Social Services

Social Services | Native Village of Barrow

The NVB Tribal Social Services system is in place to protect children. All child welfare protective activities and intervention must be toward the goal of protecting the child from harm. In providing services the safety of the child is always the first consideration in performing risk assessments, developing case plans, and identifying services for children and families. Safety of the child is the highest consideration in all decisions effecting children.

NVB Social Services recognizes that child welfare services must be family centered. It is almost always better for the child to remain with his or her own family if the family can be helped to provide basic care and nurturance, and is safe from abuse and neglect. When children have suffered from maltreatment, they will need treatment services. Tribal Social Services is committed to creating and maintaining strong linkages to the variety of service providers who are partners in remedying the effects of abuse and neglect on a child and changing the conditions in the family that led to the Tribal Social Services involvement with the family.

Grants | Native Village of Barrow

A. Office for Victim Services 2019 & 2020 Grants for $1.2 Million are for developing a program for providing services to Victims of Crimes which includes a Victim Advocate staff and training.

DOCUMENTS:
1. NVB Children’s Code
2. NVB Transfer Code

FORMS:
1. Family Case Plan Form
2. State OCS to NVB Social Services Transfer Form- In development process

Tribal Goals for Child Welfare | Native Village of Barrow

1. Protect the best interests of children, prevent the unwarranted breakup of families, maintain the connection of children to their families, their community and the Tribe and promote the stability and security of the Tribe by establishing tribal standards for the conduct of legal proceedings involving children;

2. Foster cooperative intergovernmental relations between the Tribe and the State of Alaska and other states and tribes, with regard to the welfare of children and families;

3. Provide child welfare services to children and families that are in accord with the laws, traditions and cultural values of the Tribe; and

4. Preserve the opportunity for children to learn about their culture and heritage and to become productive adult members of the NVB Tribe community, by experiencing their culture on an ongoing basis.

It is the policy of the NVB Tribe to ensure a safe and appropriate physical and emotional environment that will protect the health, safety and development of all children; to motivate the parent or custodian of a child to provide a proper environment for the child; to facilitate changes or improvement in the home environment where necessary to provide a proper environment for the child; to establish a judicial process to protect the health and safety of children including the provision of substitute care and supervision for children in need of aid; and to protect a child’s identity and ties with his family and the tribal community.

NVB Tribal Social Services (NVB TSS or TSS) is responsible for protecting children from abuse and neglect.

Child Protection Services involves the following:

• receiving and assessing reports (allegations) of abuse and neglect;
• assessing the risk to a child and evaluating the family’s ability to accept and use help;
• providing service planning and coordinating resources for the family;
• initiating tribal court involvement for removal of children and the provision of mandatory protective services to parents;
• assuring that children are receiving a minimum standard of care before closing a case; educating the public regarding what is reportable; and developing and coordinating community resources and service

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