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Montana ICWA community urges formal pathways for cultural connections, resource guides for foster placements
Summary
Facilitator Ashley Chaney McNeil opened the final Caring Wisdom Forward meeting and the community finalized imperatives aimed at strengthening cultural connections for Native children in out-of-home care, including formal cultural agreements for foster families and tribe-specific resource guides.
Facilitator Ashley Chaney McNeil opened the final Caring Wisdom Forward community-of-practice meeting by reiterating the group’s purpose: to foster culturally humble collaboration among people involved in and affected by ICWA to preserve and empower Indian families and their cultural ties.
The community identified strengthening cultural connections for children as one of two top priorities and drafted a set of practical imperatives the group intends to share with agencies and partners. Participants emphasized concrete steps such as developing formal cultural‑agreement pathways for foster families; creating accessible resources that connect children to language, ceremonies and crafts; centering family voices in planning; and avoiding pan‑Indian assumptions that treat culture as a checkbox rather than an ongoing relationship.
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