(Revision. 5/1/23)
42 U.S.C. 622(b)(17) State Plans for Child Welfare Services (Title IV-B)
AS 47.06.030 Legislative Findings Related to Children
AS 47.10.010 Jurisdiction
AS 47.14.100 Powers and Duties of Department over Care of Child
To establish procedures for requesting and responding to in-state requests and for coordinating case management services between workers in different offices. The safety, permanency, and well-being of Alaska’s children is the responsibility of all OCS employees. It is the expectation of the Department that all OCS PS Specialists will approach and manage each case with the same degree of care and oversight regardless of whether assigned as a Primary PS Specialist or Secondary OTR PS Specialist.
Children in out-of-home care must be visited by a Protective Services (PS) Specialist on a monthly basis and the caseworker visits must be well-planned and focused on issues pertinent to case planning and service delivery to ensure child safety, permanency, well-being, and cultural continuity.
The Department of Family and Community Services as legal custodian, and the child’s guardian ad litem as guardian of the child’s best interests, and their agents and assignees, each should make reasonable efforts to ensure that the child is provided with reasonable safety, adequate care, and adequate treatment for the duration of time that the child is a ward of the state.
If an Adult Family Member or family friend has requested placement of a child in their home and the department denies the Request for Placement, the department must inform the family member or family friend within 45 days of the request, the basis for denial and the right to request a hearing to review the decision.
Out-of-Town Requests (OTR): Each Office of Children's Services (OCS) office within the state can request services and assistance from any other OCS office within the state.
OTRs may be requested for these types of assistance:
Emergency and non-emergency placements in another region or office jurisdiction;
Protective Services (PS) Specialist assignment for caseworker visits or Initial Assessment investigations; or
One time or short-term assistance.
Documentation of the assignment will be made by the receiving office as an OTR in ORCA within one week of request. For ongoing OTR assignments, the secondary OTR worker assigned to the case should remain consistent throughout the OTR, whenever possible.
For ongoing OTR assignments both PS Specialists are responsible for:
Maintaining contact standards with family members they are working with. This includes ensuring family members are referred for identified services, and that reasonable or Active Efforts are being made;
Maintaining at least monthly contact with the other worker(s) assigned to the case, providing information on the activities and progress of the members with whom they are working. This includes the sharing of relevant documentation such as court reports, case plans, case conference summaries, etc.;
Coordinating with other worker(s) regarding ongoing planning and decision making for the child and family, including permanency goals for the children;
Coordinating attendance for court hearings, child and family case reviews, and other scheduled meetings. Preferably, all workers assigned to a case will participate either in person or telephonically in these meetings. The primary worker is responsible for paperwork and notices;
Communicating immediately when problems arise, including potential placement disruption;
Facilitating placements or change in placement; and
Responsible for documenting all activities in ORCA.