About Us

Child Placement Services is divided into two primary service areas, family support services and adult protective services.

Family Support Services

ACFS Child Placement Family Support Services provides a variety of services to Native American children and their families. The goal of these services is to offer family support services to improve the circumstances of the family. Whenever possible, these services are used to prevent out-of-home placements. The agency identifies families who may be at risk, assesses their needs, offers appropriate services, advocates when necessary and supports positive change to ensure safety for tribal children. The ACFS definition of families includes biological, adoptive, foster and extended families.

Family Support Services facilitates and reinforces family system changes through early identification of tribal families and individuals experiencing stressors that may affect the stability of the family. The objective of Family Support Services is to reduce out of home placements in abuse and neglect cases by providing intensive, preventive casework services to families and individuals.

Family Support Services include the following programs:

• Children’s Protective Services
• Nurturing Parent Education
• Prevention Services
• In Home Care Services
• Family Continuity
• Adolescent In Home Assistance Services
• Monitoring (ICWA)

Family support services also includes the following program:

• Adult Protective Services

ACFS is mandated to conduct investigations on Sault Tribe land when there are reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation against tribal adults who are determined to be vulnerable. These services can be voluntary or court ordered.

Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency Services

The Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency is our tribal child placement agency. The agency is licensed by the state of Michigan to provide foster care and adoption services to children ages 0-19 who reside within the tribe’s seven-county service area. The agency services children who are enrolled or eligible for enrollment as Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians members and Sault Tribe households. At times, the agency services non-Native siblings in conjunction with Sault Tribe children and families.

The agency provides specialized Indian Child Welfare services to Sault Tribe children and their families. The goal is to provide consistency, continuity and permanency in a family setting. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is the only tribe in the state of Michigan that has a child placing agency licensed by the state. Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency provides primary foster care and adoption services, foster home licensing and adoptive home studies.

Agency operations are based on guidelines set forth by the state of Michigan, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Child Welfare Code and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).

Child Placement Programs

• Prevention
• Nurturing Parent Education
• Children’s Protective Services
• Family Continuity - Voluntary Services and Reunification Services
• In Home Care (IHC)
• Adolescent In Home Assistance (AIHA)
• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Monitoring - In Service Area
• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)
• Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency Foster Care Services
• Relative/Kinship Care
• Adoption Services
• Adoption and Foster Home Promotion and Recruitment
• Sault Tribe ICWA-MIFPA Communication Protocol