Alaska Transfers Child Welfare Services for Native Alaskans to Tribes [chronicleofsocialchange.org]

In Alaska, a coalition of tribal governments has now begun to assume responsibility for offering some child welfare services to Alaska Native children.

The Alaska Tribal Child Welfare Compact, which was signed into law in October 2017 by Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I), allows 18 Alaska tribes to provide child welfare services with the goal of reducing the disproportionate number of Native children in foster care in the state.

Previously, these services were managed solely through the state’s Office of Children’s Services (OCS). This compact between the government and tribal organizations is the first of its kind in the United States, officials say.

[For more on this story by Sara Tiano, go to https://chronicleofsocialchang...kans-to-tribes/30006]