Hoʻāla Nā Pua

Hoʻāla Nā Pua
Name	Hoʻāla Nā Pua
Formation	2001
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Region served	Hawaiʻi
Leader title	Executive Director

Hoʻāla Nā Pua Hoʻāla Nā Pua is a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organization focused on family preservation, child welfare, and legal advocacy in the Hawaiian Islands. Founded in the early 21st century, the organization operates at the intersection of social services, cultural revitalization, and public policy, working with Native Hawaiian and broader Pacific Islander communities across Oʻahu and the Neighbor Islands. Hoʻāla Nā Pua partners with courts, healthcare providers, and educational institutions to address complex child welfare cases and to promote alternatives to foster care through culturally grounded practices.

Background and Origins

Hoʻāla Nā Pua was established amid reform efforts in the aftermath of national debates involving the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, state child welfare systems, and advocacy by groups such as the Children’s Defense Fund and the Family Preservation Network. Founders drew inspiration from ʻŌiwi sovereignty movements represented by organizations like the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and community groups such as the Kamehameha Schools. Early collaborations included outreach to providers linked with the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, the Department of Human Services (Hawaii), and legal actors from the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi. The organization emerged parallel to national initiatives by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and regional efforts by the Hawaiʻi State Coalition Against Domestic Violence to reshape child protection practices.

Mission and Programs

The stated mission emphasizes healing, reunification, and the reduction of unnecessary family separation, aligning with policy frameworks championed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, and the National Indian Child Welfare Association. Programs tackle intersections with public health agencies such as the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, behavioral health contractors like Hawaiʻi Behavioral Health, and clinical partners including Queen’s Health Systems and the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Hoʻāla Nā Pua’s work intersects with legal systems exemplified by the First Circuit Court of Hawaii and federal statutes such as the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 in parallel debates about cultural jurisdiction. Funders and supporters have included philanthropic institutions similar to the Hawaii Community Foundation, national funders like the Ford Foundation, and regional trusts akin to the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate.

Education and Training Initiatives

Training efforts provide cross-disciplinary curricula for professionals from institutions such as the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, and private colleges like Chaminade University of Honolulu. Workshops have targeted judges from the Hawaii State Judiciary, social workers affiliated with the Child Welfare Services (Hawaii), clinicians from Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services, and attorneys from Hawaiʻi Legal Aid and the American Bar Association. The organization’s curricula reference best practices promoted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Training partnerships include community colleges in the Hawaiʻi Department of Education system and vocational programs associated with Leeward Community College and Windward Community College to integrate cultural competency with evidence-based intervention models.

Advocacy and Legal Impact

Advocacy has engaged legislative actors at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and federal stakeholders including committees of the United States Congress overseeing child welfare policy. Hoʻāla Nā Pua has provided testimony alongside groups like the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and coalitions including the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform. Impactful legal collaborations have connected the organization with litigators from the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, guardian ad litem programs coordinated through the Hawaii Access to Justice Commission, and amici engagements with public interest firms such as the Center for Family Representation. The organization’s advocacy intersects with case law trends documented by the Hawaii Supreme Court and policy shifts influenced by federal guidance from the Children’s Bureau.

Community Partnerships and Outreach

Community outreach extends to partner organizations such as the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, grassroots groups like Hoʻomana Ponoʻī, cultural centers including the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, and health networks such as the Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi system. Hoʻāla Nā Pua collaborates with faith-based institutions like St. Andrew’s Cathedral (Honolulu), neighborhood boards convened under the City and County of Honolulu, and youth organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of Hawaii and Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi. International and regional connections have involved exchanges with indigenous service organizations such as Te Puni Kōkiri in Aotearoa/New Zealand and the Pacific Islands Forum-aligned networks. Outreach programs coordinate with homeless services run by the Institute for Human Services and maternal health initiatives supported by Hawaii Pacific Health.

Notable Cases and Outcomes

Hoʻāla Nā Pua has been involved in high-profile child welfare matters that drew attention from the Hawaii State Judiciary and media outlets covering legal reform, including collaborations with investigative reporters from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and broadcasters like KITV. Outcomes include reunification efforts facilitated through coordinated services with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division (CAMHD), negotiated settlements involving the Department of Human Services (Hawaii), and systemic recommendations adopted in policy briefs circulated to the Hawaiʻi Governor’s Office. Case partnerships have at times intersected with federal oversight mechanisms related to the Civil Rights Division (U.S. Department of Justice) and with research collaborations involving scholars from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and policy analysts affiliated with the Brookings Institution.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Hawaii