"It’s been nearly five months since the federal government took control of child services on a remote Native American reservation in North Dakota.
The unusual move came after years of allegations of child abuse and tribal mismanagement of social services, including children who were placed in homes with registered sex offenders, or returned to abusive or substance-addicted parents.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, which works as a partner with tribes and oversees any federal funding, stepped in Oct. 1 at the Spirit Lake reservation in northeastern North Dakota after letters from federal officials detailing several cases of physical and sexual abuse of children in the tribe’s social services system were leaked earlier last year.
The BIA takeover means that the federal government is now directly responsible for administering Tribal Social Services, or TSS, on the Spirit Lake reservation. This gives BIA responsibility for ensuring that children who have been removed from their homes are placed in a safe environment and that allegations of abuse or other criminal violations are reported to law enforcement for proper follow-ups."
Get the Story:
What’s Changed Since the BIA Took Over at Spirit Lake?
(PBS 2/25)
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