The Department of Law plays an important role in helping social workers achieve their mission of protecting children by preventing and remedying repeated abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
When children are placed in such peril that the state takes custody of them away from their parents, a complex set of laws comes into play to ensure the child will receive the care, guidance, treatment, and control that will promote the child’s welfare. AS 47.10.005.
These laws govern the rights of the parents, rights of tribal entities, rights of foster parents, grand parents, the rights of the child, and the best interest of the child. The laws set deadlines when certain mandated court hearings must occur. They set deadlines on how long parents may try and correct problems that endanger their children, and mandate when the state must move to terminate parental rights in order to free the child for adoption or guardianship. The goal of child-in-need-of-of-aid proceedings is always to get the child into a safe, permanent home, in an expeditious manner.
The Department of Law represents the state in these cases. We take pride in our efforts to protect the health and safety of our children.
Important! If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected please call the Child Abuse Hotline at 1.800.478.4444. A child's safety may be dependent upon you.
