WFS ATTENDS 43rd ANNUAL PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN CONFERENCE
By Harrison J. Bahe
From March 30 to April 2, 2025, Wassaja Family Services (WFS) Director Tamara Tuia and Child Protective Services (CPS), Adult Protective Services (APS), and Indian Child Welfare Services (ICWA) Coordinator Devonna Montgomery attended the 43rd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference. This year’s event was hosted by the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and was held on the Seminole Nation in Florida.
NICWA works to protect the safety, health, and cultural identity of all Native children and families—now and for future generations—by promoting culturally based services, community strength, and tribal sovereignty. The organization operates on tribal, local, state, and national levels to strengthen the interconnected systems that support Native children and families. The conference, the largest national gathering on Native child advocacy issues, drew more than 2,000 attendees and served as the premier national event focused on tribal child welfare and well-being.
The primary goal of the conference was to explore methods and procedures for protecting Indigenous children, as well as to educate both the public and social service professionals on the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA). The ICWA provides guidance to states on how to handle child abuse, neglect, and adoption cases involving Native children, setting minimum federal standards for these proceedings. Its purpose is: “…to protect the best interest of Indian Children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families by the establishment of minimum Federal standards for the removal of Indian children and placement of such children in homes which will reflect the unique values of Indian culture…”
Montgomery explained how this law directly affects the work WFS does. “If a child who was enrolled with a tribe or eligible for enrollment is being investigated by an outside agency i.e. the state, then the state, by law, must report to that home tribe saying, ‘Hey, we have a kid over here. What would you like to do with this case? Would you like to take jurisdiction over it, basically bringing that case back to the tribe to have it seen in tribal courts. Or would you like us to keep it and just give you updates?’”
The conference also addressed challenges in ensuring ICWA compliance across the country and questioned whether all states were following the law and implementing best practices for children and families. A key theme that emerged was humility, especially in the context of respecting the tribal origins of the children and families involved.
One of Montgomery’s favorite sessions was a Q&A panel with former and current tribal judges. Attendees could gain a better insight on how to address and present ICWA cases to state and tribal courts. For Tuia, the experience was both informative and inspiring. “Being able to go to a conference like that just promotes ideas for me as the director. How can we change some things that we’re doing and make things better? It just highlights things that other tribes are doing that they’re successful with. What are some of those things that we could do?” Tuia shared.
One of the common misconceptions that seems to plague parents is that WFS wants to take children away from families. “Really, at the end of the day, that’s the last thing we want to do because if you’re ever in a position to do that, it’s not a great experience for us,” Tuia admits. “We would prefer to identify how we can keep the children safe within their home and support the family.”
April is also Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to recognize the importance of families and communities working together to prevent abuse and neglect. Prevention services and community support can empower parents, caregivers, and others to protect children and strengthen families. To promote awareness, WFS is hosting a Chair Volleyball Tournament on April 23, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at the Fort McDowell Recreation Center. All are welcome to attend and participate! Earlier this month, WFS also held a highly successful and fun kickball tournament.
Reaching out for help isn’t always easy—but WFS wants the community to know they are here. “If people have questions and want to know something or if they want or need resources, there’s so many ways to get a hold of us. We could go out to homes; we can return a phone call or email. We just want to make ourselves available for resources. We want those doors to be open and we want people to know that we’re available,” Tuia concludes.
You can contact Tamara Tuia by calling her at (480) 789 – 7976 or by emailing her at ttuia@fmyn.org. You can contact Devonna Montgomery by calling her at (480) 789 – 7982 or by emailing her at demontgomery@fmyn.org.