Strengthening child welfare systems for Native children and families
Supporting the implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the New Mexico Indian Family Protection Act
Indigenous Family Solutions
Our Mission
Our mission is to strengthen the implementation of Tribal and state systems' policies by translating law and policy into consistent, operational practice which improves outcomes for Indigenous children and families. We support Tribal governments, state agencies, and family-service systems grounded in Tribal sovereignty, accountability, compassion, humility, and respect.
Our Vision
Sruwa shk'itsi Tsa tsema envisions systems which support Indigenous children and families through accountable, culturally grounded and responsive implementation of law and policy, where Tribal sovereignty is consistently upheld and operationalized in practice.
Sruwa shk'itsi Tsa tsema
Origin Story
Our children and families are connected to our Nations, Pueblos, and Tribes, our responsibilities, and the continuity of our communities.
Indigenous Family Solutions was founded out of a clear and consistent gap between policy and practice in systems serving Native children and families. Across Tribal and state systems, laws designed to protect Indigenous families—including ICWA and IFPA—have not always been implemented with consistency or fidelity, resulting in outcomes that do not reflect their intent.
This work is grounded in lived experience, long-standing relationships with Tribal communities, and a perspective shaped in part by being from Pueblo community. Through this work, a pattern became clear: meaningful change requires more than policy development—it requires sustained attention to how those policies are interpreted, carried forward, and applied in practice.
Indigenous Family Solutions was created to address that gap. The focus is on strengthening implementation through training, technical assistance, and systems support which centers Tribal sovereignty, accountability, and community knowledge. This work about improving current systems, as well as shaping structures which uphold Indigenous children, families, and Nations, Pueblos, & Tribes over time.
Our Leadership
Indigenous Family Solutions is led by Donalyn Lorenzo, LMSW, a citizen of the Pueblo of Acoma. Her work is grounded in Indigenous values of compassion, humility, and respect, and informed by leadership across Tribal and state systems. She has served as Director of the Office of Tribal Affairs at the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department and Director of Social Services for the Pueblo of Acoma and is one of the principal authors of IFPA.
Her work has been recognized by the National Indian Child Welfare Association and the New Mexico Supreme Court’s Children’s Court Improvement Commission, including the 2016 Program of the Year Award, the 2016 Child Welfare Excellence Award, and the 2023 Excellence Leader Award.
This work strengthens how Indigenous self-determination is operationalized within systems impacting Native children and families.
Contact Us
Let's partner to strengthen implementation in your system.
We work with Tribal governments, State agencies, CASAs, and family-service providers seeking to improve ICWA and IFPA implementation within child welfare systems.
Indigenous Family Solutions, LLC
PO Box 665, Pueblo of Acoma, NM 87034
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.