PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Feb. 10, 2025
Contact: Alisa Bousa, Public Information Officer, Alisa.Bousa@ujs.state.sd.us or 605.773.2031
Free Legal Workshop Features Experts on Indian Child Welfare Act
PIERRE, S.D.—Law students, legal professionals and others interested in better understanding child welfare related law will have the opportunity to learn from local and national experts on April 3, 2025.
The fourth annual Legal Workshop presented by the South Dakota Unified Judicial System, University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law, and Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment will take place at the Muenster University Center in Vermillion. This year’s workshop will feature two topics: Indian Child Welfare Act and Representation of Immigrants and Refugees.
The workshop will begin with remarks from South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven R. Jensen. The morning will include a session titled “ICWA: The History and a South Dakota Perspective” by Dan Lewerns, University of North Dakota School of Law and director of Indian Law and a session titled “ICWA in Practice” by Sheldon Spotted Elk, senior director of judicial and national engagement, Casey Family Programs. These sessions aim to discuss why the Indian Child Welfare Act was passed, why the principles of ICWA remain relevant today, and how ICWA efforts work in practice.
The workshop’s second half will feature the keynote, “Representation of Immigrants and Refugees” presented by Taneeza Islam, director, SD Voices for Peace. This session will discuss the unique challenges that arise when representing immigrant children and parents in child welfare cases.
The workshop will begin at 9 a.m. CST, include a light breakfast and lunch, and conclude by 4:30 p.m. While the workshop is free, registration is required at https://sdcpcm.com/legalworkshop.
—30—
About SD Unified Judicial System: The Unified Judicial System (UJS) consists of the Supreme Court, Circuit Courts and State Court Administrator’s Office. The Supreme Court is the state’s highest court and final decision maker on South Dakota law. The Circuit Courts are the state’s trial courts where criminal proceedings and civil litigation are handled. The State Court Administrator’s Office provides centralized administrative assistance and support services for the South Dakota judiciary. The Court Improvement Program (CIP), administered by the State Court Administrator’s Office through the direction of the Supreme Court, is charged with assessing the system’s handling of child abuse and neglect cases, making recommendations for improvements, and overseeing improvement projects to completion.
About the School of Health Sciences: USD’s School of Health Sciences is a national leader in interprofessional health sciences education. South Dakota’s comprehensive School of Health Sciences develops scholars, practitioners and leaders in health and human services, including addiction counselors, dental hygienists, health science practitioners, medical laboratory scientists, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants, public health practitioners and social workers.
About the Knudson School of Law: As South Dakota’s Law School, the Knudson School of Law prepares students to be tomorrow’s leaders in the legal profession. USD boasts one of the best value law schools in the country with excellent job placement rates, a low student-to-faculty ratio, robust experiential learning opportunities, and affordable tuition. The USD Knudson School of Law offers a world-class education to more than 200 students and is home to 3,000+ alumni.
About USD: Founded in 1862 and the first university in the Dakotas, the University of South Dakota is the only public liberal arts university in the state, with 202 undergraduate and 84 graduate programs in the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Education, Knudson School of Law, Sanford School of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Beacom School of Business and College of Fine Arts. With an enrollment of nearly 10,000 students and more than 400 faculty, USD has a 15:1 student/faculty ratio, and it ranks among the best in academics and affordability. USD’s 18 athletic programs compete at the NCAA Division I level.
About the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment: The Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment (CPCM), SDCPCM.com is developing sustainable solutions to reduce all forms of child maltreatment in South Dakota, beginning with child sexual abuse. Child maltreatment prevention and response is a complex issue. Responsibility for prevention efforts and corresponding promotion of child wellbeing is shared across multiple agencies and programs in the child welfare system. CPCM brings unity to the work.