The Citizen Potawatomi Nation will boost collaboration among Tribal service programs such as FireLodge Children and Family Services under public law 477.

The Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 (477 Program) was passed in 1992 with the goal of reducing unemployment through workforce development and job training in tribal communities by reducing and streamlining certain administrative requirements. With tribal self-determination in mind, 477 programs can be tailored to suit the needs of each tribe.

Previously, tribes had to navigate a complex network of federal agencies and each agencies’ requirements. Today, administration of federal program dollars is made much easier.

CPN Indian Child Welfare Director Ashlee May is hopeful the focus on tribal self-governance will further enhance how FireLodge Children and Family Services serves Tribal members.

Background of the 477 Program

Congress passed Public Law 102-477 in 1992 to reduce unemployment in tribal communities by creating employment opportunities. The 1992 Act also consolidated budgeting, reporting and auditing systems. However, the 1992 Act only applied to programs from the Departments of Interior, Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services.

In 2017, the 477 program was expanded to include the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, and Justice.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs manages the distribution, monitoring and auditing of funds provided to tribes through the 477 Program. Once a tribe receives these funds, they are consolidated into a single budget, allowing the tribe to exercise self-determination through flexible administration of those funds across activities from the approved plan. The tribes then report on outcomes for the program services and activities in the approved plan.

CPN also participates in the 477 tribal working group, co-chaired by CPN Workforce and Social Services Director Margaret Zientek and made up of tribes with existing 477 plans and federal partners.

Child Welfare programs expand

When the opportunity arose to place Child Welfare under the 477 umbrella, May jumped at the chance. CPN Child Welfare is the first tribal child welfare program to be placed under public law 477.

“Both in terms of funding and how we run our programs, it has allowed us to provide more direct services to our clients, too. It also has helped with employee appreciation. It’s great to be able to give back to the employees who work 24/7, 365. We’re always on call, always working long hours and after hours,” May said.

Previously, some Child Welfare services may not have been available or only available in a limited capacity.

“Some services may now be open for our Tribal members that maybe we weren’t able to help with before or we needed to get approval from many different people to assist the client. Now if we have that written into our plan, we can assist with that,” she said.

The FireLodge staff have spent the past several months attending training and preparing for the change.

“I had meetings with Margaret Zientek and the Office of Self-Governance, and we came up with a plan. Several tribes have reached out to us to ask more questions and learn how we did it. We always try to set the example here at CPN,” May said.

Tribal members may be eligible for additional direct services under public law 477.

“On a case-by-case basis, Tribal members may be eligible for things like financial services to assist them with what they’re experiencing. Maybe they’re experiencing contact with the child welfare system, or they want to prevent that contact with the child welfare system. If a family is really struggling with something, we have these services put in place and also help support our foster care and adoption program as well,” May said.

Reducing red tape benefits Tribal members as well.

“I think the Tribe itself, not from just FireLodge, this allows us to be more legally involved in our cases across the United States, too. If there’s a (CPN) child involved in the child welfare system, we are notified and we are involved in some capacity. We may not be able to be boots on the ground, but we can still provide some services to that family,” she said.

May said the department hopes to pursue additional ways to reach CPN children who are in foster care outside of Oklahoma.

“When I became director in 2019, that was my biggest goal. A lot of our Tribal members do live outside of our original jurisdiction, so that was important to me,” May said.

In 2019, the staff developed a cultural box that could be shared with children who are in another state. To date, they have sent boxes to several states.

“We share a traditional story, information about our language department, our education department, our health care system and their CPN family. We have teamed up with the Cultural Heritage Center and they have given us family videos to teach them about their culture and about the Tribe,” May said.

The boxes have been well received from the children and families they serve and the child welfare workers in other states.

“They say, ‘We’ve never seen another tribe do something like this and this is beneficial for us.’ Maybe while they’re visiting their parents, they get to color a language page. Maybe they can make a tobacco pouch together. So, we really try to be innovative and reach all of our Tribal members,” May said.

The department hopes to create a connection between children and families and the Nation that will endure.

“We want the families to know that while we’re there to ensure that child’s safety, we’re going to do whatever we can to get that child home with the family if it’s safe to do so,” she said. “We’re going to support them. Our goal is to support those who are caring for the child while the family is getting the help that they need.”

New opportunities

A program under 477 can also help establish a more collaborative relationship between tribes and the federal government. Tribal officials have more opportunities to share the challenges they may face in administering programs and services, while federal partners can learn best practices from tribal officials.

Program changes can also further enhance collaboration among Tribal departments, allowing for more departments to serve families and children. Sometimes it has resulted in new and beloved traditions for CPN families.

“One thing we started doing at our foster care Christmas party are traditional Christmas stories. Everyone made wreaths and we gave them traditional berries, little animals and what those meant to the Tribe,” May said. “The children and their foster families are hearing a story that goes along with the activity they’re doing.”

May said she is proud of the services the Nation can offer.

“Something that I’ve always said is I want the Nation to be a one-stop shop. You come here and you can get all the services you need. We have child welfare, we have Workforce and Social Services. We have domestic violence prevention, behavioral health, our clinics. I just think that is so incredible and unique for us.”

Enhanced cooperation

May is grateful for the assistance of Zientek and the Office of Self Governance.

“Obviously I lean a lot on Margaret Zientek. She’s really been my guiding light, and I’m very thankful for her mentorship through this. And (Office of Self Governance Director) Jeremy Arnette, (Policy Analyst) Terry Withrow and (Sr. Grant Manager) Senta Rowan, they worked very hard on this as well,” she said.

With the new program changes, May is optimistic about the future.

“Just being able to have this opportunity has just been a huge blessing to the Nation and then also to FireLodge in the work that we do and to our clients and our families and our children,” May said. “It’s just been a very nice thing to witness and the collaboration it’s provided. It makes us very joyful in our hearts to see that as well.”