The Indian Adoption Project and the Profession of Social Work

Deborah Thibeault · Michael S. Spencer

107 citations0/0 files storedSocial Service Review

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Social Work Education and Practice Child Welfare and Adoption Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights

Abstract

This historical analysis examines the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Child Welfare League of America’s collaborative Indian Adoption Project, its influence on the evolution and practice of social work, and social work’s response. It presents a narrative of the Indian Adoption Project’s development and implementation and of the passing of the Indian Child Welfare Act. We use methods of document analysis, as well as content analysis and critical discourse analysis, to not only describe this history but also to explain and critically evaluate the role of our source documents and subsequent events in creating, maintaining, and legitimating inequality and oppression among Native Americans. Finally, the article presents implications and suggestions for the profession of social work, including the importance of cultural considerations, social work title protection, and the inclusion of historical and current content affecting Indian Country in all social work programs.

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References

2009Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method 2006Demonstrating Rigor Using Thematic Analysis: A Hybrid Approach of Inductive and Deductive Coding and Theme Development 2010Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory 2008Discourse and Practice 2003The Historical Trauma Response Among Natives and Its Relationship with Substance Abuse: A Lakota Illustration 2011American Community Survey 2020Identity lost and found: Lessons from the sixties scoop 2026American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research

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2021Unsettling reflexivity and critical race pedagogy in social work education: narratives from social work students 2020Who Is an Indian Child? Institutional Context, Tribal Sovereignty, and Race-Making in Fragmented States 2019Lessons from Social Work’s History for a Tumultuous Era 2023“So, we’ve been taken away since forever”: Indigenous Relative Caregivers’ Experiences as a Framework for Uncovering Coloniality in the Child Welfare System 2022The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA): Where we’ve been, where we’re headed, and where we need to go

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