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ICWA Active Efforts Support Toolkit

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Active Efforts Support Toolkit (IAST) was developed by the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) with the aim of helping child welfare workers, substance use treatment staff, court personnel, attorneys, and healthcare professionals support American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) families specifically affected by substance use and increase their understanding of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). This toolkit includes the IAST Guidance Document, IAST Tool, and IAST Learning Modules. The NCSACW hopes this toolkit offers guidance and learning opportunities to promote the enhancements and innovations necessary to improve outcomes for AI/AN families affected by substance use.

ICWA Active Efforts Guidance Document

ICWA Active Efforts Guidance Document

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2024

Provides a description of the ICWA Active Efforts Support Tool and how frontline...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 1.43 MB)

ICWA Active Efforts Support Tool

ICWA Active Efforts Support Tool

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2024

Provides guidance and recommendations for activities to prevent family separation...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 845 KB)

Module 1: An Introduction to the Indian Child Welfare Act and Active Efforts

Module 1: An Introduction to the Indian Child Welfare Act and Active Efforts

Date: August 19, 2024

Discusses the historical context, recent Supreme Court decision, and the urgency of providing Active Efforts to maintain or reunify... (Read More)

Module 2: An Introduction to the Five Points of Family Intervention

Module 2: An Introduction to the Five Points of Family Intervention

Date: August 19, 2024

Introduces the Five Points of Family Intervention—and how states can implement Active Efforts—to support American Indian and Alaskan... (Read More)

Module 3: The Role of Collaborative Partners in the Implementation of Active Efforts

Module 3: The Role of Collaborative Partners in the Implementation of Active Efforts

Date: August 19, 2024

Describes the role of collaborative partners in the implementation of Active Efforts to support American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI... (Read More)

Module 4: An Introduction to the ICWA Active Efforts Support Tool

Module 4: An Introduction to the ICWA Active Efforts Support Tool

Date: August 19, 2024

Demonstrates how the ICWA Active Efforts Support Tool helps child welfare staff implement Active Efforts. This module covers the ICWA... (Read More)

Find Help with a Personal Situation

Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Locator

To find treatment facilities confidentially, 24/7, please call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP).

To locate general treatment services, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Treatment Locator online or call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP). This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. It is a free, confidential, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a year information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members needing treatment for a mental and/or substance use disorder.

To locate general treatment services, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Treatment Locator online or call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP). This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. It is a free, confidential, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a year information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members needing treatment for a mental and/or substance use disorder.

National Child Abuse Hotline

If you suspect a child has been harmed by abuse or neglect, please call 1-800-422-4453.

If you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at Call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. Serving the United States and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who—through interpreters—provide assistance in over 170 languages. All calls, texts, and chats are confidential. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.

If you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. Serving the United States and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who—through interpreters—provide assistance in over 170 languages. All calls, texts, and chats are confidential. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.

National Suicide Prevention Line

For free and confidential support for people in distress, 24/7, please call or text 988, chat 988Lifeline.org, or call 1-800-273-8255.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, help is available and there are options to receive compassionate care. You can call or text 988 or chat 988Lifeline.org. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Both are confidential and available 24/7 to everyone in the United States and will connect you to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you.

If you or someone you know are in crisis, thinking about harming yourself, attempting suicide, or harming another person, tell someone who can help right away. There are options to help you cope. Call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to be connected to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is confidential support, available 24/7 to everyone in the United States.

Contact Us

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare offers free technical assistance to a variety of systems on making policy and practice changes to improve outcomes for families affected by substance use disorders and involvement with child welfare services. To learn more about technical assistance services or if you have a question please email NCSACW at ncsacw@cffutures.org or call toll-free at 1–866–493–2758.

Administration for Children & FamiliesSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov

An official website of the Administration for Children and Families and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare