Summit Scheduled On Indian Foster Care In SD

Indian Child Welfare Act directors from South Dakota's nine Native American tribes plan a summit focusing on Indian child foster care in the state after allegations surfaced that the state was routinely breaking the law.

The group is working in conjunction with the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to plan the summit, which is scheduled for April 15-17 in Rapid City.

The summit is in response to a 2011 National Public Radio series that said the state routinely broke the Indian Child Welfare Act and disrupted the lives of hundreds of Native American families each year.

Under federal law, Native American children removed from homes must be placed with relatives or put in foster care with other Native American families except in unusual circumstances.