In “Native Foster Care: Lost Children, Shattered Families” NPR’s Laura Sullivan and Amy Waters present an amazingly accurate and painful picture of the suffering visited upon Native families by the South Dakota Department of Social Services. State officials can seize Native children at will if they suspect neglect. This chilling story provides more than one example of children being taken from loving protective homes without any notice, recourse, or due process. Lakota Peoples Law Project lead attorney Danny Sheehan was interviewed and was quoted as saying that individual law suits would be very expensive and would deal with one family at a time. By preparing to file a Federal civil lawsuit against the State of South Dakota, and by launching a national campaign to amend the Indian Child Welfare Act. If successful, the lawsuit will free the 2,200 children who have been taken in violation of the law, and it will stop the State from continuing to abuse the rights of Native families. The Amendment, if it passes, will further ensure that Lakota relatives can protect their rights in Federal court.
According to the NPR report, there are strong financial incentives for the State to take the children. State officials reply that there are not enough Native foster homes and yet licensed Native foster homes are empty and not getting referrals. The investigative series, which aired over the course of three days, generated over 500 passionate comments on the NPR website.
Plight of Native Children and Families Showcased by NPR
In “Native Foster Care: Lost Children, Shattered Families” NPR’s Laura Sullivan and Amy Waters present an amazingly accurate and painful picture of the suffering visited upon Native families by the South Dakota Department of Social Services. State officials can seize Native children at will if they suspect neglect. This chilling story provides more than one example of children being taken from loving protective homes without any notice, recourse, or due process. Lakota Peoples Law Project lead attorney Danny Sheehan was interviewed and was quoted as saying that individual law suits would be very expensive and would deal with one family at a time. By preparing to file a Federal civil lawsuit against the State of South Dakota, and by launching a national campaign to amend the Indian Child Welfare Act. If successful, the lawsuit will free the 2,200 children who have been taken in violation of the law, and it will stop the State from continuing to abuse the rights of Native families. The Amendment, if it passes, will further ensure that Lakota relatives can protect their rights in Federal court.
According to the NPR report, there are strong financial incentives for the State to take the children. State officials reply that there are not enough Native foster homes and yet licensed Native foster homes are empty and not getting referrals. The investigative series, which aired over the course of three days, generated over 500 passionate comments on the NPR website.