Opinion ID: 6348794
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Background And Initial Contact With OCS

Text: Mona is the mother of Anders (born in 2013) and Vera (born in 2015),1 who are “Indian children” as defined by ICWA.2 Mona is no longer in a relationship 1 Pseudonyms are used to protect the family’s privacy. 2 25 U.S.C. § 1903(4) (defining an “Indian child” as “any unmarried person who is under age eighteen and is either (a) a member of an Indian tribe or (b) is eligible (continued...) -2- 7598 with the children’s father, Jared, who voluntarily relinquished his parental rights at the termination trial. OCS first became involved with Mona’s family in December 2016, after she repeatedly asked a nonprofit family support center to help her with her children. In January 2017 Mona met with an OCS worker at an Anchorage domestic violence shelter. She explained that she lacked reliable family support in Anchorage, was taking medication for depression and anxiety, and was feeling overwhelmed. Anders had been behaving aggressively, which Mona attributed to his exposure to domestic violence, and Vera had begun copying his misbehavior. OCS offered Mona resources, including a bus pass to help her get to appointments, but Mona declined the offer. Mona sought OCS’s help again the next day, seeking a temporary alternative caregiver for her children. OCS contacted Mona’s tribe and the children’s paternal grandmother, Ruth, who lived in Bethel, and planned for the children to go to Bethel to temporarily live with Ruth. Before the flight, however, Mona contacted OCS and said she would keep the children with her in Anchorage instead. OCS attempted to contact Mona a few more times that month, but she did not return its calls.