Social Services flags steep disparities for American Indian children; department outlines family‑focused responses

Sophia Thompson told the board that disparities in child welfare remain acute: "An American Indian child identifying only 1 race is 43 times more likely than a child from the group of the lowest rate... to be in an out of home placement at any point in the year," she said, and added that the department has expanded prevention services, strengthened Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) auditing and deepened partnerships with tribal nations and culturally specific organizations.

Thompson emphasized structural steps already taken — family engaged case planning, partnerships with Casey Family Programs for onboarding, and a new continuous quality improvement role — but also warned that workforce shortages, legislative shifts and placement capacity could reverse gains if investments lapse.

Commissioners asked for disaggregated data that would clarify how the disparity ratio is calculated, whether small denominators drive the ratio, and where in the system children enter or remain longer; Thompson agreed to provide the baseline numbers and said the department will continue to focus on culturally grounded prevention and family‑centered approaches.