Rose-Margaret Orrantia

An interview with Rose-Margaret Orrantia, a Yaqui tribal elder and the former Executive Director of Indian Child and Family Services, as she discusses her work with the Indian Child Welfare Consortium and reflects on social issues for Native American families in California.

Interviewed by Esther Gillies. Date of interview: 4-4-12. Length of interview: 1 hour and 4 minutes. DVD containing interview.

Interview Topics

(00:30) Intro by Esther Gillies. (01:15) Early interest in social work with Native American Families. (05:35) Working with the Indian Child Welfare Consortium in 1984 . (15:00) Challenge of working with the courts . (23:42) Challenge of working with the state . (26:00) Family finding for relative placements . (28:00) Expanding program to cover Los Angeles and Orange County, in addition to San Diego and Riverside. (31:40) The defunding of urban programs by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C. . (34:00) Becoming a state-licensed adoption agency . (39:40) The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) . (45:00) Shifting into consultant work and grant writing . (48:45) Academy for Professional Excellence . (55:45) Positives throughout her career . (58:21) Current issues with ICWA compliance . (59:40) Advice for future social workers . (01:01:30) American Indian Recruitment Project