Social Services

Waqaa! Our Social Services Department continually works in partnership with local agencies to encourage the growth of healthy and safe families. Our main goal is to ensure the health and well-being of ONC’s Tribal Members.  Through the challenges we face, our commitment to this work remains tireless. We thank you, our community, for your continued support. If you have any questions about our programs, please contact Deborah Michaels, Director.

If you are interested in becoming a

Licensed Tribal Foster Parent

Please contact Social Services at 543-2608

Staff and Programs

Qasgiq:

In the Yup’ik Culture, the qagiq has always been a place to learn the tools to living well. We work to engage our community in healthy activities that promote pride by helping us to build on a foundation of traditional Yup’ik values. Cody Pequino is our Qasgiq Coordinator and Kayla Rousey is the Qasqiq Specialist. Visit us on Facebook at ONC Qasgiq.

Rural Child Welfare:
We partner with the State of Alaska, Department of Health and Social Services, Office of Children Services to help monitor their In-Home cases without custody. They each carry a caseload of five cases located in Bethel and the Kuskokwim-Delta.

  • Healthy Families:
    Mondays 5:30 PM- 7:00 PM at the Tundra Women’s Coalition (TWC). Child care is provided. Taxi fare is provided. Taxi fare can be provided. Everyone is welcome!

Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

The Indian Child Welfare Act is a federal law that seeks to keep American Indian/Alaskan Native children with their respected tribes and families. ICWA is an integral policy framework on which tribal child welfare programs rely. It provides a structure and requirements for how public and private child welfare agencies and state courts view and conduct their work to serve tribal children and families. ICWA also acknowledges and promotes the role that tribal governments play in supporting tribal families, both on and off tribal lands. However, as is the case with many laws, proper implementation of ICWA requires vigilance, resources, and advocacy.

We hope to continue improving our partnership with the State Office of Children’s Services. Every tribal member has the right to have an ICWA Advocate present during an initial investigation. For more information, please contact Gertrude Andrew, ICWA Advocate or Freda Jimmy, ICWA Assistant.

Tribal Child Welfare:
We handle cases which include Child In Need of Aid (CINA) within our child welfare program and we take jurisdiction of cases from the State Office of Children’s Services.

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