3.4.1 Placement with OCS Employees
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3.4.1 Placement with OCS Employees

(Revision. 8/1/18)

Authority:Authority:

AS 47.10.084 Legal custody, guardianship, and residual parental rights and responsibilities

 

Purpose:Purpose:

To outline policy regarding when placement of a child is allowed with an OCS employee and to mitigate the conflict of interest that may arise when considering an OCS employee as a temporary or permanent placement resource for a relative child.

 

Background Information:Background Information:

State Law: 

This relationship imposes on the department and its authorized agents the responsibility of the physical care of the child and control of the child, the determination of where and with whom the child shall live.

 

Policy:

  1. The Office of Children’s Services (OCS) does not allow OCS employees to be a placement, for foster care, adoption or guardianship for a child in OCS custody or in custody of another state. This policy does not preclude the OCS employee from becoming an adoptive parent through other legally recognized channels such as placement by a Tribe, Tribal Organization, or licensed adoption agency.

  2. An exception may be made when the OCS employee is a relative to the child.

  3. OCS employees will not take advantage of their positions by using professional relationships, or confidential information acquired through their work with the State of Alaska to become adoptive parents or guardians of a child who is not in custody of the State or who are known to the employee through their work.

  4. Care must be taken to mitigate any conflict of interest due to the placement of a relative child with an OCS employee. The following criteria must be met when placement with an OCS employee is being considered for temporary or permanent placement of a relative child.

    1. The placement preferences set out in federal and state law must be followed (see 3.4.2 Searching for Relatives, Identifying and Processing Requests for Placement), and all other potential relative placements must also be considered;

    2. Document the reasons in ORCA why it is in the best interests of the child to be placed with a related OCS employee;

    3. The OCS employee who is a placement resource for a related child cannot provide direct or indirect casework or supervisory services to the child or other family members;

    4. The employee's supervisor cannot supervise the Protective Services Specialist (PSS) who is assigned to the family where the child is a member of the case; and

    5. The ORCA case must be restricted.

  5. In exceptional cases, where it is in the best interest of a child that a non-related OCS employee become a placement resource for the child, the Director may make an exception to the policy that only related employees may become placement resources. In this situation, all the other requirements and procedures in this section apply.