Tribe said yes, then changed mind

February 25, 2009

I am a foster parent. We had a baby placed with us when she was 3 days old. She is now almost one year. She is part Native American. The mom decided that she would like us to adopt. We are not Native American. The tribal representative agreed to the adoption. On the day of the placement hearing a new tribal representative filed a motion to intervene, indicating that they would not allow us to adopt and that they would be moving her to a foster family on the reservation. We are looking for any connection or help that we can find to fight this. We are still just baffled that the tribe puts the best interest of the tribe before the best interest of the child. Any help or guidance you can provide would be very much appreciated.