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GAO Seeking Tribal Input on Prevention Programs
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is seeking tribal input on child abuse and neglect prevention programs. GAO attended the annual NICWA conference last week to host in-person listening sessions and will also accept feedback via email at dawsona@gao.gov or sena@gao.gov. There are no advertised deadlines, so tribes are encouraged to send input as soon as possible. The GAO report was requested by Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2024 and is expected to inform forthcoming legislative efforts.
ICWA AFCARS Data Elements Under Scrutiny Again
The U.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is asking states to estimate the administrative burden of complying with the new ICWA data elements added in 2024. ACF assumes the ICWA-related data elements in the main federal child welfare data set, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), have increased the child welfare reporting for state agencies and likely seeks to reduce the number of data measures once again. Comments are due May 29, 2026.
CAPTA Tribal Set-Aside Proposed
Last month, Senators Murkowski, Warren and Grijalva introduced the American Indian and Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (S. 4179). The bill would separate tribal access to Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) grant funds from the currently designated Tribal and Migrant grant fund set-aside and create a tribal-only grant program. The bill proposes setting aside 5% of CAPTA funding for the tribal-only grant program. Tribes continue to receive inequitable funding from the federal government for tribal child welfare, especially for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. This bill seeks to fix that inequity by creating a tribal-only funding for prevention programs. The bill was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
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