Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Alaska

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Voice: Plain, honest, practical. No false comfort. No condescension. She made a choice. Honor it and give her what she needs.

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Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Alaska | InmateAid

In Alaska, more than 16,000 children under the age of 18 are being raised by relative caregivers. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, family friends connected by blood or tribal custom -- the people who said yes when a parent could not. You are part of a population that is large enough in Alaska that the state and tribal organizations have built specific programs to support you.

You did not plan for this. You raised your children. You got to the other side of it. And then your child was incarcerated and the grandchildren needed somewhere to go. You said yes before you fully understood what yes would mean in a state where the distances are real, the winters are real, and the systems that are supposed to help are -- by their own court record -- not always delivering what they are required to deliver.

Alaska's Office of Children's Services (OCS) is currently under a federal class action lawsuit (Jeremiah M. v. Crum) for failing children in foster care, specifically including failing to support kinship caregivers and failing to pay relative caregivers the foster care maintenance payments to which they are entitled under federal law. If you are dealing with OCS and feel like you are not getting what you have been promised, you may be right. Know your rights. Ask questions. Get things in writing.

This article covers what Alaska offers kinship caregivers, what you need to do first, and what is specific to Alaska that grandparents in other states do not have to navigate.

If the Grandchildren Are Alaska Native: ICWA First

If the grandchildren have Alaska Native or American Indian heritage, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) applies and it changes the calculus significantly.

ICWA is a federal law enacted in 1978 to address the devastating history of Native children being removed from their families and communities and placed in non-Native institutions and foster homes. Under ICWA, when a Native child is subject to a child custody proceeding, the law requires that placement preference be given first to the child's extended family, then to members of the child's tribe, then to other Native families -- before any non-Native placement.

What this means for you as a grandparent or relative of an Alaska Native child: you have legal preference for placement under federal law. OCS is required to make diligent efforts to place the child with you before placing the child with a non-Native family. If OCS has not honored this preference in your case, contact the Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) or the child's tribe immediately.

If the children are Alaska Native, also contact their tribe or tribal organization directly. Alaska has hundreds of federally recognized tribes and many operate their own child welfare programs, TANF programs, and support services for family caregivers. The tribe may be the most effective first call you make.

Tribal custom adoption is also recognized in Alaska -- a legal pathway that formalizes the relationship between a caregiver and child in a way that is culturally grounded for Alaska Native families. Ask the tribe or a legal aid attorney about whether tribal custom adoption is appropriate for your situation.

Legal Authority: What It Is and How to Get It in Alaska

Without legal authority, you are an informal caregiver. In Alaska, as in other states, this means you cannot authorize medical care, enroll children in school on your own, or access most financial assistance programs without additional steps. The degree of difficulty depends on where you are in Alaska and what resources are accessible.

**Guardianship**

Guardianship in Alaska is established through the court -- typically the Superior Court. Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) can provide advice and limited representation in guardianship cases; they also assist with public benefits, housing, and healthcare issues for kin caregivers. The Alaska Court System Family Law Self-Help Center at courts.alaska.gov/shc/family provides resources for self-represented people navigating grandparent custody and visitation.

Guardianship gives you legal authority to make decisions for the children, enroll them in school, authorize medical care, and apply for benefits. Guardianship assistance payments may be available to relative caregivers who choose guardianship of children who were in OCS custody.

**Legal Custody**

Legal custody can be granted by the court and gives you similar authority to guardianship. It may be established through a different court with different standards than guardianship -- ask ALSC or a family law attorney which pathway is appropriate for your situation.

**Emergency Relief Support**

If OCS has placed children with you as an unlicensed relative, you may be eligible for emergency relief support payments at the time of placement to assist with immediate expenses. Contact the OCS special needs hotline immediately. Do not wait -- these payments are time-sensitive and require you to ask for them. OCS may not proactively offer them.

**What If You Are in a Remote Village?**

Alaska's geography is unlike any other state in this series. Many Alaska Native communities are in villages with no road access -- reachable only by small plane or boat. Filing for guardianship, accessing courts, attending hearings -- the barriers for rural and remote caregivers are substantial. Contact your tribal organization first. Many tribes have child welfare staff who can help navigate the state system. Alaska Legal Services Corporation has offices in multiple regions and may be able to assist remotely.

Money: What Alaska Offers Kinship Caregivers

**ATAP Child-Only Grant (Alaska Temporary Assistance Program)**

ATAP is Alaska's TANF program. If you are caring for grandchildren who did not come to you through OCS, you can apply for a child-only "adult not included" cash benefit through ATAP. This grant looks only at the child's income -- not yours. Grandparents, step-parents, step-siblings, and other relative caregivers are eligible. Children approved for ATAP child-only grants also receive Medicaid.

Apply at your local Division of Public Assistance office or online at myAlaska.

**Tribal TANF**

If the family is Alaska Native, the children's tribe or tribal organization may have its own TANF program separate from the state ATAP program. Tribal TANF programs are designed and operated by the tribe with flexibility to meet the needs of their specific community. Contact the tribal organization to ask whether a Tribal TANF program is available and what it provides. In some cases, Tribal TANF may offer more than the state program.

**Guardianship Assistance Payments**

If the children were in OCS custody and you have obtained or are seeking guardianship, guardianship assistance payments may be available. These are payments to support children who exit foster care into a kinship guardianship arrangement. Ask your OCS caseworker or contact ACRF (Alaska Center for Resource Families) about eligibility.

**Emergency Relief at Placement**

Unlicensed relatives are eligible for emergency relief support payments at the time of OCS placement. This is immediate assistance to cover costs at the moment the children arrive. Contact the OCS special needs hotline.

**Medicaid / Denali KidCare**

Alaska's Medicaid program for children is called Denali KidCare. Children in kinship care are generally eligible. Medicaid covers doctor visits, dental, prescriptions, mental health services, and vision. Apply through the Division of Public Assistance. Getting children enrolled in Denali KidCare is one of the first practical steps.

**SNAP (Food Assistance)**

Apply for SNAP through the Division of Public Assistance. The grandchildren's presence increases your household benefit.

**Social Security**

If the incarcerated parent was working before incarceration, the grandchildren may be eligible for Social Security dependent benefits. Call 1-800-772-1213. If a grandchild has a disability, SSI may be available based on the child's income and resources.

**VOA Alaska Kinship Care -- No Legal Custody Required**

One of the most important resources in Alaska for informal kinship caregivers: Volunteers of America Alaska's Kinship Care program. You do not need to be licensed or have legal custody to receive services. VOA Alaska provides:

- Care coordinators who work with you to create a collaborative support plan

- Limited funds to help pay for food, gas, household supplies, and clothing

- Respite care -- temporary relief for you as the caregiver

- Youth early intervention

- Home-based family services

- Individual and family therapy

- Connection to other services

Contact: info@voaak.org; Director of Family Services (907) 265-1905; Family Care Coordinators (907) 419-4537, (907) 419-4536, (907) 419-4672.

The fact that no legal custody is required means you can access VOA Alaska's support from the day the children arrive, before any court process begins. Use this.

Alaska Center for Resource Families (ACRF)

ACRF is contracted by OCS to provide training, resources, support groups, and family activities for relative and foster caregivers. Service areas include: Anchorage, Barrow, Bethel, Dillingham, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kotzebue, Nome, Palmer, and Sitka. If you live outside these hubs, call the nearest office.

ACRF has developed relationships with tribal nations across Alaska and offers training on culturally responsive approaches to permanency, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and interracial parenting for Alaska Native children. They work closely with VOA Alaska's kinship programs.

The Alaska Kinship Caregivers of Children Facebook group is a peer support community for relative caregivers including grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, stepparents, and those connected by tribal custom. The group is for caregivers only, not birth parents.

The School Question

If you have guardianship or legal custody, school enrollment is straightforward.

If you do not yet have legal authority, the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires schools to immediately enroll children who lack stable housing documentation, including children living with relatives due to a parent's incarceration. Ask the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison if the school creates barriers to enrollment.

For children with special education needs (IEPs or 504 plans), you will need legal authority or a signed parental authorization from the incarcerated parent to participate in planning meetings. An incarcerated parent in an Alaska DOC facility can sign documents through the facility's notary services.

For children in Alaska Native communities attending rural schools, contact the district or regional tribal education department for enrollment guidance.

Medical Authorization Before Court Paperwork Is Done

Without legal authority, routine medical care may be refused. Emergency care cannot be denied.

Get a notarized parental consent form from the incarcerated parent as quickly as possible. Alaska DOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager to arrange. This form handles routine medical authorization while you work through the court process.

Get the children's vaccination records, medical histories, and prescriptions from the parent or their previous provider.

Enroll the children in Denali KidCare (Alaska Medicaid) as soon as possible. The application does not require legal authority for the children; it requires proof of their identity and Alaska residency.

The Geography Problem

Alaska is the largest state in the country and most of its communities are not connected by road. If you are in a remote village and the grandchildren's parent is incarcerated at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward or Wildwood Correctional Complex in Kenai, the distance between you is not just miles -- it is a plane trip.

The distances affect everything: court hearings, OCS meetings, visiting the facility, accessing services in hub cities. What would be a 45-minute drive in another state is a flight and an overnight stay in Alaska.

This is not a problem with a simple answer. It is a reality that tribal organizations and ACRF work to address through remote services, phone consultations, and tribal child welfare staff. But it is a real weight that grandparents in remote Alaska carry that the article has to name.

If you are in a remote community: contact your tribal organization first and foremost. Tribes have experience navigating OCS on behalf of families in villages. They are your most effective first call.

What She Is Carrying That He Cannot See

When he went in, she absorbed everything he used to do. Every decision. Every bill. Every school meeting and sick child and broken heating system in an Alaska winter and form that needs a signature. Every night the house is quiet in a way that is not peace.

In Alaska, the winters are serious. In a remote village, the isolation is serious. The distances between where the children need services and where those services are available is serious. And she is managing the complicated feelings about her own child alongside all of this.

The children need her to be okay. She is allowed to need support. VOA Alaska's care coordinators, ACRF's support groups, and her tribal community are resources -- if she asks for them.

Talking to the Grandchildren About Where Their Parent Is

The children know something is wrong. Silence does not protect them; it leaves them to fill the quiet with imagination, which is usually worse than the truth.

Use simple, honest, age-appropriate language. For a young child: "Your dad made a mistake and he has to stay somewhere else while he learns from it. You are safe and I am here." For an older child: "Your mom is in prison. She did something against the law and a judge decided she needs to stay there for a while. She loves you. She is not in danger."

Do not make promises about when the parent will be home that you cannot keep. Let the children have their feelings without rushing to fix them. Keep the parent present in appropriate ways -- a photo, letters, calls when they are possible given the distance and phone system access.

Alaska DOC phone calls go through Securus Technologies. You control which numbers are on the approved list. The grandchildren's connection to their incarcerated parent is their relationship -- not a tool to reward or punish.

If the children show signs of grief or anxiety, connect them with the mental health services available through VOA Alaska or through Denali KidCare.

Your Relationship With Your Incarcerated Child

Your child is in prison. You are raising their children. The feelings are complicated and they do not have to resolve on anyone else's schedule.

You can love your child and be angry about what they did. You can want them home and be afraid of what happens when they get there. You can hold both things.

What the grandchildren need: to see that you are not punishing their parent through them. Their relationship with their incarcerated parent is theirs.

What you need: permission to have your own feelings without performing them for anyone. A support group, a therapist, a tribal elder, a trusted person who can sit with the complicated feelings alongside you.

What to Do First: A Practical Checklist

Establish legal authority. If OCS is involved, ask about guardianship assistance and emergency relief payments. If OCS is not involved, contact ALSC or the Alaska Court Self-Help Center for guardianship or legal custody guidance. Get a notarized parental consent from the incarcerated parent for immediate medical authorization.

If the children are Alaska Native, contact the tribe first. ICWA gives relatives legal preference for placement. The tribe may have Tribal TANF, child welfare staff, and resources specific to your community.

Contact VOA Alaska Kinship Care immediately. No legal custody required. (907) 419-4537. They can connect you with a care coordinator from day one.

Apply for ATAP child-only grant and Denali KidCare. Division of Public Assistance. Your income does not count for the child-only grant.

Apply for SNAP. Your household benefit increases with the children present.

Enroll the children in school using McKinney-Vento if you need to. Ask for the district's McKinney-Vento liaison.

Contact ACRF for training, support groups, and connection to services in your hub city. If you are in a remote village, call the nearest hub office.

Take care of yourself. VOA Alaska offers respite care. Use it.

FAQ

**What is VOA Alaska's Kinship Care program and do I need legal custody to access it?** No. Volunteers of America Alaska's Kinship Care program does not require legal custody or licensing. It provides care coordinators, limited funds for food and household necessities, respite care, family therapy, and early intervention services. Contact: (907) 419-4537 / 4536 / 4672 or info@voaak.org. This is the first call to make when the grandchildren arrive.

**What is ICWA and why does it matter?** The Indian Child Welfare Act is a federal law that gives placement preference to a Native child's extended family, tribal members, and other Native families when a child custody proceeding occurs. If the grandchildren are Alaska Native, you have legal preference for placement under federal law. OCS is required to honor this preference. If OCS has not, contact the child's tribe and Alaska Legal Services Corporation immediately.

**What is ATAP and can I apply without legal custody?** ATAP is Alaska's Temporary Assistance Program. You can apply for a child-only "adult not included" grant that looks only at the child's income, not yours. Apply at your local Division of Public Assistance office. Children approved for ATAP also receive Medicaid (Denali KidCare). If the children are Alaska Native, also ask about Tribal TANF through the tribal organization.

**What is emergency relief support and how do I get it?** If OCS placed the children with you as an unlicensed relative, you may be eligible for emergency relief support payments at the time of placement. Contact the OCS special needs hotline immediately. Do not wait for OCS to offer it -- ask for it.

**Can I enroll my grandchildren in school without custody papers?** Yes. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, schools must immediately enroll children who lack stable housing documentation, including children living with relatives due to a parent's incarceration. Ask for the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison if the school creates barriers.

**What is tribal custom adoption?** Tribal custom adoption is a legal pathway specific to Alaska that formalizes a caregiving relationship in a culturally grounded way for Alaska Native families. It is recognized under Alaska law and can establish the legal relationship between a grandparent or relative and a Native child. Ask your tribal organization or ALSC whether tribal custom adoption is appropriate for your situation.

**What resources exist for grandparents in remote Alaska villages?** Contact your tribal organization first -- tribes have child welfare staff and experience navigating OCS on behalf of families in villages. VOA Alaska can provide remote support. ACRF serves hub cities and remote communities can call the nearest hub. Alaska Legal Services Corporation can assist remotely. If courts are inaccessible, the tribal child welfare staff can help you understand your options.

[SPEC NOTE: Folder 1mWUamVufeanK-LZbmcw4rbPb7yRIWRSP. Internal CTAs: Alaska inmate search, send money, Alaska reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub. SOURCING: voaak.org/services/family/kinship/ (16,000+ children under 18 raised by relative caregivers in Alaska; VOA Alaska Kinship Care no legal custody or license required; care coordinators; limited funds food gas household supplies clothing; respite care; youth early intervention home-based family services individual family therapy; enroll by submitting registration form then care coordinator; info@voaak.org Director of Family Services 907-265-1905 Family Care Coordinators 907-419-4537/4536/4672); acrf.org/foster/relative-foster-care-and-kinship/ (emergency relief support for unlicensed relatives at time of placement OCS special needs hotline; Alaska kinship caregivers Facebook group grandparents aunts uncles siblings stepparents tribal custom caregivers only not birth parents; Beacon Hill Alaska nonprofit; VOA Alaska kinship no custody required); abetterchildhood.org/alaska (Jeremiah M v Crum class action June 25 2025 order; OCS failing foster care; kinship caregivers not supported not paid foster care maintenance payments entitled federal law; caseloads 3x national average; ICWA non-compliance Alaska Native children placed non-Native families); dfcs.alaska.gov/ocs/pages/icwa/ (OCS committed ICWA; Alaska Department of Family and Community Services; Tribal sovereignty; diligent compliance ICWA; Tribal compact Tribes locate relatives); grandfamilies.org Alaska fact sheet (ATAP child-only adult not included cash benefit step-parents step-siblings grandparents; Denali KidCare Medicaid for children; guardianship assistance payments for OCS children; ALSC advice representation adoption guardianship custody public benefits housing healthcare; ACRF OCS contracted training resources support groups Anchorage Barrow Bethel Dillingham Fairbanks Juneau Kenai Ketchikan Kotzebue Nome Palmer Sitka call nearest office if outside hubs); alaskalawhelp.org (ATAP child-only adult not included; OCS placement contact foster care supports available); acf.gov/ofa/programs/tribal/tribal-tanf (76 approved Tribal TANF programs; serve 285+ federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native villages; flexibility design welfare programs); courts.alaska.gov/shc/family (Family Law Self-Help Center grandparent custody visitation); tribal custom adoption Alaska-specific legal pathway; McKinney-Vento school enrollment; Alaska DOC Securus phone system; Denali KidCare Medicaid application Division of Public Assistance; SNAP Division of Public Assistance; Social Security 1-800-772-1213. NOTE for Poorwa: verify 16,000 children kinship care Alaska figure current per VOA Alaska; verify VOA Alaska Kinship Care phone numbers 907-419-4537/4536/4672 and info@voaak.org current; verify Director of Family Services 907-265-1905 current; verify ACRF hub city list current; verify Jeremiah M v Crum class action status ongoing; verify OCS emergency relief support for unlicensed relatives still available contact OCS special needs hotline; verify ATAP child-only grant caregiver income not counted still current; verify Denali KidCare still Medicaid program name for Alaska children; verify courts.alaska.gov/shc/family still active; verify tribal custom adoption still recognized in Alaska; verify Alaska DOC Securus phone provider; verify McKinney-Vento still applicable for school enrollment; len/character check before publish; verify meta description 157 chars.]