A relative is defined as an individual who is related to another by blood, adoption, marriage, or Tribal custom. The Office of Children’s Services strives to keep children close to their families and their culture when out-of-home placement is necessary. When placing a child, OCS makes efforts to identify extended family members or relatives who are able to care for the child as the first preferred placement resource to the child. Relatives may choose to be licensed or provide unlicensed care.
Relative care keeps children connected to their family and cultural heritage and may decrease the grief and separation anxiety a child feels in out-of-home care. There are many state statutes and federal mandates that require placements with relatives whenever possible. See Chapter 21, Legal Considerations.
Relative care is unique to other types of care in that you already have an established role or relationship with the child and his/her family. When you become a relative caregiver your relationship with the child and his/her parents may change. A relative caregiver is expected to meet the child’s basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, supervision and protection. Relative caregivers must encourage and supervise school attendance, participate in teacher conferences, and keep the child’s assigned worker informed about special education needs. The relative caregiver will work with the child’s assigned worker to arrange for the child’s medical, dental, and counseling appointments.
Relative caregivers provide guidance, set a good example, and allow as many positive experiences for the child as possible. The assigned worker will inform you of the established family contact plan, no additional contacts or unsupervised contact is permitted without assigned worker approval.
You may be asked to supervise contacts between the children and their parents or other extended family. Because of these expectations, the child’s parents or other family members may view you differently. The child’s parent may not understand that by supporting the case plan and working with the assigned worker you are supporting them as well.
The relative caregiver may experience conflicting loyalties due to:
The relative caregiver must be able to manage these conflicts to support the child and parents to achieve the case plan goals. The relative caregiver must be able to cooperate with the assigned worker and child’s parents.
Relative resource parents must:
Relative resource families face a special challenge. The parent of the child may be your sister, brother, daughter, or son. Your relatives may ask you to bend the rules when it comes to visits or not sharing information with the assigned worker. The child’s parent may accuse you of trying to turn the child against them or may try to turn the child against you.
As a relative resource family, you have a legal responsibility to follow the child’s case plan and the family contact plan. Talk to our assigned worker if you have difficulties in meeting the expectations or activities in the plans.
OCS works first to reunify children with their parents/caregivers. When that is not possible, other permanency goals are considered in an effort to meet the child’s best interests, such as:
As the relative currently caring for the child, you may be asked to care for the child on a permanent basis through adoption or guardianship. It is important that all members of your family are included when making this decision.
When you agree to care for a relative in OCS custody, you may receive assistance in one of the following ways to help with the additional costs to your family:
The children may be eligible for assistance through the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program (ATAP), or a Native Family Assistance Program (NFAP). You may apply for ATAP or NFAP through the Division of Public Assistance when your relative child starts living with you. Public assistance payments can help with food, housing, clothing and school costs for the children. Most children on public assistance are also eligible for Medicaid, or free or reduced school lunches.
You may choose to apply to become a licensed foster home and receive reimbursements for providing care to a child in state’s custody. Relatives who want to be licensed to care for family members must follow the same licensing standards as all other licensed resource families.
A Request for Funds (RFF) can be requested by the assigned worker on a case-by-case basis and assessed as necessary and must be consistent with the child’s case plan.
The purpose of the emergency relief support program is to provide time-limited financial support to relatives identified by blood, adoption, marriage or Tribal custom. The payments are designed to support families in a crisis situation until they can complete the foster care licensing process or find another option to support the children in care. Unlicensed relatives may pursue licensure; however, those related within the 5th degree may choose to pursue benefits through Department of Public Assistance Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Alaska Temporary Assistance Program (ATAP), instead of licensure for ongoing financial support for caring for a child in OCS custody. Families requesting monetary assistance will receive a monthly support payment in the amount of $500.00 per child, per placement provider while they are pursuing licensing or public/Tribal assistance programs for up to two months. The emergency relief support payment is to financially assist the family in purchasing food, clothing and other items in order to help maintain the placement until the family can begin receiving foster care payments or TANF/ATAP benefits.
The Special Needs Hotline is a resource that’s available to all resource families throughout a child’s time in OCS custody. Covering a broad range of commodities from immediate needs—such as emergency beds and clothing vouchers—to long-term needs like extracurricular activities, the Special Needs Hotline is here to help. Additionally, the hotline can assist families who experience damage or loss of property, as well as researching complex problems like past due medical bills.
More details are available in the Special Needs Hotline brochure in the folder you received when your foster child was placed, but resource families are welcome to contact the Special Needs Hotline using the information below:
Telephone: 1-855-60-FUNDS
Email: fcs.ocs.special.needs.hotline@alaska.gov
Monday – Friday: 8:00-4:30