Training Resources for the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA)
Children’s Justice Initiative training faculty provide full-day ICWA trainings for court personnel and other professionals involved in ICWA cases: Understanding & Applying ICWA: Purpose, Strategies, Practice, and Resources
Additionally, Children’s Justice Initiative faculty provide on-demand training on ICWA-related topics. To request targeted, virtual ICWA training in your area, please contact the Children's Justice Initiative (CJI).
ICWA/MIFPA Training & Reference Materials from CJI’s “Understanding & Applying ICWA” Training
ICWA Courts in Minnesota
ICWA Courts are state courts that strive to be a model for implementing ICWA and MIFPA in child-welfare cases involving American Indian children, families, and Tribal Nations. ICWA Courts apply best practices in American Indian Child Welfare that carry out not only the specific requirements in ICWA, but also the “spirit of the law,” the reasons ICWA was enacted.
ICWA Courts are structured to:
- promote authentic, robust collaboration with Tribal Nations, and
- provide safety-focused, solution-oriented engagement with families, delivered with cultural humility.
The ICWA Baseline Measures Report (2020) shows that ICWA Courts improve outcomes for children, families, and Tribal Nations involved in child-welfare cases.
Minnesota ICWA Courts Collaborative
Minnesota currently has five active ICWA Courts in the following counties, with additional counties seeking to establish an ICWA Court:
- Beltrami (In progress)
- Carlton
- Dakota (In progress)
- Hennepin
- Ramsey
- St. Louis - Duluth
- St. Louis - Virginia
The CJI State-Tribal Partnership Coordinator provides administrative support to new and existing ICWA Courts to effectively implement the principles of ICWA Courts. Lead judges from each of the state’s ICWA Courts meet regularly as the “ICWA Courts Collaborative,” to learn from other ICWA Courts, advise on State-Tribal Partnership projects, and support ongoing improvement of ICWA Courts around the state.
Contact the State-Tribal Partnership staff with questions about ICWA Courts in Minnesota.
National Resources on ICWA Courts
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) ICWA Courts
What Lessons Can We Learn from ICWA Courts? Casey Family Programs, June 2025
CJI State-Tribal Partnership for ICWA Best Practices
The CJI State-Tribal Partnership Committee convened in 2023 after the Minnesota Judicial Branch received a federal grant from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The State-Tribal Partnership Committee’s purpose is to:
- promote statewide understanding of and compliance with both the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law” of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA), and
- improve outcomes for American Indian children, families, and tribes involved in the state child welfare system so children are protected, families and tribes are preserved, and children remain connected to their families, communities, and culture.
To further these goals, grant projects will:
- document best practices for ICWA Courts in Minnesota and build a support structure for ICWA Courts to empower continuous quality improvement;
- support establishment of at least two new ICWA Courts;
- improve access to and quality of data regarding ICWA implementation in Minnesota;
- expand connections with resources and services that support American Indian families and prevent the need for family separation;
- improve ICWA training to better support ICWA implementation statewide; and
- build relationships among Tribal Nations, Minnesota Department of Children Youth and Families, the Minnesota Judicial Branch, and other community partners in American Indian Child Welfare.
Contact the State-Tribal Partnership staff with questions about State-Tribal Partnership Committee and projects.
The CJI State-Tribal Partnership Grant for Best Practices in American Indian Child Welfare is a joint project of the Minnesota Judicial Branch, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Minnesota Department of Human Services, and Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. This work is being supported by award no. 90CW1153-02-01 from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this webpage are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website, Administrative and National Policy Requirements.