From the Sylva Herald
By Quintin Ellison
The tribe plans to take over all or some of the social service programs on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Jackson and Swain counties currently provide them.
In 2010, after the death of 15-month-old Aubrey Littlejohn, a push by some tribal members to take control of Department of Social Services activities on the Qualla Boundary gained momentum. The federal 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act gives the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians the power to oversee its own social services programs.
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