[chinaberry]

Can non-Native Americans adopt Native American children?

[roxanna425]

you can adopt or be long term guardians, or de facto parents (some tribes take parental rights in lieu of the parents if the parents are TPR'd). ICWA states that DCFS must make active efforts to reunify the family, to keep siblings together and to return the children to their parents. if the parents will never again take the children (because they are in jail or tpr'd) you try to find one placement for all the siblings. you try to place the children within their family or within their tribe. if no tribal home is found a native home of another tribe is then considered. if there's no out of tribe placement then they are free to place the children in non-native home.