Keep an eye on www.ftnys.org/family-empowerment-month for future updates!

Governor Hochul Gives Mental Health Updates in Press Conference

Governor Hochul, Attorney General James, and others gave a press conference with updates on mental health policy, part of efforts funded by her $1 billion investment in mental health care. There was a great deal of information shared, but the highlights are as follows.

• Latest State efforts to provide treatment and support for individuals with serious mental illness
• Expansion of inpatient psychiatric beds at state-operated psychiatric centers.
• 900 units of additional community residential step-down housing

The full press release, as well as footage of the conference, is below.

New York State to Push Social Media Regulations

New York State, led by Attorney General Letitia James and key lawmakers, are seeking to regulate and restrict the way that social media interacts with children and young people.

The bills offered by state leaders are aimed at protecting young people from features designed to keep them endlessly scrolling, endangering their mental health and development, Attorney General Letitia James said.

The regulations sought by James and Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, are similar to rules already in place in Europe, where violations could incur fines worth a percentage of revenue, which could run into the billions of dollars for wealthy tech companies.

One of the bills, the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, would would allow parents to opt their kids out of getting feeds curated by an algorithm. Instead it would have them get a chronological feed of content from users they already follow.

Join us for the #Right2RemainSilent 10/26 Online Teach-In on Thursday, October 26, 2023!

This free virtual event facilitated by Power the Poet will explore everything you need to know about the Right2RemainSilent

Bill, S. 1099 (BAILEY)

A. 1963 (JOYNER)

Visit:https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S1099 for more information on NYS Senate Bill

Our Issues in the News

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Parents say they're struggling with their own mental health amid a growing youth mental health crisis

To Help Support Their Mental Health, Students Want Schools To Make These Changes

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to talk about youth mental health during NYC event

Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972. Cultural Survival envisions a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance.



Check out their Advocacy initiatives, policy priorities and webinars

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/

The systemic marginalization of Indigenous Children: The Importance of The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA): A Personal Account

Sadie Vermillion & Kristen Talbert

Policy & Research Analyst; ILA Program Coordinator

Editor’s Note: This article was a collaboration between AIPI Policy & Research Assistant Sadie Vermillion and ILA Program Coordinator Kristen Talbert. 

Removal of American Indian children from their homes by both public and private entities has long been a commonplace experience in Indian Country. According to the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) website, “The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted in 1978 in response to a crisis affecting American Indian and Alaska Native children, families, and tribes. Studies revealed that large numbers of Native children were being separated from their parents, extended families, and communities by state child welfare and private adoption agencies. In fact, research found that 25%–35% of all Native children were being removed; of these, 85% were placed outside of their families and communities—even when fit and willing relatives were available. 

ICWA set federal requirements that apply to state child custody proceedings involving an American Indian child who is a member of, or eligible for membership in, a federally recognized Tribe. ICWA also allows for the transfer of American Indian child welfare cases into Tribal court. Since its inception, ICWA has made a significant impact on the way in which courts handle American Indian child removal. Congressional testimony has documented the devastating impact American Indian child removal was having upon Native children, families, and tribes. The intent of Congress under ICWA was to “protect the best interests of American Indian children and to promote the stability and security of American Indian tribes and families (25 U.S.C. § 1902).”

Kristen explained, “Growing up, my home was one of two ICWA foster homes licensed by Hennepin County in Minnesota. My parents, Charles and Kathy, were foster parents and during their 9 years as foster parents and 5 years as shelter parents, they had 320 children come through their home. Because of how I was raised, foster care and ICWA are two things I hold close to my heart. I eventually became the ICWA compliance monitor for Ramsey County in Minnesota. My upbringing along with that job opened my eyes to the child welfare system. My sister, Tara Bruening, is the ICWA Guardian Ad Litem Coordinator, for the first, second, third, and fifth districts for Family and Juvenile court in Minnesota and a Community Trainer on ICWA. I think my upbringing positively affected American Indian children because we were able to provide a calming, safe environment for Indigenous youth to process what was going on. On our end, as the children of the caregivers, it made us more understanding of others’ situations.” 

A recurring and significant issue in instances of American Indian child removal and the foster care system is the social workers and foster parents involved are more often than not non-American Indians. Relevant cultural knowledge and experience is paramount to creating a safe and informed environment for American Indian foster children. Without this frame of reference, foster parents simply do not have the ability to understand their foster children’s identities in a learned and comprehensive manner. Resultantly, the American Indian foster children suffer from loss of their culture and instead have other cultures imposed upon them.

Success rates for Tribal applicants looking to become licensed foster parents through the licensing of the county’s agencies is considerably lower than that of their non-American Indian counterparts. As a result, Tribes are stepping in with their own licensing agencies. Kristen and Tara have experienced in Minnesota, for example, more and more American Indian families are being licensed through the Tribes. Tribal-licensing has helped to make progress in the availability of ICWA placement preferences and therefore, has improved the overall wellbeing of American Indian foster children.

There is still much work to be done to ensure the safety and wellbeing of American Indian children in foster care. The many facets and concerns surrounding ICWA and American Indian child removal could be endlessly discussed. American Indians must continue to look toward the future and protect their right as a politically sovereign group to make decisions on what is right for their children. They are the future generations of leaders who will continue to champion our culture.

For more information and additional resources on ICWA and foster care, please visit:

• https://www.nicwa.org/ 
• https://turtletalk.blog/category/icwa/
• https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/  
• https://aifacs.org/ 
• http://www.nrc4tribes.org/Tribal-Foster-Care-and-Adoption-Findings.cfm 
• https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/focus-areas/tribes 
• http://www.aicrc.org/new-page-3 
• https://tribalinformationexchange.org/index.php/icwa/

• Highest rates of suicide of any minority group within the U.S. and rates are increasing since 2003, as well as high rates of substance use disorder of both illicit drugs and alcohol use
• From 2016 to 2020, they experienced alcohol-related deaths at significantly higher rates (51.9/100,000) than the rest of the U.S. population (11.7/100,000 ) ¹
• Highest prevalence of methamphetamine use, as well as methamphetamine use disorder, methamphetamine injection, and with significant increases in methamphetamine overdose ²
• In 2019 and 2020, drug overdose death rates were highest for non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native people at 30.5 and 42.5 per 100,000, respectively
• From 2019-2020, the American Indian and Alaska Native overdose death rates increased by 39% Source: Us Department of Health and Human Services

Factors that Put Indigenous Peoples at Risk for Mental Health Problems

Historical trauma: The psychological effects of forced relocation, assimilation, and other traumas inflicted on Indigenous peoples linger today. Indigenous peoples are confronting the trauma, learning the accurate history, and reconnecting with Indigenous spiritual practices and culture to assist the healing journey—but continuing discrimination and ongoing trauma hinder that progress.

Intergenerational Trauma: The intergenerational and unconscious grief from the historical trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples is passed from generation to generation due to forced relocation, land dispossession, and loss of spiritual practices, language and culture. If not addressed and identified accurately, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use can be outward manifestations of the intergenerational trauma and unresolved historical grief.

Racism, racial bias, and discrimination: Racial and ethnic minority populations, including Indigenous peoples, often experience negative social factors such as bias and discrimination that contribute to poor physical and mental health.

• Institutional racism and social determinants of mental health: Institutional racism worsens social determinants of health and mental health, including access to quality education, safe housing, gainful employment, appropriate health care, and a clean environment.
• Low socioeconomic status (SES): Indigenous peoples tend to have disproportionately low socioeconomic status, as determined by education, income, and occupation. Low SES has been significantly associated with a higher risk for mental illness.

Lack of culturally appropriate diagnoses and treatments: Diagnoses such as PTSD have been found to be relevant, but inadequate for capturing the scope of responses to historical trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples. The literature has identified a need to develop appropriate culturally based trauma theory and interventions for Indigenous peoples.

Source: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/diversity/education/stress-and-trauma/indigenous-people

Practical tools and advice for parents on how to help your children during these difficult times.

Before you have a discussion with your child, make sure you have processed and organized your personal reactions and understanding. This does not mean you aren’t upset or scared, but that you are able to model expression of those feelings in a calm way. Scared children are often more impacted by your tone, body language and the consistency of your message than the exact words you use.

• Today, in the age of technology, we are more likely to share scary information rather than shielding children as we had in the past. Children have access to abundant information and often feel entitled to know. They may resent finding out newsworthy events later from others and start wondering what other information parents are withholding. While every horrifying detail need not be shared, the basic information should be told to your children in age-appropriate language that includes a realistic sense of immediate danger. It is helpful to have a narrative about these events to give over to your children. Some talking points may include:
• It’s also important to check in with your children and ascertain their current level of knowledge and understanding. Ask them what they know and how they are feeling.
• With all trauma, speaking it out is often most therapeutic. Allow your child to talk about this event but do prevent it from becoming repetitive or to the exclusion of normal routines.
• Children and adults naturally differ in how much they feel a need to verbalize scary occurrences. Some, referred to as “attenders” want to talk a lot and get much information. Others, known as “distracters” prefer to limit what they hear or know. Neither of those two are the “right” approach. Attenders need to attend and distracters need to distract. Intellectually gifted children tend to be more prone to attending and more impulsive children prefer to distract. No one knows your child better than you so trust your ability to tailor your conversations to your child’s unique coping style.
• Be on the lookout for children who are suddenly behaving differently. This could include clinging behavior, sleeplessness, outbursts or fears of immediate harm. Children who experienced previous trauma or who are prone to anxiety, depression and ADHD may need additional support to cope during this time.
• Please advise children to limit their use of internet news and social media for information, and to be selective of the sources of their information. An overload of sensational and graphic images can create heightened trauma and increase feelings of anxiety.
• As the world outside may appear unsafe and scary, create safety in your home environment – by spending time, playing, talking, maintaining routines and connecting with your children.

Adapted from an article by Ohel Children's Home and Family Services.

Tiara Springer-Love

joins the DEI & Community Engagement Department as Community, Outreach, and Engagement Specialist

Community Outreach & Engagement Specialist

Tiara will be supporting outreach, engagement and opportunities that support the growing impact of our work across underserved and underrepresented communities. We are excited to have Tiara on our team!