Paying attention on purpose, or mindfulness, involves a conscious direction of one’s awareness. In other words, we make a choice to think in a certain way. Mindfulness, meditation, and silence can be practiced alone or in a group anytime there is a need for people to come together and clear their hearts and minds. This introduction to mindfullness in family assessment will provide you with tools and exercise you can use to practice mindfulness.
Resource Library
The National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement offers a curated library of over 150 resources to support the work of Tribal child welfare professionals, programs, and communities. This library is more than a collection of documents—it is a reflection of years of wisdom, innovation, and dedication from across Indian Country.
Types of Resources
Types of Resources
Resources include practical tools, reports, templates, tip sheets, and training materials created to uplift Tribal child welfare systems and respond to the unique needs of Native children and families. Whether a program is building a new initiative, navigating federal requirements, or strengthening cultural practices, the library offers support grounded in lived experience and community knowledge.
Many resources were developed through past Children’s Bureau projects—such as the Capacity Building Center for Tribes and the Center for Native Child and Family Resilience—and continue to provide relevant guidance rooted in cultural humility and Indigenous values.
How to Use the Library
How to Use the Library
Resources are organized by topic and type. Use the search bar or filters to quickly find materials related to areas such as prevention, data management, workforce development, ICWA, and more. Each item includes a short description so users can decide what will be most useful.
Help the Library Grow
Help the Library Grow
The Center welcomes suggestions for new resources. If there’s a tool, report, or template that has been helpful in your program—or a gap you think we can fill—please reach out. Sharing knowledge is an act of reciprocity, and your contribution could support other Tribal programs across the country.
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Author: National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement
- Topic: Working with Families
- Tags: Cultural Humility, mindfulness, values
People don’t accomplish big changes in isolation! It is our relationships with other people that are the foundation of an organized effort for change. We need others to contribute their ideas, take a stand, and get the work done to help improve the lives of children and families in our community. This e-learning will explore how to build a team, strengthen relationships, develop partnerships, and share your vision.
Author: National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement
- Topic: Partnerships, Workforce
- Tags: partnerships, relationships, team building, workfore development
Tribal child welfare workers play a foundational role in supporting the well-being of families. To do this effectively, workers must practice through a trauma-informed lens, recognizing that Tribal families possess deep strengths, resilience, and generations of knowledge that guide healing. In this module we will explore some of the challenges that families may encounter and how you, as a caseworker, can help.
Author: National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement
- Topic: Trauma-Informed Services, Working with Families
- Tags: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Community, Families, Justice System, Mental Wllness, Poverty, Resilience, Suicide, Trauma-Informed
Data is a river that flows through all aspects of child welfare work, as well as through the community — a key resource, but one that can sometimes be challenging to navigate. This introductory e-learning will help you understand how data can help your Tribal child welfare program, why it’s important, and how it can affect your program.
Author: National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement
- Topic: Data & Evaluation
- Tags: Data Sovereignty, overview, qualitative data, quantitative data
The HEAR US video project was envisioned as a resource that could be used to educate people who are working with tribal nations by providing them foundational information. We know that not all federal, state, or local government staff work in realms that involve tribal nations and this can create anxiety and ambivalence in their approach to such important work. Lack of exposure to new peoples and ways of being leads to tunnel vision, reinforces stereotypes, and can perpetuate harm if a person does find themselves in a space of working with a tribal program and not having the proper cultural understandings. These videos give staff a starting point on their journey to cultural understanding.
Author: Capacity Building Center for Tribes
- Topic: Partnerships
- Tags: Community, Culture, partnerships, Reunification, Sovereignty, Tribal Child Welfare, Tribal-State Partnerships
The HEAR US video project was envisioned as a resource that could be used to educate people who are working with tribal nations by providing them foundational information. We know that not all federal, state, or local government staff work in realms that involve tribal nations and this can create anxiety and ambivalence in their approach to such important work. Lack of exposure to new peoples and ways of being leads to tunnel vision, reinforces stereotypes, and can perpetuate harm if a person does find themselves in a space of working with a tribal program and not having the proper cultural understandings. These videos give staff a starting point on their journey to cultural understanding.
Author: Capacity Building Center for Tribes
- Topic: Partnerships
- Tags: partnerships, Sovereignty, Tribal Child Welfare, Tribal-State Partnerships
This 60-minute session will:
Provide a deeper exploration of the various pathways available to Tribal Child Welfare programs to access title IV-E funding, including direct title IV-E plan approval, Tribal–State agreements, and Tribal or State contracting options.
Clarify the requirements, benefits, and considerations of each pathway.
Support informed Tribal decision making about how to pursue title IV-E.
Staff across all roles within a Tribal child welfare program will benefit from a foundational understanding of title IV-E to support successful implementation and long-term sustainability. We encourage participation from leadership, court personnel, data and fiscal staff, and program teams to strengthen shared knowledge and coordination.
Author: National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement
- Topic: Federal Funding, Title IV-B and IV-E
- Tags: Federal Funding, Title IV-B and IV-E, Title IV-E, webinar
If you aren’t familiar with title IV-E or it’s something you’ve been wanting to learn more about, this is the session for you. This 60-minute session will: Clarify the basics of title IV-E, specifically the part of the federal legislation designed to support foster care and adoption assistance programs; Explore the requirements associated with each pathway to accessing title IV-E funds; Share and walk through title IV-E resources available through the NTCWCIA; Provide an overview of how the NTCWCIA team can support communities in exploring and pursuing title IV-E pathways.
Author: National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement
- Topic: Federal Funding
- Tags: Federal Funding, Title IV-B and IV-E, Title IV-E, webinar
This brief highlights the importance of embedding Tribal culture into child welfare policies and practices to support the well-being, identity, and rights of Indigenous children and families. It outlines how culturally grounded policies—guided by Tribal sovereignty and laws like ICWA—can strengthen family stability, preserve cultural connections, and address historical trauma. The resource provides practical strategies for agencies, including workforce development, community collaboration, and integrating traditional practices into services and decision-making. It also introduces frameworks and tools to help organizations build respectful, culturally responsive systems that reflect Tribal values and priorities.
Author: Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Analytics
- Topic: Workforce
- Tags: cutural competence, ICWA, Indian Child Welfare Act, Policy, practice, Tribal Sovereignty, workforce
This brief introduces the importance of data governance in Tribal child welfare systems, emphasizing that Tribes have the inherent right to control and manage their own data. It defines key concepts such as Tribal sovereignty, data sovereignty, and the federal trust responsibility, while highlighting the need for meaningful Tribal consultation. The resource also outlines core values for working with Tribal communities, including respect for Indigenous knowledge, cultural responsiveness, and collaborative approaches. It offers practical guidance for building ethical, reciprocal partnerships that ensure data practices are transparent, culturally grounded, and beneficial to Tribal communities.
Author: Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Analytics
- Topic: Data & Evaluation
- Tags: Data Governance, Data Sovereignty, Reciprocity, Tribal Child Welfare Systems, Tribal Soveregnty, workforce