The Indian Child and Family Resource Center, based in Helena, Montana, was established in 2004 to respond to tribal child welfare agency services needs. The idea of forming ICFRC actually began several years earlier with its founding board members. Each had worked more than twenty years in private, tribal and state social service agencies serving Native Americans felt that tribes and tribal organizations could benefit from additional culturally appropriate training and resources needed to support their programs. Besides technical services, board members understood that tribal social services staff needed support to just deal with the stress and overwhelming nature of their work. That is why the mission of ICFRC has always been focused on “supporting the helpers in tribal communities.”
ICFRC has been providing training and technical assistance for Tribal child welfare programs for more than ten years. Governed by a board which includes tribal leadership as well as social work professionals, ICFRC has provided, and continues to provide, child welfare technical assistance services nationwide. A focus of this assistance has been the provision of tribal child welfare organizational assessments upon request which are designed to support systems improvement by listening to the voice of the agency and the tribal community. Our National Collaborations The Indian Child and Family Resource Center has been a partner in several national technical assistance projects, including the National Resource Center for Tribes – the first federal Children’s Bureau sponsored resource centers for tribal child welfare agencies. ICFRC currently collaborates with the Capacity Building Center for Tribes, a member of the Children’s Bureau new Capacity Building Collaborative. This Center isalso focused on direct assistance to tribal child welfare systems. Our Focus Today Indian Child and Family Resource Center has always been about networking, linkages, partnerships and peer support. While the focus of ICFRC’s origin has targeted children’s issues, there is a recognition that children and families do not exist in a vacuum. The spectrum of community services – serving vulnerable children, families, elders, and veterans – touches a wide array of community members throughout Indian Country. The purpose of this website is to provide information, resources, tools, connections and contacts for those who seek support and services.
