EXTERNAL Tribal Customary Adoption - a new permanency option for Indian children in child welfare cases

Presented by State of Nebraska Judicial Branch & the Nebraska Court Improvement Project

On April 16, 2026, Governor Pillen signed LB 1032, allowing for Tribal Customary Adoptions to be recognized as a permanency option in state court child welfare cases. Tribal customary adoption (TCA) means the adoption of an Indian child, by and through the tribal custom, traditions, and law of the child's tribe, and which may be effected without the termination of parental rights. Tribes who recognize TCA in tribal code will receive the transferred case and finalize the adoption, prior to transferring the case back to the state court for case closure. This law went into effect July 18, 2026. https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Slip/LB1032.pdf

Learning objectives:

• Participants will understand the development and history of LB 1032 and the addition of Tribal Customary Adoption (TCA) as a permanency option.
• Participants will learn how DHHS identifies TCA cases, notification of the child’s Tribe, and documentation required for TCA transfer.
• Participants will understand when the court will consider TCA as an alternative permanency option, and TCA finalization which results in case closure.

Presenters:

Hon. Amy Schuchman
Separate Juvenile Court of Douglas County

Hon. Amy Schuchman has been a judge with the Separate Juvenile Court of Douglas County since January of 2020.  Prior to being appointed to the bench she was a prosecutor in both the juvenile and felony divisions within the Douglas County Attorney's Office.

Alli Derr 
Senior Staff Attorney, Nebraska Appleseed Child Welfare Program

Alli Derr is the Senior Staff Attorney for Nebraska Appleseed’s Child Welfare Program, which works to improve Nebraska’s child welfare system through policy advocacy, impact litigation, and community organizing. Allison helps manage the program's impact litigation and policy docket, advocating on a wide range of issues to ensure equitable access to supports and services for all of Nebraska's families. She also manages Appleseed's Foster Care Reform Legal Resource Center, which provides support to juvenile court practitioners through legal assistance, amicus briefs, and education. Allison received her undergraduate degree from Creighton University and law degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law.

Allyson Hoover
Indian Child Welfare Program Manager, DHHS

Allyson Hoover is the Indian Child Welfare Program Manager at DHHS. In this role, she provides support to DHHS staff working with ICWA cases as well as Tribal CFS programs operating within the state of Nebraska. She also manages the Together for Indigenous Families project-Nebraska's Tribal-State Partnership grant. Allyson has nearly 10 years of experience in child welfare in Nebraska and received her BSW from College of Saint Benedict and her MSW and MPA from the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Kitty Washburn
Tribal Liaison, Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition (NICWC)

Kitty Washburn is the Tribal Liaison at the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition (NICWC). Previously, she worked for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska’s Child and Family Services Program for 11 years.  In her current role as a Tribal Liaison, she is working to develop supports and access to services for tribal youth who are aging out of the child welfare system. Kitty has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Briar Cliff University and is currently enrolled in the University of Iowa’s MSW program.