Reason to Know

Related resource: Inquiry and Notice PowerPoint

Under California law, the circumstances providing reason to know that a child is or may be an Indian child (Welf & I C §224.3(b)) include but are not limited to these:

• A person or entity having an interest in the child—such as the child, an officer of the court, a tribe, an Indian organization, a public or private agency, or a member of the child’s immediate or extended family—provides information suggesting
  
  
• That the child is a member of a tribe or eligible for membership in a tribe, or
  
  
• That one or more of the child’s biological parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents have been members of a tribe.
  
  
• The child or the child’s parent or Indian custodian physically resides or is domiciled (has a permanent home) in a predominantly Indian community.
  
  
• The child or the child’s family has received services or benefits from a tribe or services that are available to Indians from tribes or the federal government (such as the Indian Health Service).

Note that reason to know is not proof of Indian status. Proof would consist of documentation, such as a tribal enrollment card or a determination from a tribe.