Initial Report and Recommendations - Alaska Department of Law

oth the state and the federal governments explore options for increasing funding andsupport for the expansion of adolescent treatment programs. 106Evaluation data show that therapeutic courts in Alaska are effective in dealingwith substance abuse related offenses, 107 and it both commends the Alaska Court Systemfor supporting therapeutic courts and recommends that the Alaska Court System continueto expand the establishment of additional therapeutic courts in rural Alaska. The greateremphasis on a “medical model” in processing substance-abuse related offenses willcontinue to lower the rate of recidivism. 108The Commission has learned that when first-degree relatives provide foster carein their homes the state support that they receive is less than that received by more distantrelatives and strangers. 109 To remedy this situation the State should explore changes inregulations that would encourage relatives’ caring for children in need of aid. The Stateshould also implement a plan to establish more group homes for children who need suchservices. 110 A concentrated effort should be made to increase the number of group homesin rural Alaska, accompanied by more flexibility on the standards and designed to reflectcommunity values. Specialized training for group home parents and operators. 111There is also a need to increase the number of Alaska Native foster homes forAlaska Native children and to facilitate the pass-through of foster care subsidy paymentsfor foster care placements ordered by tribal courts. To help remedy this situation, theCommission recommends enactment of a state law similar to those portions of HB 193 orSB 125 that give the Commissioner of Health and Social Services the discretion to setappropriate standards for foster home placements and grant waivers in appropriatecircumstances, and which resolve problems with state liability issues. In the event thisbecomes law, the Commission recommends that the Alaska Department of Health andSocial Services consult with tribes over the foster care licensing standards. TheCommission further supports the enactment of federal legislation similar to that in S. 672,introduced in March 2005, allowing tribes to apply for and administer Title IV-E directlyfrom the federal government, while maintaining consistent funding levels for thestates. 112 Implementing this recommendation will serve the best interests of AlaskaNative children needing foster home placements by increasing the supply of suitablefoster homes in state child protection cases and by increasing the resources available tosupport tribally ordered foster care placements. 113106 Recommendation 36.107 See the Alaska Judicial Council’s evaluation of the therapeutic courts in Anchorage and Bethel athttp://www.ajc.state.ak.us/Reports/TherCt2004.pdf108 Recommendation 37.109 When children are placed in first-degree relatives’ homes, they have to apply for child-only TANFfunding which is considerably less than foster care funding, especially when there are multiple childrenin the home.110 Recommendation 38.111 Recommendation 39.112 In May 2001 Alfred Ketzler, Sr., CAO of the Tanana Chiefs Conference, Inc., provided testimony to theSenate Commission on Indian Affairs that articulates the Title IV-E problem very well and also makesadditional recommendations relevant to this Commission. His testimony can be read at the followingwebsite: http://indian.senate.gov/2001hrgs/alaska/ketzler.PDF113 Recommendation 40.Alaska Rural Justice and Law Enforcement Commission - Page 55