Indian Child Welfare Advocate (ICWA)

Yakutat Tlingit Tribe; Alaska; On-site; USD 39,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

Yakutat Tlingit Tribe seeks an Indian Child Welfare Advocate to support Tribal Members in contact with Children’s Services. You will promote foster care, assist in licensing, accompany workers to homes, and help with adoption studies.

Role emphasizes preserving Lingít heritage, facilitating family reunification where feasible, and complying with tribe policies and standards of conduct.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; associate degree preferred.
• Experience in Youth/Family Advocacy preferred.
• Background checks (national and state) required.

Responsibilities

• Promote and recruit potential foster families locally.
• Assist in licensing foster care for local families.
• Accompany OCFS workers into Tribal Members’ homes.
• Assist in Adoption Home Studies.

Skills

Regular attendance

Cultural sensitivity

Communication

Multitasking

Time management

ICWA knowledge

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate’s degree in social work or related field

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

POSITION TITLE: Indian Child Welfare Advocate

DEPARTMENT: Administrative & Executive Support

WAGE: $28-$32/hr, DOE

FLSA STATUS: Non-Exempt

ESC CODE:

FUNDING SOURCE: TAWAHEE/BIA

OPENING: April 1, 2026

CLOSING: October 1, 2026

Position Summary:

The Indian Child Welfare Advocate(ICWA) for the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe will support and represent Tribal Members engaged with Children's Services organizations across the United States. This role focuses on promoting the best interests of involved Tribal Members by providing intervention and case management services, connecting families with local and state resources, prioritizing family reunification when feasible, and preserving and strengthening ties to Tribal culture, community, and ancestral lands

The Advocate will work to ensure that throughout the process, maintaining the child(ren)’s connection to our Lingít heritage remains a key consideration, while simultaneously striving for family reunification where appropriate.

This position requires compliance with Yakutat Tlingit Tribe’s compliance standards, including its Standards of Conduct, Compliance Program, and policies and procedures. Such compliance will be an element considered as part of the position’s regular performance.

Essential Functions:

• Promote and recruit potential foster families locally.
• Assist in conducting foster care licensing of local families.
• Accompany Office of Children’s Services workers into the homes of local Tribal Members.
• Assist in Adoption Home Studies.
• Recommend cases for official Tribal Intervention.
• Review notifications and petitions involving dependent Tribal youth and take appropriate action, including participation in court hearings and judicial determination.
• Assist Enrollment in conducting familial searches.
• Documentation of contact with individuals, established clients and caseworkers.
• Maintain confidential case records, compile statistical information and meet all reporting requirements.
• Assist all eligible families in obtaining tribal enrollment if they are not already.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to maintain regular work attendance
• Ability to be reliability and punctual.
• Ability to maintain sensitivity to diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to speak, write, listen and communicate effectively.
• Ability to maintain a calendar of events for cases.
• Knowledge of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), its history and significance.
• Knowledge of community needs, problems, and resources.
• Skilled with organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Skilled hands-on experience with MS Office Suite
• Skilled time-management abilities with the ability to prioritize tasks

Work Environment/Physical Demands:

The environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, requiring use of safe work practices with office equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, observance of fire regulations and traffic signals. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. All employees are informed of most current health requirements to keep employees and the community as safe as possible.

The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there will be visits out of the office to the homes of Tribal Members or Eligible Tribal Members to accompany employees of the Office of Children’s Services for investigations regarding abuse and/or neglect.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory and Management Responsibility:

This position has no supervisory responsibility or authority.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Associate’s degree in social work or closely related field preferred.
• Must be 18 years of age or older.

• Preferred experience in Youth and/or Family Advocacy.
• Valid Alaska Driver’s License.

• Must be able to pass a National Criminal and State background check.

Disclosures:

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age.

THE YAKUTAT TLINGIT TRIBE IS A DRUG FREE WORKPLACE. THIS POSITION MAY BE SUBJECT TO RANDOM DRUG TESTING AND CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECK.

Preference will be given to qualified Yakutat Tlingit Tribal Member and/or Alaska Native candidates.

NATIVE AMERICAN PREFERENCE WILL BE APPLIED TO HIRING OF THIS POSITION AS DEFINED IN TITLE 25, US CODE, CHAPTER 14, SUBCHAPTER V, SUBSECTION 273 AND 274. WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER WITH PREFERENCE GIVEN TO QUALIFIED NATIVE AMERICAN/ALASKA NATIVE APPLICANTS IN ACCORDION WITH FEDERAL LAW AND TRIBAL POLICY.