Candace Lagou

Candace Lagou (Red Lake) serves as TLPI’s Tribal Child Welfare Prevention Specialist for the Child Welfare Capacity Building Center for Tribes. Candace has a deep knowledge of the culture, customs and practices of tribal communities, and has done tribal community work for over 16 years. She worked as a child service worker in Hennepin County and an ICWA program consultant for the Minnesota DHS. Candace also worked for the Red Lake band of Chippewa in different capacities for many years. Candace has a masters of social work from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and she received a bachelor’s of science in social work from Bemidji State University. Candace is a survivor of the foster care system before the implementation of the ICWA. She understands how vital and how important it is to Native American children to be with their families and tribe and to have the opportunity to develop their identities as Native American people.