Alaska Kinship Caregiver Support Services and Resources

You Are Not the Only One Doing This Alone

About 15,306 grandparents in Alaska bear primary responsibility for a child in their care, and roughly 90% of kinship families operate entirely outside the foster care system. That means no caseworker, no state-assigned navigator, and no one walking you through the paperwork. The 2021 American Community Survey estimated that 12.0% of Alaska grandparents responsible for their coresident grandchildren lived in poverty, often on fixed Social Security or pension income.

Here are the organizations that can help — all free.

Legal Help

Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) provides free legal assistance for income-eligible Alaskans in civil matters including minor guardianship petitions, public benefit appeals, and family law questions. If you need help executing Form PG-701 or filing for court guardianship, start here.

Phone: 1-888-478-2572

Alaska Court System Family Law Self-Help Center offers free court forms (including PG-701 and the PG-600 guardianship packet), procedural instructions, and general guidance for people representing themselves. They cannot give legal advice, but they can explain the process and point you to the right forms.

Phone: 907-264-0851 (free call from an Alaska phone number outside the Municipality of Anchorage: 1-866-279-0851)

Office of Public Advocacy (OPA) handles public guardianship information and court-appointed attorney roles in child-in-need-of-aid (CINA) and mental health proceedings. If the child's situation involves OCS or the court system, OPA is a key contact.

Financial Assistance

Child-only ATAP (Alaska Temporary Assistance Program): A needy child living with a non-needy caretaker relative may qualify for cash assistance. DPA determines which people belong in the ATAP economic unit and whether their income and resources are available to the child. Caretaker relatives include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings. The program is administered by the Division of Public Assistance (DPA).

Denali KidCare: Free health insurance for qualifying children. In informal kinship arrangements, eligibility is based on household income under Medicaid rules; a relative caregiver's income is not counted simply because the child lives in their home. Apply through the Alaska Connect Portal or HealthCare.gov.

SNAP (food assistance): Include the child in your household SNAP application through the Alaska Connect Portal.

Free school meals: Children in a household receiving SNAP, FDPIR, or Alaska Temporary Assistance (ATAP) are categorically eligible; children who qualify as homeless under McKinney-Vento are also categorically eligible.

Community Resources

Alaska 211: A statewide information and referral line connecting kinship families to local community resources, food pantries, housing assistance, utility help, and emergency support.

Dial: 2-1-1 or call 1-800-478-2221

Tribal organizations: Alaska's tribal health organizations and village councils often provide family support services, including help with paperwork, referrals to legal resources, and culturally specific assistance. Contact your regional tribal organization or village council.

School McKinney-Vento liaisons: If the child's living situation resulted from a housing emergency or family crisis, the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison can help with immediate enrollment and connect you with additional services.

What These Resources Cannot Do

None of these organizations can sign PG-701 on a parent's behalf or bypass the requirement for a parent's signature. They cannot give you custody of a child. For legal authority, you need either a cooperating parent (for PG-701) or a court order (for guardianship).

For a step-by-step walkthrough of getting legal authority, enrolling the child in school, setting up medical consent, and connecting with financial assistance, see the School and Medical Consent for Grandparents and Relatives in Alaska guide.

See more Alaska guides →