House Study Committee to Preserve the Culture & Customs of Indian Children : report to the 2010 regular session of the 2009 General Assembly of North Carolina.

in a number of settings; the dialogues include Families for Kids, student achievement gap in schools, community domestic violence response, and recruitment and retention of foster care families. Representative Sutton asked what the Institute would have in place when the Lumbee efforts are complete. Ms. Blythe responded the idea of the dialogue is that the performance team remains an institutionalized group of people that continues to meet over time and that one of the recommendations from the stakeholder group is the development of a written memorandum of agreement. Representative Sutton then asked about an enforcement mechanism. Ms. Blythe responded that enforcement is not a formal or legal process in the community dialogue process. Instead, community engagement and involvement provide some informal enforcement. The spirit of the community dialogue is to have an alternative to the judicial system. Ms. Blythe also added that the community dialogue process does provide a template which DSS can use for training efforts in other counties. Next, Mr. Greg Richardson, Executive Director North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs was recognized. Mr. Richardson gave an overview of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs, its role and purpose, as well as the status of the tribes in North Carolina Ms. Tammi Jacobs, staff member of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs was recognized and gave a presentation on ICWA and the protections it provides for American Indian children and their families. Ms. Jacobs talked briefly about jurisdiction as it pertains to Indian children and the collaboration efforts to address the ICWA issues in NC for the NC state tribes. In 2009, the American Indian Center at UNC-CH along with North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs formed a partnership to create the North Carolina Indian Child Welfare Task Force which is also meeting in the spring of 2010. Next, Ms. Rhonda Jones, CEO of Red Path Child and Family Agency, was recognized and gave a presentation and overview of the Red Path Child and Family Agency and statistical data regarding the population of American Indian children in foster care. She stated that North Carolina has 118 American Indian children in foster care; 57 of them are in Robeson County. There are 12 American Indian foster care homes in Robeson County and 1 in Floke County. Representative Stevens was recognized and asked Ms. Jones if her agency would find it preferable to take the 57 children in Robeson County foster care where there are only 12 Indian foster homes to another county with an Indian foster home? Ms. Jones stated that would be her preference. Representative Stevens then asked Ms. Britt, Child & Family Services Review Coordinator, North Carolina Division of Social Services/DFIFIS, who was in attendance, if this was contrary to North Carolina's current policy of reunification of the family. Ms. Britt replied this would contradict North Carolina's current policy. Chairman Sutton then appointed a subcommittee to further research and discuss the issues and then report its findings back to the full Committee at the April meeting. Representative Sutton appointed Representative Stevens to Chair the subcommittee; membership on the committee would consist of Beverly Collins-FHall, Charisse Johnson, Tammi Jacobs, Kara Jones and Rhonda Jones. 9