Indian Child and Family Services

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Kumeyaay Newsletter

A Tribal Consortium

Strengthening American Indian Children and Families

Indian Child and Family Services:
ICFS is a tribally run agency committed to helping American Indian children through strengthening family relationships. ICFS applies a cultural approach to evidence based practices, that strengthens or revitalizes cultural values, beliefs and traditions, and gives families the tools they need to protect children in today's world.
childservices

Contact: 1-800-969-4237
29377 Rancho California Road Suite 200
Temecula, CA 92591

The Programs

Indian Family Wellness Assessment (IFWA)

The IFWA was created by Dr. Renda Dionne and is a two session motivational interviewing tool designed to help American Indian parents identify ways to increase protection for their children.

Indian Family Wellness Assessment- Healthy Relationship (IFWA-HM)

The IFWA-HM is a version of the IFWA designed to help American Indian couples strengthen their relationships. it is a two to four session motivational interviewing intervention.

SPIRIT Incredible Years Parenting Program

The SPIRIT Program strengthens parent-child relationships and improves child behavior. It pulls from traditional wisdom and modern research to provide protection for children. Parents learn tools to strengthen their relationship, promote their child's talents and skills, and promote cultural pride. A session on storytelling has been added to this program. There is a babies, toddlers, and elementary aged version. This cultural program is helpful for both new and experienced parents. Healthy American Indian Families love the SPIRIT program.

Little STARS (Strengthening Tradition and Resilience in School)

The Little Stars program combines dialogic reading, academic activities, and parent child interaction therapy to promote school readiness and school success through American Indian storytelling and learning activities to promote cultural pride and reading; and parent-child play to strengthen the parent-child relationship.

*ICFS has a long track record of serving the diverse American Indian community of Southern California. ICSF is a tribal consortium from within the local community, made up of eight local tribes, and provides culturally tailored evidence based programs and serves all Indians.

When the Circle is Broken Restoring the Circles of Care

Uma Nemingkim: All My Relations: Relative Placement. Specialized Treatment Foster Care and Adoption.

For children needing out of home placement, the first line of placement is with a relative. Many times relatives are not prepared for the issues these children develop in adolescence. We help relatives, through early intervention, provide protection around the children as they fulfill the role of the clan in caring for children.

When relatives are not available, we have foster parents to temporarily care for children while their families regain balance in their lives. We view foster care as a short term solution. Our foster program includes the SPIRIT Incredible Years Program, Little STARS, and child skills training focused on facilitating social and emotional development, foster home and to the biological parents. We advocate for the children to be re-unified with their parents and equip the parents with skills to better protect their children and understand the issues they are facing in the context of historical trauma.

When a relative or parent isn't able to restore the Circle of Care around the child of an American Indian, adoptive parents step in to provide the family for the child. In these cases we advocate for maintaining ties with the child's tribe and relatives. We also provide family strengthening services for the Adoptive parent.

Training and Consulting

ICFS was established as an ICWA program in 1980. The Indian Child Welfare Act is designed to keep American Indian Children in American Indian homes. the IFCS takes that mission further to strengthen American Indian Families, reduce risk factors stemming from historical trauma and increase protection for children.