A program for adolescent American Indian girls, under the auspices of the Social Work Division of the Minneapolis Public Schools, evolved to become a linkage model between human services and American Indian families, focusing upon interrelationships among structure, behavior, and cultural pattern maintenance. Growth and development among Indian adolescents presumes a curvilinear relationship between age and independence: as age increases so does family obligation, pattern maintenance responsibility, and dependence upon mutuality of relationships. These family relationships, coupled with high rates of drug and alcohol misuse, truancy, incomplete school assignments, high drop out rates, and pregnancy among adolescent Indian girls suggested a need for a cultural network model of support services. Nine Indian girls, aged 15 to 17, experiencing several of the above problems, as well as severe poverty, inadequate housing, and a strong extended family structure, united with social workers into a cohesive support group. The model incorporated features of trust, realistic expectations, and non-judgmental behavior. Tribal and family value orientations were incorporated and served as impetus for lateral integration into characteristic American Indian extended family systems. The model provides a teaching process readily applicable to extended family systems and represents an active process of developing a family of child care and concern. (NEC)