Native American Professional Parent Resources

NAPPR Provides Expert Testimony to Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence

NAPPR Director of Tribal Home Visiting Program to Speak Among Other National Experts on Children’s Exposure to Violence in Rural and Tribal Communities

Native American Professional Parent Resources (NAPPR), Inc. today announced that its Director of the Tribal Home Visiting Program, Maria Brock, will provide expert testimony to the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence – a key component to the Department of Justice’s “Defending Childhood” initiative. The public hearing, which will be held on January 31st at the Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers in Albuquerque, NM, will focus on children’s exposure to violence in rural and tribal communities.

Brock, who is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, will speak on behalf of the Native children and families in New Mexico. Her testimony will include a presentation on the implementation of culturally appropriate and relevant early childhood services and infant mental health. Brock will also provide testimony on the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHEV) programs’ integration of culture and language with Evidence-based home visiting models.

“Many of our sovereign tribal nations are prioritizing indigenous language preservation and learning to preserve and revitalize culture and community amongst their people,” said Brock. “This revitalization is an effort to correct past oppression and abuses and develop a secure, strong identity as Native people for our children and youth.”

As Director of the Tribal Home Visiting Program at NAPPR, Brock promotes best practice prevention efforts for Native American parents of children up to age five. At the public hearing, she will present among other national experts in strengthening Native communities – including representatives from the Alaska Native Justice Center, the North Carolina Academic Center for Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention, the Indian Country Child Trauma Center, the Center for Native American Youth, and the National Indian Welfare Association.

“Policies and practices that support the integration of tribal language and culture across programs and systems are crucial,” said Brock. “We know in our tribal communities that healing of the spirit takes place when people have strong connections to their cultural life-ways and a strong cultural identity.”