Keeping the Kids
Native American overrepresentation in foster care in Montana.
Native American children make up more than a third of the foster care caseload in Montana, despite representing less than 10% of the state’s child population. While there’s a broad consensus among child welfare experts that this outsized representation is a problem, there exists no collective strategy to address it. The Montana Free Press series Keeping the Kids, supported by a data fellowship through the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, explores the available data and highlights examples of local solutions around the state.
READ THE SERIES
Can Montana mend its racial gap in foster care?
A Montana Free Press analysis shows that Native American children in the state are overrepresented in foster care and separated from their families at a dramatically higher rate than white children. Experts call that pattern “unacceptable” and deserving of a statewide response.
How we calculated disproportionality in Montana foster care
In October of last year, Montana Free Press started investigating why Montana’s foster care caseload, which was at least 38% Native American in 2022, is so racially skewed. Here’s how data shaped our reporting.
What maternal health care can do to prevent family separations
In the rural northeast corner of Montana, certified nurse midwife Natalie Van Houten faces a lot of challenges. Resources for pregnant patients and new parents can be hard to find. She sees more high-risk pregnancies than she expected. But, above all, Van Houten sees too many newborns removed from their parent’s custody. A new program…
Reunifying Native families after foster care
The ICWA Family Recovery Court is working to fulfill one of the fundamental aims of the decades-old Indian Child Welfare Act: keeping Native American children with their parents whenever possible, prioritizing kinship placements as the next-best option, and consulting with representatives of tribal governments throughout.
No shouting. No name calling. Just local Montana reporters working for you.
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Related coverage
Feds push for expanded data collection on Indian Child Welfare Act cases
In an effort to better understand how Native American children are faring in foster care, the Biden administration’s health department is proposing a rule that would require state child welfare systems to gather more data about child removal cases that are subject to the Indian Child Welfare Act.