In 1993, Indian leaders and attorneys formed the Indian Child Welfare Law Center.
They saw that Minnesota´s Indian children were being taken from their homes and put in non-Indian homes – in violation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978.
United States Code Title 25, Indians Chapter 21, Indian Child Welfare §1901

The Indian Child Welfare Law Center
works to strengthen, preserve and reunite Indian families.

The ICWLC is a non-profit, legal services organization that provides legal representation to parents, family members, Indian custodians and children, who are involved in legal matters governed by the ICWA. We are committed to providing culturally appropriate quality legal services to Indian families.

The ICWLC connects Indian families to appropriate service providers and community agencies to meet the needs of the families. Our goal is to preserve Indian families and to work with families and tribes to secure safe, stable, and loving homes for their children, working to maintain invaluable family and tribal connections.

The ICWLC furthers the interests of Indian families through collaboration with tribal, state, county and community programs servicing Indian families. We work to uphold the integrity of the ICWA through advocacy, training and shaping of policy.

Our Mission
To work with the Indian community to preserve and reunite Indian families by providing culturally appropriate legal services, governed by the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, to children, parents, extended family members, and tribes; and to serve as a community development resource for Indian Child Welfare Act education, advocacy, and public policy.

Values Represented By Our Mission
Community-based
Cooperation with the American Indian community
Community resource development
Collaboration
Culturally appropriate legal services.