The federal government's dereliction allows states to fall short on meeting minimum child welfare standards. Below is information specific to Alaska.

CFSR Results Summary: In its Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) process, HHS determines whether each state is in substantial conformity with 7 specific outcomes (pertaining to the areas of safety, permanency and family and child well-being) and 7 systemic factors (relating to the quality of services delivered to children and families and the outcomes they experience).  In the first two rounds of the CFSR, HHS has concluded that Alaska was:

Round 1 (2003)

• NOT in substantial conformity with 7 of the 7 Outcomes
• NOT in substantial conformity with 4 of the 7 Systemic Factors

Round 2 (2008)   

• NOT in substantial conformity with 7 of the 7 Outcomes
• NOT in substantial conformity with 6 of the 7 Systemic Factors

Although federal law mandates that any state found not to be operating in substantial conformity during an initial or subsequent review must begin a full review within two years after approval of the state's program improvement plan, HHS has announced that Alaska will not undergo Round 3 of the CFSR until FY 2017 (see CFSR Technical Bulletin #7 (March 2014)).

Documents from the U.S. Health & Human Services Children's Bureau

• Child and Family Services Review Reports and Results
  
  
  • Alaska Performance Improvement Plan, 2009 (Round 2)
  • Final Report: Alaska Child and Family Services Review, Feb. 2008 (Round 2)
  • Alaska Performance Improvement Plan, 2003 (Round 1)
  • Final Report: Alaska Child and Family Services Review, Sept. 2002 (Round 1)
• Title IV-E State Reports and Program Improvement Plans (PIPs)
  
  
  • Initial Primary (FY 2003)
  • Primary Review (FY 2006)
  • PIP
  • Secondary Review (FY 2009)
  • Subsequent Primary Review (FY 2012)
  • PIP
• Other Documents / Reports
  
  
  • Alaska AFCARS Assessment Review (2011)
  • Alaska section from HHS' Child Welfare Outcomes, 2009-2012, Report to Congress

Child Welfare In the News*

• Does Alaska's foster care system need reform? (Includes video) (KTVA Alaska - December 10, 2014) Is Alaska's foster care system broken? It's easy to think so when you hear the latest numbers. In Alaska, nearly one child out of every 100 is in foster care, which is twice the national average.
• Foster Youth, Jail, Homeless, Education Numbers: A Call for Attention (Alaska Native News - December 10, 2014) Wednesday, two former foster youth, Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) and foster care advocate Amanda Metivier, released sobering numbers for the growing number of Alaska youth in foster care. They are also calling for attention to the over 2,400 foster youth for which the state is the legal guardian. Also: Alaska Rep. Les Gara speaks about homelessness among foster youth
• Alaska foster children, parents need more help (Opinion) (Alaska Dispatch - November 03, 2014) There are about 2,200 hurt children in the foster care system right now and it is a shame to lose an experienced and committed foster parent like Marvell Johnson.
• East Anchorage homicide sparks concern over foster care system (Includes video) ( KTVA - October 08, 2014) The death of radio host Marvell Johnson hits close to home, especially for the youth who once lived under his roof. That homicide is the second murder this year where a foster child is accused of killing a foster parent, which makes foster care advocates worry that these uncommon deaths have shed a terrible light on the system.
• Child-protection law has a loophole that puts newborns in danger (Opinion) (Alaska Dispatch News - September 02, 2014) If a mother has a child removed and is unable or unwilling to take the steps needed to make the home safe, she often will just replace the child taken with a new baby and start the process all over again.
• Foster Care Numbers Spike, Need for Laptops Rises (Alaska Native News - June 26, 2014) In just over a year the number of youth in out of home care has increased by 200, to over 2,000 Alaskans in our foster care system.
  

*news summaries taken from daily newsfeed service of HHS' Child Welfare Information Gateway