2023 Alaska Statutes › Title 47. Welfare, Social Services, and Institutions › Chapter 10. Children in Need of Aid › Article 1. Children's Proceedings. › Sec. 47.10.084. Legal custody, guardianship, and residual parental rights and responsibilities.

(a) When a child is committed under AS 47.10.080(c)(1) to the department, released under AS 47.10.080(c)(2) to the child's parents, guardian, or other suitable person, or committed to the department or to a legally appointed guardian of the person of the child under AS 47.10.080(c)(3), a relationship of legal custody exists. This relationship imposes on the department and its authorized agents or the parents, guardian, or other suitable person the responsibility of physical care and control of the child, the determination of where and with whom the child shall live, the right and duty to protect, nurture, train, and discipline the child, the duty of providing the child with food, shelter, education, and medical care, and the right and responsibility to make decisions of financial significance concerning the child. These obligations are subject to any residual parental rights and responsibilities and rights and responsibilities of a guardian if one has been appointed. When a child is committed to the department and the department places the child with the child's parent, the parent has the responsibility to provide and pay for food, shelter, education, and medical care for the child. When parental rights have been terminated, or there are no living parents and no guardian has been appointed, the responsibilities of legal custody include those in (b) and (c) of this section. The department or person having legal custody of the child may delegate any of the responsibilities under this section, except authority to consent to marriage, adoption, and military enlistment may not be delegated. For purposes of this chapter, a person in charge of a placement setting is an agent of the department.
(b) When a guardian is appointed for the child, the court shall specify in its order the rights and responsibilities of the guardian. The guardian may be removed only by court order. The rights and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, having the right and responsibility of reasonable visitation, consenting to marriage, consenting to military enlistment, consenting to major medical treatment, obtaining representation for the child in legal actions, and making decisions of legal or financial significance concerning the child.
(c) When there has been transfer of legal custody or appointment of a guardian and parental rights have not been terminated by court decree, the parents shall have residual rights and responsibilities. These residual rights and responsibilities of the parent include, but are not limited to, the right and responsibility of reasonable visitation, consent to adoption, consent to marriage, consent to military enlistment, consent to major medical treatment except in cases of emergency or cases falling under AS 25.20.025, and the responsibility for support, except if by court order any residual right and responsibility has been delegated to a guardian under (b) of this section. In this subsection, “major medical treatment” includes the administration of medication used to treat a mental health disorder.
(d) When the child is placed in foster care, the foster parent has the right and responsibility to use a reasonable and prudent parent standard to make decisions relating to the child. The foster parent may make decisions under (a) or (b) of this section that include decisions relating to the child's participation in age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate activities, including travel, sports, field trips, overnight activities, and extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities. The department shall provide foster parents with training regarding the reasonable and prudent parent standard. In this subsection, “reasonable and prudent parent standard” means a standard characterized by careful and sensible decisions to maintain the health, safety, and best interests of the child while encouraging the emotional and developmental growth of the child.