Show 19: Foster Care in Alaska

IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Joining host Shana Sheehy to talk about the foster care system in Alaska are guests Representative Les Gara, Travis Erickson, Anchorage regional manager for the Office of Children's Services and Amanda Metivier of Facing Foster Care in Alaska.

The conversation focuses primarily on new state legislation concerning foster care that went into effect on January 1, 2011 and how it will affect the nearly 2,000 children currently in care The new legislation increases the age-out age from 18 to 21 and mandates that children be allowed to remain at the same school if their home placement should change. The bill (HB 126) also establishes a mentoring program, provides funds for additional Independent Living Program staff and funds to assist the 40% of aged-out youth who become homeless upon leaving foster care. The legislation increases funds for scholarships and job training and allocates funds for increased public awareness about the need for foster parents, especially those that are Alaska Native, as in the video PSA below.

FOSTER CARE RESOURCES:

• Facing Foster Care in Alaska, FFCA's Facebook and MySpace
• Alaska Office of Children's Services
• Foster care statistics for Alaska
• Extensive list of helpful links from OCS

FEATURED STORIES: In Alaska, 62% of the kids in state custody are Alaska Native – well above their proportion of the state’s population as a whole. With so many Native children in custody, it’s hard to talk about foster care in Alaska without talking about ICWA. ICWA is the Indian Child Welfare Act; it was passed by Congress in 1978 to try to keep Indian and Native children connected with their tribes and their culture if they had to enter the state-run child welfare systems. As contributor Jessica Cochran reports, more than thirty years since the Act was passed, meeting its goals is still a challenge. (List of ICWA Specialists by Region)

Two young Alaskans who have spent most of their childhoods in foster care tell of the ups and downs of being a "foster kid." Producer Sarah Gonzales spoke with twenty-one-year-old Kyle who is struggling to find his way on his own after leaving the foster care system, and with seventeen-year-old Tia who shares her candid thoughts about what makes for a loving and supportive foster home.

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