The Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, in collaboration with the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), has received an $880,840, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to bolster training and support systems for Native American communities, with a specific focus on child protection.
The grant comes from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and will fund the Native Child Advocacy Studies project.
Led by scholars from the Buder Center and UMSL’s Child Advocacy Studies Program, the project seeks to enhance and expand the development of child protection professionals within Native American communities. The project’s goal is to broaden the skill sets of law enforcement, social workers, health professionals and prosecutors through enhanced training and resources.
“By adapting and indigenizing the existing program material, we aim to empower professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate challenging situations with sensitivity and effectiveness,” explained Manasseh Begay, a lecturer at the Brown School, program manager with the Buder Center and co-principal investigator of the project. Dana Klar, former director of the Buder Center and current associate teaching professor at UMSL, serves as co-principal investigator.
Read more on the Brown School website.
