Advancing and Protecting the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

The Center for Indian Law and Policy supports work in advance of the Indian Children Welfare Act as it relates to the protection of tribal sovereignty and Native families.

In-house ICWA Tribal attorney support

The Center provides legal and technical support to WA in-house Tribal attorneys on issues relating to ICWA. If you are an in-house Tribal attorney in WA state who would like to receive news, updates and support please send an email to Brooke Pinkham, pinkhamb@seattleu.edu, to be added to the listserve.

Training On ICWA issues: Please check back for training opportunities.

Amicus brief representation and support

The Center provides technical and legal support on amicus briefs advancing the protection of ICWA. 

Learn more about the cases we have supported:

 

Here we have an opinion, written by the court’s first ever Native Justice in which every Justice concurs and affirms the importance of correctly applying both the federal and state Indian Child Welfare statutes. That by properly applying (W)ICWA early in the procedural process allows early tribal intervention and recognizes a tribes’ right to exclusively determine tribal membership. This is crucial, as the opinion notes, to the preservation of Native families and tribal culture. What is more significant is the opinion’s deep dive into the historical and first-hand recounting of the substantial adverse impact that improper removal has had on Native children, families and tribal culture.”

 Brooke Pinkham, Seattle University School of Law

Contact us

Center for Indian Law & Policy
Sullivan Hall 313
901 12th Avenue
P.O. Box 222000
Seattle, WA 98122
206-398-4084
CILP@seattleu.edu