Does the Department believe that Section 408 has met its intended purpose in keeping children safe?
Section 409 provides that the Department, acting through the Department of the Interior, shall establish an Indian Child Abuse Treatment Grant program to establish child abuse treatment programs. Please provide the Committee with a status report on this grant program. In addition, please provide the Committee with a list of additional resources that are available through the Department to Indian tribes to treat victims of child abuse. In addition, please provide the Committee with the Department’s policies or protocols, specifically relating to the Indian Health Service, for sharing health related information with tribal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies who need to know such information in the course of investigating instances of child abuse. Finally, please share with the Committee any recommendations that you have for improving the Act and for addressing crimes against children in Indian Country. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. Sincerely, John McCai
