Alaska Foster Care Travel Permission, License Renewal, and Biennial Status

Two questions come up repeatedly among licensed Alaska foster parents once they have their first placement: "Can I take the kids to visit family in Seattle?" and "How do I keep my license current?" Both questions have straightforward answers — but the answers involve steps that are easy to miss if nobody told you about them at orientation.

Out-of-State Travel with a Foster Child

Travel with a child in care should be reported to OCS before the trip. OCS guidance uses the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard for travel decisions; formal approval is required in specified circumstances, including when travel interferes with family contact, four or more consecutive school days, medical or mental-health scheduling, or out-of-country travel. For any out-of-state trip, submit the request at least four weeks in advance and ask the assigned and licensing workers what approval path applies.

What you should do before a planned out-of-state trip:

1. Notify your assigned and licensing workers in writing of the travel dates, destination, and travelers.
2. Ask whether formal OCS approval, court action, or ICPC is required for this child and trip.
3. Submit the request at least four weeks ahead. International travel should be requested at least eight weeks ahead; a passport may require up to ten weeks. Do not rely on informal permission.
4. Carry the child's Medicaid card, medications, and placement or legal-status documents.

Caseworkers manage large caseloads — some Anchorage workers carry double the legal limit of 13 cases — and last-minute travel requests can be difficult to process.

Domestic Travel Within Alaska

For in-state travel, notify OCS and submit requests at least 14 days in advance. Whether formal approval is required depends on the trip's length and effect on family contact, school, or medical needs; ask the worker.

If a child's birth parent or relative lives in the community you are visiting, OCS needs to know. Unplanned contact between a foster child and a birth parent — especially contact that was not part of the court-ordered visitation plan — can create significant complications.

Alaska Foster Care Biennial License Status

Alaska uses provisional licenses during the first year (and for emergency conditions); a biennial license is issued after the first year when standards are met and is valid two years. The "biennial" label means your license must be actively renewed every two years, not that it automatically converts to some different category of license at that point.

During the two-year license period, OCS continues to monitor your home through regular caseworker visits, ongoing training requirements, and any licensing investigations that may arise. Maintaining your license in good standing throughout the two years is the condition for renewal.

License Renewal Process

OCS sends a renewal application at least 120 days before biennial expiration; submit it 90 days before expiration if continuing. Upon receipt, the licensing worker schedules a home inspection and review. This includes:

Updated background checks. The renewal uses a new application and the licensing worker will identify what updated clearances and records are required. All household members aged 16 and older must continue to meet clearance requirements.

Home re-inspection. OCS conducts another physical inspection of your home to confirm it continues to meet all standards under 7 AAC 67.

Training verification. Your licensing worker confirms that you have met your annual training hour requirements under your Individual Training Plan. Standard licensed homes must complete 10 to 15 hours annually. Therapeutic foster parents must complete up to 30 hours annually. Gaps in training history are addressed before renewal is approved.

Updated home study. If significant changes have occurred in your household — new household members, major changes in employment, health changes — OCS updates the relevant portions of your home study.

If a child is not placed with you within one year of your original home study completion, OCS requires a written update to the home study, including at least one additional home visit. This applies during the license period even before renewal — it keeps your file current in case a placement becomes available.

If Your License Is Flagged During a Renewal

A licensing investigation that remains open or unresolved at the time of renewal creates a complication. Ask the licensing worker how an open investigation or enforcement action affects renewal. Your license is subject to due process and applicable appeal deadlines.

The Alaska Foster Care Licensing Guide covers the renewal checklist in full, including how to track training hours across the two-year cycle, what the re-inspection focuses on, and how to handle the bureaucratic coordination of simultaneous renewal and active placement.

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