The decision to adopt, easy for some and painstakingly difficult for others, is never a decision made without life-altering consequences. It seems as though everyone has an opinion on what you should do. Most often opinions come from those who have biological children and/or have never considered adoption as a means to grow their family. Once the decision to adopt is made, though, the process can seem never-ending, as one decision begets another decision and so on. Should we adopt a boy or a girl, should we keep the birth name, think of a new name, what age range, should […]

Arizona has one of the largest American Indian child populations in the United States, and also has the largest number of American Indians living on reservations. Foster and adoption placements of Native American Indian children are covered by The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which establishes minimum federal standards for their care. ICWA covers any American Indian child involved in state child custody proceedings. A person may explain his or her identity as American Indian, but in order for ICWA to apply, the child must be an American Indian child as defined by the law. ICWA defines an “American Indian […]