A.
Placement priorities. With consideration of tribal customary practices,
sibling groups will be placed together whenever possible and in the
best interest of the children. A child(ren) may be placed in the following
community out-of-home placements or shelter care facilities listed
in order of preference:
(1)
Members of the child's immediate family living in a household
separate from that of the child;
(2)
Members of the child's extended family and community members
with whom the child has close connections;
(3)
An Indian family of the NHBP which is licensed as a foster home or
an Indian family otherwise approved by the MDT to provide care for
the child;
(4)
A non-Indian licensed foster home or a non-Indian family otherwise
approved by the MDT to provide care for the child;
(5)
A facility operated by a licensed Indian child welfare services agency;
or
(6)
Any other suitable placement which meets the standards for shelter
care facilities established and approved by the MDT.
B.
Least restrictive setting. Until reunification is deemed appropriate,
a child will be placed in the least restrictive setting which most
approximates a family environment, and in which his/her special needs,
if any, may be met. The child will also be placed in reasonable proximity
to his/her home, taking into account any special needs of the child
and the continuity of education, and presuming that active efforts
to reunify the family include parental and sibling visitation.
C.
Restrictions. A child alleged to be a protected child will not be
placed in a jail or other facility intended or used for the incarceration
of adults charged with criminal offenses or for the detention of children
alleged to be juvenile offenders, nor may a child be placed in a facility
for psychiatric care, homelessness, domestic violence victims or substance
abusers unless such services are clearly indicated as an immediate
need of the child.
