Preventing Child Maltreatment in the U.S.: American Indian and Alaska Native Perspectives [Paperback]

This book is part of a concentrated series of books that examines child maltreatment across minoritized, cultural groups.Specifically, this volume addresses American Indian and Alaska Native populations. However, in an effort to contextualize the experiences of 574 federally recognized tribes and 50+ state recognized tribes, as well as villages, the authors focus on populations within rural and remote regions and discuss the experiences of some tribal communities throughout US history. It should be noted that established research has primarily drawn attention to the pervasive problems impacting Indigenous individuals, families, and communities. Aligned with an attempt to adhere to a decolonizing praxis, the authors share information in a strength-based framework for the Indigenous communities discussed within the text. The authors review federally funded programs (prevention, intervention, and treatment) that have been adapted for tribal communities (e.g., Safecare) and include cultural teachings that address child maltreatment. The intention of this book is to inform researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and advocates about the current state of child maltreatment from an Indigenous perspective.

This book embraces a decolonizing praxis that emphasizes a broader understanding of Native American/Alaska Native child maltreatment and utilizes an Indigenous-feminist lens to conceptualize, treat, intervene, and promote wellness. Specifically, this book examines child maltreatment through the intersection of feminist, multicultural, and prevention/wellness promotion lenses. This state of the art text interconnects Native elders/scholars' stories (brief case studies) with historical context, theory, and culturally-informed as well as trauma-informed approaches of treating Native Americans/Alaska Native populations.ROYLEEN J. ROSS is tribally enrolled at the Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico. She is employed as a cultural psychologist at a regional southwest triblƒ(