Monday – Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm
Saturday and Sunday closed
Office: 575-464-4334
241 School Circle Drive Mescalero, NM 88340
Alta M. Branham, Foster Care Case Manager
Cell Phone: 575-937-4810
Email: abranham@mescaleroapachetribe.com Fax: 575-464-4006
Augusta Williams, ICWA Case Manager
Cell Phone: 575-973-5028
Email: awilliams@mescaleroapachetribe.com Fax: 575-464-0433
Abuse and Neglect
- Reports of neglect are higher for American Indian children than for White children.
- In 1999 child abuse/neglect rates for American Indians was 20.1/1000 cases.
- Violence is more likely reported among American Indians, both as an element of abuse/neglect and in general.
- Parental alcohol abuse is more likely to be present in cases involving child abuse and neglect with American Indian children.
- American Indian children are more likely to be placed in foster care than White children.
- The Native American Population (all ages) leads the nation to death caused by: alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, diabetes (infections/health complications), fetal abnormalities and homicide.
Mescalero Apache Foster Home Licensing Program
Click here for the Foster Care Parent Application
We are a locally operated program that equips, trains, and licenses foster parents from Mescalero, Otero and Lincoln Counties to Foster children and youth from the Mescalero Reservation.
Do you have the desire and the ability to provide a safe and stable environment to a child in need of foster care?
If so, these are the steps;
- Application – call, email, or come by our office and get an application. Fill it out and get it back to us as soon as possible.
- We will conduct an orientation with you explaining the process and what foster care entails.
- Finger prints and background checks – we are required to have all foster parents complete the finger printing process and sign a release of information for background checks.
- Home study – this is a detailed document that covers your history, your upbringing, your motivation to parent, your relationships, your home, and other information pertaining to your background and lifestyle.
- Training – all prospective parents are required to participate in the parent training. This usually starts during the home study process. The training is geared to give foster parents resources, tools and behavior management skills for parenting a foster child/children.
- License – once you have completed the requirements of becoming a foster parent you will be officially licensed.
Do you want to affect a child’s life in a positive way? Call now and begin a journey that is rewarding and will change a child’s life!
We are members of NICWA. The National Indian Child Welfare Association improves the lives of American Indian children and families by helping tribes and other service providers implement services that are culturally competent, community-based, and focused on the strengths and assets of families.