STATE OF NEVADA - Division of Child and Family Services

Overall the DR program has been well implemented with good effect, providing services to a set of families that have
previously not received them. At the same time, a relatively small percentage of all child maltreatment reports are
referred to FRC’s for a DR family assessment, so that the impact on the broad CPS system in the state is limited.
Juvenile Justice: A third example of collaboration in the Nevada child welfare system is with juvenile justice. Following
a federal compliance review in July 2006, it was found by the Children’s Bureau of the Administration on Children and
Families (ACF) that the Division failed to include in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (also
known as AFCARS) report, youth that receive juvenile justice services while under the agency’s responsibility for care and
placement. All children in foster care under the responsibility of the State agency administering or supervising the
administration of the Title IV-B Child and Family Services State plan and the Title IV-E State plan; that is, all children who
are required to be provided the assurances of section 422(b)(10) of the Social Security Act (the Act) (Appendix A –
SECTION II). In Nevada, the juvenile correctional facilities and youth parole fall under these requirements. Because the
youth served in this population are a part of the IV-E agency, the Division has made efforts to ensure that youth in out of
home unlocked facilities are afforded the same IV-E assurances as youth in the custody of the child welfare agency.
During this year, the Division hired a Program Specialist specifically to focus on developing policy, procedure and training
for staff on how to work with these youth. The program specialist has been focusing on developing training guides related
to SACWIS system requirements, developing policy and procedure on required casework activities, and will be assisting
the Youth Parole Bureau with ensuring that engagement and casework strategies are effectively implemented. This
position will also focus on training staff and ensuring Fostering Connections mandates for older and aging out youth are
met. Table 42 includes the number of children that were transferred to juvenile custody (probation/incarceration) from
child welfare (receiving services or in protective custody). These youth were known to the child welfare system prior to
entering the juvenile justice system and these numbers are collected on a monthly basis via UNITY.
Table 42: Children Transferred into Custody from the Juvenile Justice System SFY 2010
Age Male Female Total # Committed
13 0 0 0
14 0 0 0
15 2 1 3
16 2 1 3
17 6 2 8
18 7 3 10
Total 17 7 24
Nevada Tribal Community: The State continues to consult with the 27 Nevada federally-recognized tribes, bands and
organizations (Section 422(b) (11), Social Security Act, as amended) through the Indian Child Welfare Committee and the
Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada (ITC-N). The Indian Child Welfare Committee invites Tribal Chairs, or their designee(s), to
participate on the committee for the purpose of discussing Indian child welfare issues in Nevada that relate to jurisdiction,
investigation, and service delivery. Members of the Indian Child Welfare Committee include: representatives from the
ITC-N, which is comprised of 27 Nevada Tribal Chairs/Vice-Chairs and Council Members or designees; members of Tribal
Human Social Services agencies; Bureau of Indian Affairs; Nevada Urban Indians, Inc., Las Vegas Indian Center; Nevada
Indian Commission; Nevada Children’s Justice Act ; DCFS Rural Region, CCDFS Department of Family Services and
WCDSS Department of Social Services; the UNR Partnership for Training, and other interested parties. The following
presentations and consultations occurred during this report period:
Indian Child Welfare Committee:
On June 9, 2009; the Technical Assistance to Local Communities and Indian Tribes (TALCIT) Committee met with the
CJA Task Force and presented a request to combine TALCIT and the ICWA Steering Committee into one CJA Task
Force committee called the Indian Child Welfare Subcommittee. Both committees were working on the same projects, so
efficiency would be improved by joining the two groups. The CJA Task Force approved the formation of the new single
committee. Subsequently, the committee worked throughout the remainder of 2009 to plan an ICWA training track as part
of Nevada’s Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada (ITC-N) annual convention, which was held in November 2009. A primary
focus of the ICWA training track was to educate Nevada tribes about changes in federal law for tribal access to Title IV-E
funding
Nevada APSR – SFY 2010
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