Alaska foster care and adoption guidelines

Thank you for your interest in learning more about foster care and adoption in Alaska. The information below on adoption refers to adopting a child from the US foster care system.

State contact information

For information on how to become a foster or adoptive parent, contact the Alaska Center for Resource Families by calling 800-478-7307 or 907-479-7307, or by using the AdoptUSKids request to be contacted form.

Foster and adoption licensing requirements

Children of all ages and descriptions need families to come forward and foster or adopt them. To meet this need, Alaska is looking for all kinds of families. What is most important to these children who wait is to be placed with a family who will nurture them, who will advocate for them, and who will not give up on them.

Foster care

Foster parents provide a temporary home for children who, for one reason or another, have been removed by the court from the care of their birth parents. These children are placed in the temporary care of the Alaska Office of Children’s Services while their parents are given the opportunity to complete the court-ordered services that will allow the children to be returned home. Most children who enter foster care return to their birth parents. In some cases, the birth family is not able to successfully complete services, and the court terminates their parental rights. In these cases, the children need adoptive families, and their foster family has the option of being considered. View more information about fostering in Alaska.

Adoption

Adoption is when a child permanently, and legally, joins your family.

Who can foster and adopt in Alaska

You can be single, married, or in a committed relationship. You can own your own home or rent. You can have parented before or be new to parenting. You don’t have to have a large income. Families are sought on the basis of their ability to successfully parent a child and not on their race, ethnicity, culture, income, age, marital status, religion, appearance, or lifestyle.

How to foster and adopt in Alaska

In Alaska, in order to provide foster care or adopt a child from the foster care system, you must complete an orientation class and training, which is called CORE Training for Resource Families. The orientation and the CORE class is the same for foster parents, adoptive parents, and relative and kinship foster placements (people who are caring for children who are related to them and in foster care).

Orientation

The orientation session runs 1.5 hours and presents an overview about the system and the process of foster care licensing and adopting a child from the foster care system. Sessions are offered monthly via Zoom and telephone, please refer to the Heart Gallery adoption orientation.

If there isn't an orientation in your geographic area, you can contact the center at 800-478-7307 or 907-479-7307 to register for one of the three options below:

Monthly telephone orientation
Web-based orientation
Self-study orientation course

CORE training for resource families

Many communities offer this class at a central location where travel might be required. Some rural communities use a self-study workbook instead, which is available through the Alaska Center for Resource Families.

When CORE training is available, it is offered once a week for three hours over six weeks. The session topics include:

Session 1: Introduction to the Office of Children Services and the Role of the Resource Family

Session 2: The Impact of Child Abuse and Neglect

Session 3: Separation, Grief, and Attachment

Session 4: Appropriate Discipline and Positive Parenting

Session 5: Birth Families and Cultural Considerations

Session 6: Reunification and Transition

Session 7: Optional Session for Those Interested in Adoption

Resource family application

Once you fill out the licensing application and send it back, the process for licensing starts and includes a home visit and background checks.

The home study

After you have completed orientation and the CORE training, the next step is the home study. A home study is both a process that allows a family and their adoption agency to exchange information and get to know one another in a written document.

If you are currently licensed and have a child in your home that is being considered for adoption, a regional adoption specialist with the Alaska Office of Children's Services or your social worker can refer you for a home study. There are also private home study writers who can complete the home study document, but you will need to pay for it yourself. If you keep your receipts, you may be able to have some of the cost of the home study reimbursed when you adopt a child from the foster care system through the Alaska Office of Children's Services.

The private agencies listed below may be able to provide an adoption home study for a family. Families who are interested in adopting through a private agency should contact one of the agencies below and inquire about their programs, services, and fees or ask their regional adoption specialist for a list of private home study writers.

Holt International

Adoption and legal guardianship through OCS

Adoption-only families: Even if you are not going through the recommended foster licensing process, all potential adoptive families are asked to complete the CORE Training for Resource Families.

Foster families: All potential foster families are required to complete the CORE training. When you successfully complete orientation and CORE classes, you will become a licensed foster family. During your first licensing year, you will have a provisional license. After your first successful year as a foster parent, your license status will change to biennial status. This means that your renewal of your license will take place every two years.

Costs to foster and adopt

There are fees for an adoptive home study only when it's completed by a private home study writer. If you keep your receipts, you may be able to have some of the cost of the home study and other expenses reimbursed when you adopt a child from the foster care system through the Alaska Office of Children's Services.

If a family goes on to adopt a child from foster care in another State, the family may still be eligible for reimbursement from the child's State or federal options of some adoption-related costs such as attorney’s fees and court fees.

There are no fees for becoming a foster parent in Alaska.

Agency and parent support group contacts

For information on how to become a foster or adoptive parent in Alaska or to sign up for an orientation class, contact the Heart Gallery adoption orientation. You can also find information on parent support groups in different regions through the Alaska Center for Resource Families.

Information for Alaska Native families

If you're a member of a tribal or native corporation, you can contact the Alaska Office of Children's Services or your tribal social services department. If you're interested, some corporations have their own foster care programs and would welcome your interest in becoming a tribal foster home.

Upcoming events

View information about upcoming events and useful links from the Alaska Center for Resource Families.

Post-adoption support services

Locate post-adoption and guardianship support services in Alaska, including parent support groups.

Information on Alaska's waiting children

There are 2,939 children in foster care in Alaska. Of these children, 866 are waiting for adoptive families.

Meet Alaska's waiting children through the:

Heart Gallery of Alaska