State Reaches Historic Agreement on Child Welfare Services With the Karuk Tribe of California |
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By: California Department of Social Services Posted: 2007-03-15 05:26:03 |
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The Interim Director of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) joined leaders of the Karuk Tribe of California in the tribe's ancestral territory town of Happy Camp today, to announce an agreement which will provide funding to the tribe for eligible child welfare services involving Karuk children and families under the jurisdiction of the Children's Division of the Karuk Tribal Court.
This agreement, the first of its kind in California, will allow the Karuk Tribe to independently provide funding for services including foster care, independent living and adoption assistance payments. These services traditionally are provided by individual counties with the use of Federal Title VI-E funding and State General Funds. "This historic agreement recognizes and supports the sovereign right of the Karuk people to provide for the welfare of their children," said Cliff Allenby, Interim Director of the CDSS, "We hope this is the first in a long line of child welfare agreements with tribes across the State." Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget supports the agreement with the Karuk through provisions which would allocate State Funding to the tribe to finance child welfare services. The State funding will ensure that child welfare services allocations in counties affected by the agreement will not change in the coming fiscal year. "The signing of this historic agreement is a testament of the commitment of the Karuk Tribe to access funding for child welfare services," added Interim Director Allenby, "Accessing funding for foster care and adoptions services is critical to implement appropriate and effective child welfare services in Indian nations." The Karuk Tribe established its court in November 2003 and has since focused primarily on hearing child welfare cases involving tribal families. Arch Super, Chairman of the Karuk Tribe of California, noted: "It is a major accomplishment to finally be able to access the same funding that counties receive to support the Karuk Tribe's child welfare program and foster families." The Karuk Tribe, the second largest Indian tribe in the State by population, is located in Northwestern California. Traditional lands lie just south of the Oregon border and extend generally west from Interstate 5. Currently, tribal lands encompass approximately 1,100 acres in both Siskiyou and Humboldt Counties. The agreement was signed today by Chairman Super and CDSS Interim Director Allenby. Also present were members of the Karuk Tribal Council, staff of the CDSS that have been involved in the negotiations of the agreement, and other invitees. |
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