ICWA- Memorandum of Agreement between Navajo Nation and Arizona Department of Children's Service

            On October 11, 2022, the Navajo Nation shared its Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the State of Arizona to other Tribes and State Courts for ICWA cases. The purpose of this release was to affirm that both Arizona’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) and the Navajo Nation recognize that there is no resource that is more vital to the continued existence and integrity of the Navajo Nation than its own children.

This Agreement was entered into on May 13, 2019, predicated upon a government-to-government relationship between the State of Arizona through DCS and the Navajo Nation in a spirit of cooperation, coordination, communication, collaboration, and good will. The purpose was to prevent any cultural separation of Navajo children from their families and their Navajo community, ensure that Navajo children who are removed from their homes maintain their Navajo culture, and ensure that the values of Navajo culture are preserved.

The Indian Child Welfare Act Memorandum of Agreement between the State of Arizona through its Department of Child Safety and the Navajo Nation through its Navajo Division of Social Services