05/02/94

CONTACT: Stanford University News Service (650) 723-2558

Indian Child Welfare Conference at Stanford Law School May 5-7

STANFORD -- The Stanford Native American Law Students' Association will host a conference on the Indian Child Welfare Act in California from Thursday through Saturday, May 5-7, at Stanford's School of Law.

The conference has been planned to dovetail with Stanford's 23rd annual powwow, May 6-8. There is no registration fee for the conference.

The theme of the conference is "Preserving the Indian Family." The sessions and workshops on Thursday, May 5, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with lunch available at the Law School. Thursday's focus will be "In the Best Interests of the Child: Administrative, Legal and Ethical Issues of the Indian Child Welfare Act."

The sessions and workshops on Friday, May 6, are scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon. The focus will be on "Implementing Tribal Indian Child Welfare Act Programs." Abby Abinanti, spring quarter lecturer on federal Indian law at the Stanford School of Law, will present guidelines for implementing advocacy programs.

The 9:30 a.m. to noon session on Saturday, May 7, will be held in the grove next to the powwow grounds and will include presentations on foster parenting of Indian children.

The conference is co-sponsored by the American Indian Child Resource Center of Oakland, established by Indian Nurses of California Inc. and specializing in counseling, education, foster care and Indian child welfare advocacy.

Along with the conference and powwow a lecture, "Culturally Sensitive Health Care for Native Americans," is scheduled for noon Wednesday, May 4, at the Stanford University Medical Center, Room 108. Dr. Bernadette Freeland-Hyde, a pediatrician with the Indian Health Services in a rural clinic in San Diego county, will discuss her work with American Indians and their views on illness and treatment.

Also coinciding with the powwow are performances of Honor Song for Crazy Horse at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Anne Ninham Medicine, director of American Indian graduate recruitment and retention at Stanford, served as adviser and cultural consultant for the production.

-dmh-

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