Choctaw Children and Family Services’ Indian Child Welfare program works on behalf of Choctaw Children and families in accordance with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978. Our social workers join with sate workers and the courts in working to ensure safe and healthy homes for Choctaw children removed from their homes. This includes finding Choctaw foster and adoptive homes to prevent placement in non-Indian homes.
The ICWA allows placement preferences for our Choctaw children when they are removed from their home. When seeking to place a Choctaw child in a pre-adoptive home, the placement preferences are:
- A member of the child’s extended family
- A member of the child’s tribe
- A member of another Indian tribe
The Choctaw Indian Child Welfare program is an advocate for residents in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s (CNO) service area – as well as Choctaws nationwide. Choctaw ICW Oklahoma offices are located in Durant, Hugo, Talihina and Atoka.
| OKLAHOMA COUNTIES |
| Cindy Taylor - Creek - Lincoln - Okfuskee - Okmulgee - Payne - Pontotoc - Pottawatomie - Seminole |
| Samantha Lemons - Haskell - Latimer - McIntosh |
| Teresa Sellers - Hughes - Pittsburgh |
| Shiane Gillham - McCurtain |
| Racheal Stonebarger - Choctaw - Pushmataha |
| Twila Coates - LeFlore - Sequoyah |
| Rachel Wilkins - Carter - Cleveland - Johnston - Love - Marshall - Murray |
| Blair Christenberry - Adair - Cherokee - Craig - Delaware - Mayes - Muskogee - Nowata - Osage - Ottawa - Pawnee - Rogers - Tulsa - Wagoner - Washington |
| Amanda Daugherty - Canadian - Comanche - Grady - Logan - McClain - Stephens |
| Sierra Janway - Atoka - Bryan |
| Skylar Logan-Jones - Alfalfa - Beaver - Beckham - Blaine - Caddo - Cimarron - Cotton - Custer - Dewey - Ellis - Garfield - Garvin - Grant - Greer - Harmon - Harper - Jackson - Jefferson - Kay - Kingfisher - Kiowa - Major - Noble - Roger Mills - Texas - Tillman - Washita - Woods - Woodward |
| Micah Carreon - Oklahoma |
| OUT OF STATE |
| Amber Scott - California - Colorado - Florida - Georgia - Indiana - Kentucky - Michigan - Missouri - Montana - Ohio - Washington |
| Penny Drinnon - Alabama - Arkansas - Illinois - New York - Pennsylvania - Tennessee - Texas |
| Shelby Reynolds - Alaska - Arizona - Connecticut - Delaware - Hawaii - Idaho - Iowa - Kansas - Louisiana - Maine - Maryland - Massachusetts - Minnesota - Mississippi - Nebraska - Nevada - New Hampshire - New Jersey - New Mexico - North Carolina - North Dakota - Oregon - Rhode Island - South Carolina - South Dakota - Utah - Vermont - Virginia - West Virginia - Wisconsin - Wyoming |
| GUARDIANSHIPS AND PRIVATE ADOPTIONS |
| Kayla Whalen - Supervisor Guardianships/Private Adoptions |
| ICWA Program Specialists: |
| Bridget Hamill |
| Michelle Burgess |
| Amanda Robinson - ICW State Director |
| Hayley Carroll - ICW Supervisor |
| Kayla Whitmire |
| Amber Scott |
| Sierra Janway |
| Rachel Wilkins |
| Samantha Lemons |
| Brittany Rice |
| Skylar Logan-Jones |
| Amanda Daugherty |
| Melissa McGee - Supervisor |
| Penny Drinnon |
| Shelby Reynolds |
| Shiane Gilham |
| Racheal Stonebarger |
| Twila Coates |
| Cindy Taylor |
| Lawanna Thompson |
| Micah Carreon |
| Lawanna Thompson - Supervisor |
| Cindy Taylor |
| Samantha Lemons |
| Blair Christenberry |
| Micah Carreon |
| Teresa Sellers |
Indian Child Welfare Act Frequently Asked Question
►Click here for Frequently asked Questions
- What is ICWA, and why was it passed?
- How does ICWA protect Native American/Alaska Native children and their families
- Who is covered by ICWA?
- How do I know if my child is eligible for membership in a tribe?
- What if my child is Indian, but not part of a federally recognized tribe?
- What considerations should be made in an ICWA case?
- Who should you contact if you feel your rights under ICWA are being ignored?
- What are "active efforts?" What considerations should be made in an ICWA case?
- How do I determine if my child is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma?
- How does a Choctaw family become eligible to adopt a Choctaw child if the family lives outside the Choctaw Nation Service Area, or lives out of state?
- What is the role of the Indian Child Welfare Worker if the child is located outside the Choctaw Nation Service Area or located outside the state of Oklahoma?
Useful Web Links
Choctaw Tribal Membership Program
Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association Facebook
National Indian Child Welfare Association
National Indian Child Welfare Act
History of the Indian Child Welfare Act
Oklahoma Indian Legal Services
Our children.
Our tribe.
Our future.
Children and Family Services is committed to the preservation of Choctaw Families and our heritage.
800-522-6170
580-924-8280
Contact us