. The recorder also maintains an
historical file of Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) documents and disseminates
information needed by members and others through an e-newsletter or other
vehicles.
·
A treasurer who
serves ex-officio as the chair of the Resource Development and Finance
Committee.
Elections
Leaders are elected by the members from the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle) membership. Any regularly scheduled vacancies in leadership are
filled at the first meeting in a new year. Leaders may also be reelected.
All Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) leaders serve three-year
terms of office which are staggered to ensure that there is not a complete
turnover of leadership in any given year. The initial staggering is as follows:
three-year terms—tribal co-chair/co-facilitator and the state alternate co-chair/co-facilitator;
two-year terms—state co-chair/co-facilitator and tribal alternate
co-chair/co-facilitator; one-year terms—the recorder and the treasurer.
All members of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) are expected
to attend and participate in each meeting. Members must not miss a meeting
unless there is an emergency. A member missing a meeting must inform one of the
co-chairs as soon as possible, and if a Tribal member, inform the alternate
member who will attend the meeting in his or her place.
Members must RSVP to the recorder their planned attendance
at upcoming meetings at least one month prior to the meeting. If a member is
unable to attend a meeting, and has no alternate, he or she may request a
colleague to attend the meeting and take information back to the member.
If a member misses more than one meeting, the Executive
Committee or the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) will discuss his or her
continuing membership. If the person wishes to remain a member, he or she must
not miss another meeting.
The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) meets four times a year,
at the dates set at the first meeting of the new calendar year.
The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) and/or its Executive
Committee have the authority to call special meetings as needed. At least one
month's notice must be given to the members.
A minimum
of 20 members are needed for the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) to conduct
business.
The recorder is responsible for providing written notice of
an upcoming, regular meeting at least six weeks in advance.
The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) strives to build trust
among the members, discussions at meetings will be characterized by respect,
trust, honesty, and professionalism (see the Principles and Values section).
Meetings will provide opportunities for members to brainstorm with all ideas treated
with respect.
Proof that the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) is a true
collaborative is that most decisions are reached by consensus. This is the
preferred way for all decision-making. However, when consensus cannot be
achieved, voting can be used. Each member has one vote. Should serious conflict
develop within the Circle, the Collaborative has the option of seeking the
assistance of a mediator acceptable to all parties.
Because Pierre is central in the State, ordinarily meetings
will be held in the capital city. However, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)
has the authority to change locations at will. A rotating schedule of meeting
locations can allow members to become familiar with other locations and their
needs (for example, meetings on tribal land or at regional collaborative
sites).
Because of the distances members must travel to meet,
meetings begin at 1PM on the first day and adjourn at noon on the following
day.
To hold itself accountable to its
constituencies, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) will produce an annual report
of its activities, as well as the work of its committees and special projects,
and circulate that report widely in South Dakota. The annual report is drafted in time for the
Circle’s fall meeting and finalized at its winter meeting.
The Executive Committee is composed of the elected
Leadership of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle). The Executive Committee is
responsible for setting meeting time and places, and the agenda, and assigning
tasks to members and others when necessary.
At least one month prior to every meeting, the Executive
Committee must develop and implement a plan to ensure maximum attendance by
members (for example, dividing up the membership and personally calling each
member).
Except for the power to amend this document, the Executive
Committee has all of the powers and authority of the Collaborative Hocoka
(Circle) in the interval between meetings, subject to the direction and control
of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle).
In addition to the Executive Committee, the Collaborative
Hocoka (Circle) has nine standing committees. The “Areas of Focus” in this
document describes their mandates.
·
ICWA
Implementation and Compliance Committee.
·
Legislative
Review and Development Committee.
·
Service
and Stability Committee.
·
Placement
Resources Committee.
·
Education,
Training, and Public Relations Committee.
·
Regional
Collaboratives Support Committee.
·
Resource
Development and Finance Committee.
·
Reconciliation[2]/Trust
Building Committee.
·
Membership
Recruitment and Retention Committee.
The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) has the authority to
create any other standing or ad hoc committees as needed.
This document may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds
majority vote of the members of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)