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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation will use a new $900,000 grant to facilitate permanent placement of Cherokee children who are in the State of Oklahoma’s child welfare foster care systems.

The grant, which will be administered by Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare, will remove barriers to permanent placement of Cherokee children who are in the State of Oklahoma’s child welfare foster care systems. The new program created by the grant, the "Cherokee Nation Permanency Outreach", will approach permanent placement through a three-part design.

First, a website will be developed to provide state child welfare programs, attorneys, adoption agencies, and other interested parties with the necessary tools to meet federal mandates and timelines for placing Indian children in permanent homes, a barrier that has kept many Indian children in foster care for up to 18 months longer than non-Indian children simply because of the confusion surrounding the special placement requirements for Indian children mandated by the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Adoption and Safe Families Act.

Second, the proposed website will break new ground in placing children in permanent homes. Currently, pictures of potential adoptive children and their unique information are placed on websites. While this is a convenient way for families to search for children to adopt, it cannot guarantee the safety and exposure of effected children.

"Cherokee Nation is very concerned about the safety of our Indian children", said Linda Woodward, director of Cherokee Nation Children, Youth and Family Services. “Instead, we will place pictures and other helpful information about potential families on our website. Once completed, our site will allow anyone that uses the web to enter identifying information on the type of child they are seeking, or their current family situation. With a few clicks, our site will pull up a list of families with the specific qualities needed for a permanent home for Indian children. We see this as a valuable tool we are making available to attorneys and other agencies responsible for the custody of Indian children."

Items such as first names, dates of birth, physical descriptions, state of residence, and biographical information are examples of information that will be used to find a match for the family and child. Cherokee Nation will continue to ensure that stringent backgrounds checks are performed on all potential participants and that legal requirements are guaranteed.

The third aspect of Cherokee Nation Permanency Outreach is the creation of "Child-Family Connections." Unlike popular matching parties where potential parents come to actually see ‘waiting children’, the Nation will host forums where these families can view video presentations of the children waiting to be adopted.

"Child-Family Connections removes the pressure children experience when they enter an environment where they are essentially put on display", Woodward said. "The child knows why he or she is there. By presenting videos of our children, we eliminate any possibility they may feel rejected or unwanted if they are not approached by a family", said Woodward. "The whole focus of the new program is to create and identify practices that meet federal timelines while providing a pathway to cultural sensitivity. Keeping the child connected to his or her culture, while expediting permanency, safety and well-being is the primary goal of our program."

The Cherokee Nation Permanency Grant is funded through October of 2004. At that time, all elements of the grant will be permanently in place and fully operational. The new website will be operation by March of 2002. For more information or to be considered as a potential adoptive family, contact Linda Woodward, phone: 918-456-0671 (extension 2399).