(a) The purpose of the regulations in this subpart is to establish minimum standards for Federal employees working in the Indian Health Service (IHS), including standards of character to ensure that individuals having regular contact with or control over Indian children have not been convicted of certain types of crimes as mandated by section 408 of the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act (the “Act”), Public Law (Pub. L.) 101-630, 104 Stat. 4544, 25 U.S.C. 3201-3211,as. In order to implement these minimum standards of character, these regulations also address:

(1) The efficiency standards to ensure that individuals are qualified for the positions they hold or seek, as mandated by Section 408 of the Act.

(2) Fitness standards to ensure child care service employees are fit to have responsibility for the safety and well-being of children, as mandated by Section 231 of the Crime Control Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101-647, 42 U.S.C. 13041.

(3) Suitability standards to ensure that individuals have not acted in a manner that places others at risk or raised questions about their trustworthiness, as mandated by 5 CFR part 731.

(b) The Act requires that Tribes or Tribal organizations who receive funds under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEA), Pub. L. 93-638, employ individuals in positions involving regular contact with or control over Indian children only if the individuals meet standards of character no less stringent than those prescribed under these regulations. Thus, the minimum standards of character as defined in these regulations will become the basis for Tribes or Tribal organizations to use when developing their own minimum standards of character that cannot be less stringent than as prescribed herein.