On January 4, 2025, President Biden signed into law the Supporting America’s Children and Families Act (P.L. 118-258). The legislation reauthorizes two child welfare programs under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, which provide some of the most flexible federal funding for Tribes and states, to help children at risk of removal into foster care stay at home safely. The legislation contains several provisions that benefit Tribal Nations and Native children and families, including new funding, decrease administrative burden, and improve Indian Child Welfare Act compliance.
On September 4, 2025, the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) co-hosted a webinar with the California Tribal Families Coalition to unpack Tribal provisions in the law and explore how participants can take action to support effective implementation. The webinar focused on (1) discussing key provisions of the Supporting America’s Children and Families Act (P.L. 118-258) that benefit Tribal Nations and Native children and families and upcoming Tribal consultations, (2) exploring strategies for responding to the Administration for Children and Families request for public comment on Providing Technical Assistance Related to the Indian Child Welfare Act (Docket No. ACF-2025-0038), and (3) providing a sample comments letter to inform Tribal or organizational comments.
Now, we need your help to ensure ACF receives ample comments from Tribes and organizations. NICWA has created a sample comments letter that you can adapt for your comments, due by the deadline of September 22, 2025. The sample comments letter is designed to assist you in elevating the experiences of Tribal Nations and Native children and families to improve technical assistance, training, and support that can improve ICWA compliance for current and future generations.