Office of Children's Services
Contents
For Families
Adoption & Guardianship
If a child cannot safely return home, adoption and guardianship offer other stable paths to permanency that allow children to exit temporary foster care into permanent family settings.
Foster Care
Please consider becoming a foster parent today. It may be the most rewarding thing you ever do.
Report Child Abuse
The fastest and easiest way to report child abuse is to call the OCS reporting hotline at .
Safe Surrender
Under Alaska’s Safe Haven laws, parents can legally and confidentially surrender an infant who is 21 days old or younger without fear of prosecution.
Grievance & Appeal Process
If you have a complaint with an employee of the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) that you are not able to resolve informally, you have a right to access the formal grievance process.
For Youth
Independent Living Program
Helping current and former foster youth achieve their independent living goals, providing support and services for education, employment, training, housing, financial management and building a support network.
For Providers
Mandatory Reporter Training
OCS offers training for reporters of child maltreatment and for other Alaskans.
Child Care Licensing
Whether you are exploring how to open a child care program, becoming an approved provider, or managing an existing business, the Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) in partnership with your regional Child Care Office offers information and resources to help you get started and stay on track.
Partnerships
Tribal Partnerships
We recognize the vital importance of preserving the connection between Alaska Native children, their families, and their Tribes. OCS continues to integrate the principles and mandates of ICWA into every level of our child welfare practice.
Infant Learning Program
Find an Infant Learning Provider in your area.
Home Visiting Resource Network
A network of programs that deliver at least some of their services in the homes of pregnant women and/or families with children younger than 5 years of age.
Alaska Children’s Trust
Alaska Children’s Trust is the statewide lead organization in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. It is our goal to ensure all Alaskan children and youth have the tools and resources necessary to grow up safe and healthy.
Alaska Center for Resource Families
Support for Alaska’s caregivers. Access the tools, training, and support you need to navigate your journey as a foster, adoptive, guardianship, or kinship family.
Strengthening Families
Strengthening Families™ is a research-informed, strength-based approach to helping families reduce stress, address risk factors, and promote healthy development.
Alaska Children's Justice Act Task Force
Identifying areas where improvement is needed in the statewide response to child maltreatment, making recommendations, and taking actions to improve the system.
More About the Services OCS Provides
Child Protective Services
The purpose of Child Protective Services (CPS) is to identify, treat, and reduce child abuse and neglect, as well as to ensure that reasonable efforts are made to protect and maintain children in their own homes.
The OCS staff provide protective services for children by:
Assisting families in diagnosing and resolving problems.
Investigating reports of harm.
Referring families to community resources.
Initiating legal intervention if children are unable to remain safely in their own homes.
Providing out-of-home placements and permanency planning when necessary
Community Care Licensing / Residential Licensing
The licensing of community care facilities is a preventive service that reduces predictable risks to the health, safety and well-being of children in out-of-home care. Licensing requirements establish acceptable standards of care, while the licensing and monitoring processes provide support and quality control services to the care providers.
OCS has statutory responsibility for the licensing of:
Foster Homes/Foster Group Homes.
Child placement agencies.
OCS may enter into an agreement with a local agency to evaluate and inspect community care foster homes.
Residential Care for Children and Youth
Residential care facilities provide treatment services within a therapeutic environment that is staffed 24 hours a day. Residential care facilities may offer short-term emergency shelter as well as more long-term residential treatment. Placement in a residential facility is for a specified period of time, and generally occurs only after less restrictive placement options have been found inappropriate or have been exhausted.
Child Protective Day Care
Child Protective Day Care services provide day care to children of families where the children are at risk of being abused or neglected. The services are designed to lessen that risk by providing child care relief, offering support to both the child and the parents, monitoring for occurring or reoccurring maltreatment, and providing role models for the parents.
Interstate Compact On The Placement Of Children (ICPC)
The Interstate Compact On The Placement of Children (ICPC) is a uniform law in all 50 States that establishes procedures for the interstate placement of children. The ICPC also places specific responsibilities on those involved in placing the children. The three principle goals of the ICPC are to:
Protect the children being placed.
Ensure that they receive the services they need.
Facilitate permanent placements for those children who are in state custody