Rural and remote Alaska communities are expected to gain easier access to fingerprinting required for foster-care placements through a new round of federal funding.
A $2.2 million initiative announced Thursday, Sept. 17 includes awards for the State of Alaska, Kawerak Inc., and Knik Tribe. Fourteen states, tribes, and child-welfare organizations nationally were selected for grants ranging from $54,000 to $200,000.
Mobile fingerprinting equipment and improvements to background-check systems are intended to reduce delays in licensing foster families and placing children with relatives, prospective adoptive parents, and other caregivers.
“By reducing delays and expanding access, we are improving outcomes for children and families and advancing our commitment to timely, safe placements,” Alaska Department of Family and Community Services commissioner Tracy Dompeling said in a prepared statement.
Federal officials did not identify the amount awarded to each Alaska recipient or specify how many communities will receive new equipment.
Kawerak is a Nome-based nonprofit tribal consortium serving communities throughout the Bering Strait region. Its board includes representatives of 20 federa...