Meet kelly
Consultant, Trainer
& Adjunct Professor
Kelly Tannehill is a consulting and training professional with more than 17 years of experience in Indian child welfare. She serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Social Work Program at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches Tribal-focused coursework and advances culturally informed social work practice.
Kelly’s work centers on strengthening Tribal Nations child welfare systems through high-quality training, curriculum development, and healing-centered, culturally rooted approaches. She specializes in designing and delivering Tribal-specific training that supports ICWA practice, caregiver development, workforce capacity, and community wellness.
With extensive frontline and supervisory experience, Kelly bridges academic knowledge with practical application. Her trainings equip Tribal programs with culturally responsive, evidence-based tools to enhance service delivery and support the well-being of Native children, youth, families, and caregivers.
What We Do
Executive Coaching
We provide culturally responsive executive coaching for Tribal leaders and program administrators, offering guidance grounded in 17+ years of child welfare experience to strengthen leadership capacity, program development, and organizational effectiveness.
Planning
We support Tribal Nations with strategic planning, program development, and system strengthening. Our approaches are culturally rooted, community driven, and designed to enhance service delivery for Indigenous children and families.
Training
We deliver comprehensive, culturally grounded training programs for Tribal child welfare, social services, and community programs. Trainings emphasize ICWA best practices, trauma- and healing-informed approaches, workforce development, and culturally centered caregiver support.
Community Engagement
We collaborate with Tribal Nations to build community-centered solutions-training caregivers, partnering with elders and culture keepers, creating curriculum, and supporting initiatives that strengthen cultural continuity and family wellness.
Our Clients
We serve a wide range of partners dedicated to strengthening Tribal child welfare and supporting Indigenous families. Clients include Tribal governments, Indigenous organizations, Tribal and state child welfare programs, caregiver networks, and community-based programs seeking culturally responsive training and consulting. Our partners share a commitment to protecting Native children, honoring cultural values, and building strong, sustainable Tribal systems.
Training & Consulting Services
Kelly Tannehill provides culturally grounded, healing-centered training and consulting designed to strengthen Tribal child welfare and social service systems, support Indigenous families, and honor Tribal sovereignty and community knowledge. She develops Tribal-specific training and curriculum tailored to each Nation, available in-person, virtual, or hybrid formats as one-day sessions, multi-day intensives, or ongoing series. Kelly also designs custom forms and practice tools that are culturally responsive, practice-ready, and aligned with Tribal code and ICWA requirements.
- ICWA 360° – Six-Module Comprehensive ICWA Training Series
- ICWA 101: Foundations of Indian Child Welfare
- Qualified Expert Witness (QEW) Training
- ICWA Inquiry, Notice & Documentation Requirements
- Active Efforts: Practice, Documentation & Court Preparation
- Emergency Removal Standards & Tribal Response
- Writing Effective ICWA Court Reports
- Tribal–State Collaboration & Protocol Development
- Family Finding & Kinship Engagement
- Cultural Engagement for ICWA Caseworkers
- Development of Tribal Foster Care Licensing Standards
- Dynamics of Domestic Violence within Native American Families & Its Relationship to Child Maltreatment
- Survivor-Centered, Safety-Focused Approaches that Avoid Blame of the Non-Offending Caregiver
- Understanding Coercive Control, Power, and Trauma in Tribal Contexts
- Coordinated Response Between Tribal Child Welfare, DV Programs, and Courts
- Culturally Responsive Assessment and Case Planning in DV-Impacted Families
- Circle of Keepers: Fostering Tribal Communities (Full Curriculum)
- Native American Parenting Certification – T.R.I.B.E.S. Program
- Trauma-Informed Care for Tribal Caregivers
- Culturally Centered Parenting & Cultural Continuity
- Kinship Caregiver & Grandfamilies Support
- Caregiver Recruitment, Retention & Support Systems
- Preparing Caregivers for Certification, Home Inspections & Background Checks
- MMIP/MMIW Prevention Curriculum (Youth & Community-Based)
- School & Community Education (Ages 12+)
- Online Safety & Exploitation Prevention
- Strengthening Tribal MDTs (Multidisciplinary Teams)
- Community Healing & Response Following Crisis
- Supervising in Tribal Child Welfare
- Trauma-Informed Leadership
- Workforce Wellness, Burnout Prevention & Retention
- Building Effective Tribal Child Welfare Teams
- Program Evaluation & Continuous Quality Improvement
- Grant Writing Basics for Tribal Programs
- Laws, codes, and policies
- Cultural values and community priorities
- Workforce needs and program structure
- Intake and assessment forms
- Safety and risk assessment tools
- Home visit templates
- Case planning and active efforts documentation
- MDT protocols and scripts
- Caregiver guides and staff manuals
KT Full Circle Training 