NASW Alaska | The Alaska Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers

Child welfare has been a purview of social work since the beginning of our profession. Most cases of abuse and neglect are related to substance abuse.

Culturally Competent Services

In Alaska, over 60% of all children in state custody are Alaska Native yet very few workers are Native. Federal law (Indian Child Welfare Act) requires that the Office of Children’s Services-Child Protective Service (OCS-CPS) work closely with tribes of Native children to ensure cultural continuity. Working with the cultural community of each child, regardless of ethnicity, is the only practice that makes sense when a child’s welfare is concerned. OCS-CPS has some contractual agreements with Native non-profits and Tribes to conduct some services on its behalf.

Over 75% of the remote tribal villages of the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta and other regions of Alaska have very limited or nonexistent public safety. Public safety programs were cut along with basic community services when the city match funding program’s was discontinued. Without public safety, tribal/state child protection team building has come to a standstill. Indian Child Welfare workers and their community-developed teams no longer feel safe and supported and are compelled to wait for outside State assistance (OCS and Alaska State Troopers), which often means dangerous delays to child and family safety and the loss of empowerment to the tribal entity and community. Support for village public safety programs is critical to child protection teambuilding in tribal village communities and vital to adhering to the federal Indian Child Welfare Act if 1978. NASW Alaska Chapter supports public policy that strengthens the abilities of Tribes to provide direct child welfare services to their members and that strengthens the cultural competence of state CPS workers.

Workforce Development

The Office of Children’s Services-Child Protective Service (OCS-CPS) has been given new positions to fill in the past few years, but a recent workforce analysis recommends an additional 19 workers. Qualified new workers are hard to find; CPS competes with private behavioral health and healthcare organizations that offer more attractive pay and benefits for lower caseloads with less personal risk. CPS needs to offer competitive pay and benefits in order to hire qualified new workers and keep them in their jobs, but cannot do so under current personnel/administrative constraints. NASW Alaska Chapter supports public policy that increases pay and benefits of CPS workers to make the positions competitive with private behavioral health and healthcare organizations.

Most CPS workers have not been employed in the child protection field before their hire at OCS-CPS. Alaska requires 10 days of training for new workers in the first two months of employment. By contrast, most rural states and western states require a minimum of three weeks and a maximum of seven. Expanded training enables CPS workers to develop some competence in the laws and policies they are required to implement, as well as cultural and clinical competence to assist the families they serve. CPS funds training through the University with federal Title IV-E funds. Some states supplement federal dollars with state funds to support adequate training. Many states with tribal communities integrate their training programs to include tribal and CPS partners. The State of Alaska has 227 federally recognized tribes who are partners in the child protection and family safety issues of their members. Combined training opportunities promote child safety and family health and understanding between agencies on how to work together, which improves efficiency and effectiveness as well as helping to meet federal standards outlined in ICWA 1978 and ASFA of 1997. NASW Alaska Chapter supports public policy that increases the number of days of training for CPS workers in their first few months.

A National Perspective

NASW will continue to support a strong federal role in child welfare and adequate funding for child welfare programs, including training and technology programs. NASW will concentrate its efforts on promoting policies that protect the best interests of children, including the use of qualified staff and reasonable workloads that permit adequate contact with children, parents, grandparents, and their families. During the 110th Congress, NASW will focus specifically on legislative proposals to create a well-trained, competent, and stable child welfare workforce and to protect and improve federal child welfare training programs.