Judges to Speak at Summit About South Dakota Foster Care

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Tribal and state judges will be among the speakers Thursday at a summit focusing on Indian child foster care in South Dakota.

The three-day summit is in response to a 2011 National Public Radio series that said South Dakota routinely broke the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Under federal law, Native American children removed from homes must be placed with relatives or put in foster care with other Native American families except in unusual circumstances.

The summit is bringing together federal officials, state and tribal judges and representatives from tribes in South Dakota, Oklahoma, Washington and Minnesota.

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