In 2019, a judge ruled against foster youth in a case where the Office of Children’s Services had been applying for benefits children were entitled to and putting that money into the OCS budget.
"Alaska Office of Children's Services"
Class-action lawsuit says state is failing Alaska foster kids
Lawyers for the 13 child plaintiffs claim the state has known about widespread foster care problems for years but hasn’t addressed them.
The COVID-19 pandemic is leaving more children in Alaska’s foster care system without stable homes
The number of children in Alaska’s foster care system has been pretty stable during the pandemic, but the number of foster homes has declined dramatically.
State foster care agencies take millions of dollars owed to children in their care
At least 10 state foster care agencies hire for-profit companies to obtain millions of dollars in Social Security benefits intended for the most vulnerable children in state care each year, according to a review of hundreds of pages of contract documents.
Ombudsman reports show failures by children’s services
Out-going state Ombudsman Linda Lord-Jenkins said the cases show that in the foster care system, failing to complete administrative tasks can have long-term impacts.
The ups and downs of raising 3 children with FASD
“Sometimes I would love to wear a shirt that says, ‘My child has FASD. Don’t judge us,'” says mother Diane Lohrey.
Alaska’s youth advocate foster care reform at Capitol
Members of the Alaska Youth Policy Summit shared traumatic stories of drug abuse, foster care and mental illness with state legislators on Tuesday.