Permanency for Children and Youth: Customary Adoption as a Resource for American Indian and Alaska Native Children.

A chapter from the book "Child Welfare for the Twenty-First Century" is presented. The chapter elaborates on the situation before the passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 as well as its provisions and the effects that it brought about. The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 is also presented. Customary adoption and the tribal adoption law are also discussed.