Introduction
The Hopi Tribe received approximately $267,150 in Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) funding between FY94 and FY01. For FY02, the Hopi Tribe estimates it will spend $32,124 in PSSF funding. PSSF funding has been used to fund a parent aide (PA) to provide in-home parent training, case management, and transportation services. Services are provided to families who have been referred from child protective services (CPS), schools, Head Start, the psychologist at the Hopi Guidance Center (HGC), or the courts. The purpose of the PA is twofold: 1) to act as a bridge between HGC and families resistant to services who are residing in autonomous villages; and 2) provide services to families who are in need of further CPS intervention. The PA works under the direction of HGC, which delivers all social and child welfare services on the Hopi Reservation.
Unfortunately, the lack of transportation on the Hopi Reservation has hindered the PA’s ability to provide services. According to stakeholders interviewed onsite, the PA spends a significant portion of her time transporting clients to and from appointments with other service providers. The end result is that the PA has very little time to provide parent training and case management services, as originally intended. This barrier to implementation has been recognized by HGC. However, until better roads are built on the reservation or a reservation-wide transit system is developed, the PA will continue providing transportation for those in crisis, who might otherwise be unable to access services designed to strengthen families and keep children in the home. Thus, although the PA is not providing the originally intended services, she nonetheless fills a void by ensuring that clients receive other necessary services.
The summary provided below is based on a review of the Hopi Tribe’s PSSF application, a site visit conducted in April 2002, and other tribal documents. It includes an overview of the context in which PSSF implementation occurred, as well as descriptions of the tribal planning process, the goals and objectives established, service delivery, barriers to implementation, and child welfare issues.