This CLE will update family defense practitioners in Washington State on how to ensure procedural safeguards are followed in Chapter 13.34 RCW proceedings, where the federal and state Indian Child Welfare Acts may apply. Legal topics covered in this session will include a review of recent state Supreme Court precedence and its practical implications, and will include review of the following:

• The procedure and legal standards for determining if federal and state ICWA apply at emergency removal hearings
• The procedure and legal standards for determining if federal and state ICWA apply at dependency fact finding hearings
• Special considerations for family defense practitioners in jurisdictions struggling to comply with the federal and state ICWA requirements

The session will also include introduction on history of forced family separation through involuntary child removals in Indigenous communities.  Materials provided as part of the session will be a ready-to-use manual on litigating ICWA cases and a bibliography of historical readings and social research on the forced family separation in Indigenous communities.

To register, please email wda@defensenet.org with “ICWA Refresh” in the subject line.