About Conference

43rd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference
March 30-April 2, 2025 — Orlando, Florida and Virtually

Each year, NICWA hosts the largest national gathering on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) child advocacy issues. With over 1,600 attendees—and growing every year—this three-day conference has become the premiere national event addressing tribal child welfare and well-being. Keynote speakers range from federal officials at the highest level of government to youth with lived experience in child welfare systems.

For those who can’t make it, we have a virtual option. All three of our amazing general sessions with over a dozen wonderful speakers will be broadcast virtually. If you can’t make it in person, consider being a virtual attendee.

NICWA provides meaningful programming to conference attendees, creating a space where participants can learn about the latest developments and best practices from experts in the field and from one another. Participants represent a cross-section of fields and interests including child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice service providers; legal professionals; students; advocates for children; and tribal, state, and federal leaders.

Conference Goals:

• Highlight successful strategies for developing effective services
• Reveal the latest and most innovative child welfare and children’s mental health service delivery practices
• Highlight tactics and strategies for financing and sustaining services that impact children
• Showcase strategies for involving youth and families in developing services and policies that lead to systems change
• Create peer-to-peer networks that will assist each other in the work toward permanency for all AI/AN families
• Share the latest research on the well-being of AI/AN children and effective child welfare and children’s mental health services, practices, and policies

Year after year, attendees share their enthusiasm and the value of their time spent together during the NICWA conference.

Who Should Attend?

All individuals who are committed to serving American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children and their families are encouraged to attend. Moreover, many sessions target one or more of these groups:

• Child welfare workers, directors, and staff from tribal, state, and federal programs
• Tribal leaders
• Substance abuse treatment staff
• Mental health service providers
• Law enforcement
• Judges, attorneys, and court and legal staff
• Teachers, counselors, educators, school administrators, and staff
• BIA and IHS social service staff
• Grassroots community organizers
• Private practice providers
• Parents, guardians, elders, and extended family members

Conference Theme: Honoring the Sacred

The theme “Honoring the Sacred” reflects the value Indigenous peoples have placed on their children, families, and traditions for generations. To regard something as “sacred” shows respect and is characterized as something we hold close to our hearts, something to be protected and sheltered. Honoring the sacred is acknowledging and respecting the interconnectedness of relationships between all elements in our world. Each year, we witness the thousands of dedicated tribal and state professionals and passionate advocates who devote their lives to protecting tribal communities and their sacred citizens. This unified effort is manifested in our constant advocacy to preserve children’s connections to family, community, and a healthy and secure cultural identity.

The Indian Child Welfare Act gives American Indian and Alaska Native children in state systems the opportunity to maintain those sacred connections to their family and community where possible, mirroring the values of our traditional cultures. ICWA 2050 is a unifying national framework for a future where tribal child welfare programs and services are strengthened and the protections of ICWA are secured for generations to come. It is a uniting vision for the well-being of Native children spanning decades and sectors. ICWA 2050 is our commitment to a future where Native children are woven into the fabric of our cultures with care and intention, protecting the sacred. It is a generation of work to change the trajectory of generations of Native children.

NICWA is excited to welcome you to our conference, where we will share best practices and innovative approaches to ensuring the safety, dignity, and respect of every individual we have the honor and privilege of serving. We will network with one another, sharing our experiences, stories, and cultural values as we gain tools to better serve and honor our sacred today and for seven generations to come.