Kace Rodwell

Hosted by Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, Inc.
Sponsored by Anonymous, DLA Piper LLP (US)
Service location Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Law school Oklahoma City University School of Law
Issue area Indigenous Peoples' Rights
Fellowship class year 2018
Program Design-Your-Own Fellowship

The Project

Kace reduced the number of unrepresented Native American parents in the Indian Child Welfare Act cases in rural Oklahoma counties and support tribal courts’ efforts to place Native children with tribal families.

Though the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted to protect the best interests of Native children, families, and tribes and to remedy the crisis affecting Native children, families, and tribes from prior removal practices of Native children from their homes, there remains an overwhelming percentage of Native children being placed outside of their families and tribal community even when willing relatives are available for placement. Native families are four times more likely to have children removed and placed in foster care than non-Native families. Tribes and Native families in rural areas may lack resources available to assist in the large number of ICWA cases to keep families intact. Because Oklahoma is home to 38 federally recognized tribes, there is a profound need to provide active efforts to support tribal courts in placing Native children with tribal families.

Fellowship Highlights

During the two-year Fellowship period, Kace:

Granted case dismissal for ICWA violations and child was reunified with mother
Received a case dismissal on a Juvenile Deprived ICWA proceeding after the mother completed her ISP and reunified with her children
Granted a motion for Indian Custodian to remain in case and the client was reunited with her grandchildren after the successful completion of ISP
Case dismissal for ICWA violations on State guardianship proceeding (father allowed to keep custody of his daughter)
Transferred multiple state cases to tribal court so parents could receive tribal services and reunited a mother, who struggled with substance abuse, with her daughters, after successful completion of rehabilitation and ISP

Next Steps

Kace remains at her host organization Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, Inc. as a staff attorney, where she continues her work to ensure ICWA compliance and that Tribal parents and Indian custodians receive all rights under the law to protect families and cultural ties.