Notice of ACF Consultation - 2016

Dear Tribal Leader:

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is holding a tribal consultation on June 15, 2016, at the Residence Inn Marriot, Capitol Hill, 333 E Street, SW, Washington, DC.

This year, ACF is soliciting input and dialogue on the following priority areas that will institutionalize ACF's impact on Native American Communities:

• Native Youth and Children Agenda
• Complex Trauma
• Principles for Working with Tribal Governments

The Native Youth and Children Agenda is a document reflecting a structure for innovative policymaking to guide stronger and more effective programming that can provide Native American parents, Native American caregivers, Native American leadership, and Native American children and youth with the tools they need to thrive. ACF's Native American Youth and Children Policy Agenda will stand as the policy standard for fostering connections of Native American children and youth to the relationships they have with their cultures, languages, extended families, and Native communities that foster resiliency and positive outcomes.

Lillian Sparks Robinson, ACF's Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans, in her role as the Intra-Departmental Council on Native American Affairs, has been leading efforts with the Department of Health and Human Services' (the Department) Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs to coordinate a Department-wide workgroup of staff from across the Department's Operating and Staff Divisions to develop a strengths-based framework for the Department's work to address trauma, including historical trauma, in Native American communities. This work is in response to a Congressional request for an integrated and comprehensive Department wide policy addressing complex trauma affecting Native American children and communities.

ACF's Administration for Native Americans and Administration for Children, Youth and Families have worked together to draft Principles for Working with Federally Recognized Indian Tribes designed to extend and complement ACF's Tribal Consultation Policy and to articulate ACF's commitment to promote and sustain strong government-to-government relationships, foster Indian self-determination, and protect tribal sovereignty.

Also, from June 21 to 23, 2016, ACF will be holding our Native American grantee meeting at the Paragon Casino and Resort in Marksville, LA, home of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe. This meeting will build upon the Generation Indigenous initiative started by President Obama last summer. Workshops will be inclusive of Native Youth. We invite you to send one or two adolescents or young adults ages 14-24 from your community to attend the meeting: please ensure that you receive parental consent for any youth under the age of 18. Please note that grantees are not authorized to use grant dollars to pay the travel expenses of attending youth and chaperones unless it is an allowable cost under your grant.

The registration link for the consultation is: https://www.regonline.com/acfhrsaconsultation2016 (the access code is ACFHRSAConsultation). From the registration link you will find the tribal consultation draft agenda, information about hotels in and around the meeting site, and other program office meeting information. The telephone number for reservations at the Residence Inn is 202-484-8280.

Testimony for ACF may be submitted no later than June 8, 2016, to: anacommissioner@acf.hhs.gov. This will provide sufficient time for ACF to share your testimony with our Senior Leadership. If you are unable to submit your testimony before the consultation session, please provide five copies at the start of the session.

If you have any questions about the ACF consultation, please feel free contact Kimberly Romine, Deputy Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans, at 202-205-5603 or by e-mail at Kimberly.Romine@acf.hhs.gov.

We look forward to our continuing relationship with you.

Sincerely,

Mark H Greenberg

Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families