Alaska Selects Automated Child Welfare Information System

JUNEAU, Alaska -- Alaska has chosen a child welfare management system from American Management Systems. The system will provide 450 social workers spread across 33 geographically dispersed locations with the ability to instantly share information on the more than 10,000 child abuse and neglect cases that are investigated annually. The contract, valued at $8.5 million, was signed with Alaska's Office of Children's Services (OCS).

The new system, called the Online Resources for the Children of Alaska (ORCA), will allow social workers to access case records in real-time and to utilize electronically based scheduling for appointments, family conferences and court hearings. Operational efficiencies will also be achieved with ORCA through the consolidation of seven separate databases into a single integrated system, eliminating many paper-based processes and reducing delays in payments to foster parents and service providers.

Scheduled to be complete by September 2004, ORCA will also enable the state to channel information more effectively to federal reporting programs such as the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS).