November 2013Vol. 14, No. 8Tribal News From WPIC
The Western and Pacific Child Welfare Implementation Center (WPIC) provides training and technical assistance to States, Tribes, and territories in Regions 9 and 10 to help facilitate systemic change to promote and improve the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, youth, and families. Through its three Implementation Projects in partnership with the Navajo Nation, the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and Los Angeles County, WPIC seeks to increase cultural and linguistic competence, improve cross-system collaboration, promote shared accountability for child welfare outcomes, and engage families and youth in systems change.
WPIC's quarterly newsletter provides the news and achievements from its Implementation Projects and shares WPIC's recent activities to improve child welfare services. The spring 2013 edition highlights the Center's annual National Tribal Peer-to-Peer Learning Exchange, held in April and sponsored in partnership with the National Indian Child Welfare Association. The learning exchange provided an opportunity for representatives from the two tribally focused Implementation Projects to interact with representatives from 14 Tribal nations and participate in discussions that focused on identifying shared visions; strengthening worker capacity and building leadership capacity; and recognizing the importance of stakeholder engagement and historical, political, and cultural environments.
The newsletter also features an article on two Tribal leadership summits held in Alaska that focused on the leadership roles of Tribal and regional Office of Children's Services staff members in protecting Alaskan Native children, and an article on a Los Angeles County peer exchange to improve data-driven decision-making. Additional resources related to implementing systems change are also included. To access the entire spring 2013 newsletter, visit WPIC's website: