Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) established a Child Protection Diversion Committee (CPDC) to plan and implement a two year pilot project that diverts CSKT child protection cases to a Families in Need of Services model, utilizing wrap-around supportive services to address the issues leading to child welfare court intervention. The Committee will seek to provide families seamless access to existing services and establish new resources to restore and preserve family unity. The Committee will also review CSKT Tribal code child protection and youth court provisions and recommend modifications, if needed, to implement the Families in Need of Services Model. The CPDC includes the following CSKT Departments and disciplines: Council, Court, Defenders, Prosecutors, Probation, the Department of Human Resources Development, Behavioral Health, Substance Use Disorder services, Housing, a parent who has been through a child protection intervention, and cultural advisors. Recognizing the impacts of historical trauma, past federal policies, and structural racism and their effects on tribal communities, the Families in Need of Services model is intended to be holistic, innovative, culturally relevant, and de-colonizing in its approach
