Designated Placement Requirements for LGBTQI+ Children & Support in Alaska

Designated Placement Requirements for LGBTQI+ Children

The Department must ensure there are designated placements for all LGBTQI+ children who request or would benefit from A designated placement MUST: Be free of harassment, mistreatment, or abuse Establish an environment that supports the child s status or identity Facilitate access to age or developmentally appropriate resources and activities. Be trained with appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the child s needs related to orientation or gender Training must reflect evidence and research about the impacts of rejection, discrimination, and stigma on the safety and wellbeing of LGBTQI+ children and include information for providers about professional standards recommended practices that promote safety and wellbeing of LGBTQI+ children

- When placing a LGBTQI+ child, must give substantial weight to the childs expressed concerns or requests and consult with them. - To promote child stability, must consider if services and training would allow the current provider to become a Designated Placement. If so, must use case review system to monitor progress towards designations. -Must implement a process for LGBTQI+ children to request a Designated Placement or request their current placement to be offered service sand training to become one.

- Must implement a process for LGBTQI+ children to report concerns. -Must have procedure to address retaliation. -Must ensure LGBTQI+ children have access to services.

Notice of Requirements Notice of availability of Designated Placements and the ability to request that services be offered must be provided to: All children 14+ Children under 14 who: Removed from home in part due to familial conflict about sexual orientation or identity, or Have disclosed their LGBTQI+ identity or the identity is otherwise known to the agency. Must be provided in an age-appropriate manner both verbally and in writing Must inform how they may request a Designated Placement or services for their current placement. Must inform of non-retaliation protections.

LGBTQ+ resources available in Alaska: - Choosing Our Roots: COR is a non-profit organization that works to address homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth in Alaska. They identify and place youth in homes and provide wrap-around services to those families. COR is based out of Anchorage but works in and serves communities throughout Alaska. http://www.choosingourroots.org/ ** This is not a comprehensive list. - Identity Health Clinic: Identity accepts Medicaid and offers therapy, medication management, and primary health care to Alaska s LGBTQ+ community. They also offer telehealth services and a virtual Q Club for youth that meets once a week. https://identityalaska.org/programs/identityhealthclinic/ - Identity Inc.: Their website has a resources tab that includes LGBTQ+ affirming churches and religious spaces, resources for parents/guardians of LGBTQ+ youth, crisis and support hotlines, and a list of LGBTQ+-affirming health providers and counselors statewide. https://identityalaska.org/ - Koru Counselling Services: KCS is based out of Juneau but provides gender-affirming therapy via telehealth statewide. They also host a monthly support group for transgender and gender-expansive people. Koru does not accept Medicaid, but uses a sliding-scale payment and has worked with youth in OCS custody before. https://www.margiethomsoncounseling.com/

OCS Specific Policy and Procedure: - Is not required to be implemented until 2026. - What questions do you have as OCS works on our policy?

Thank you Nikki Maidl Social Services Program Officer: Foster Care Licensing, Background Check Program, and Team Decision Making Nikki.Maidl@alaska.gov