Comments Provided by the National Indian Child Welfare Association, National Congress of American Indians, National Indian Education Association, and National Indian Health Board (Founding partners of the First Kids 1st Initiative)

APRIL 21, 2017

Introduction The safety and well-being of a community’s children is one of the highest responsibilities for any government. Tribal governments, like states, have a special obligation to ensure that their community’s children are safe from harm like child abuse and neglect. The tools for helping meet this responsibility include establishment of clear policies, adequately resourced child protection infrastructure and services, well-trained workforce, well-coordinated and effective partnerships with federal and state partners, and easy and reliable access to national criminal databases and child abuse registries.  Read more…