Immigration & Child Welfare


Resources: Research, Reports, Articles

  • Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigration Raids on America's Children
    Immigration and Customs Enforcement has intensified immigration enforcement activities by conducting several large-scale worksite raids across the country. From an in-depth study of three communities—Greeley, CO, Grand Island, NE and New Bedford, MA—this report from the Urban Institute details the impact of these worksite raids on the well-being of children. The report provides detailed recommendations to a variety of stakeholders to help mitigate the harmful effects of worksite raids on children. (October 2007)
  • The Future of Children: Children of Immigrant Families
    The Summer 2004 issue of The Future of Children focuses on the growing number of immigrant families in this country, and the challenges faced by their children as the next generation of Americans. For the most part, children of immigrants benefit from having healthy, intact families, strong work ethic and aspirations, and a cohesive community of fellow immigrants to ease their transition. But they also often face many obstacles, including poverty, discrimination, limited language skills, and lack of access to quality health care and education resources. Even though most children of immigrants are born in this country, and therefore are entitled to services and benefits the same as every other U.S. citizen, they often are not able to take advantage of these supports. As a result, though children of immigrants may start out with good health and high educational aspirations, these strengths can dissipate by adolescence. At each stage of their development, further efforts are needed to ensure that children in immigrant families have access to the resources they need to help them stay on positive pathways to success.
  • Enhancing State Child Welfare Services for Migrating Children
    A report on the roundtable discussion held in April 2005 at the 15th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), who have specialized in serving these children for over 25 years, convened this Roundtable to provide an opportunity for regional, state and other child welfare providers to share their experiences and expertise. In addition to discussing the issues and challenges most systems are experiencing in providing care to these children, participants shared promising practices and recommendations for the field.
  • Migration: A Critical Issue for Child Welfare
    In July 2006 American Humane and Loyola University Chicago Graduate School of Social Work hosted a roundtable to discuss migration in the Americas and its impact on child well-being and child welfare policy, systems, and services. This report presents the results of the roundtable discussion and summarizes the emerging issues that participants identified as requiring attention by child welfare systems in order to facilitate positive child welfare outcomes of child safety, permanency of placements and relationships, and child and family well-being. Suggestions for further research and implications for policy and practice are also presented.
  • Children of Immigrants: National and State Characteristics
    This Urban Institute brief, by Karina Fortuny, Randolph Capps, Margaret Simms, and Ajay Chaudry, describes the national and state characteristics of the nation’s 16 million children of immigrants. The Urban Institute’s interactive Children of Immigrants Data Tool allows users to generate detailed comparative charts by state, immigrant status, family characteristics, or other features. (May 2009)
  • I Came All This Way for Them: Refugee Parents in Their Own Words
    From 2006 to 2008, BRYCS (Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services) staff interviewed a dozen refugee parents from nine different countries, asking them to reflect on their parenting experiences before and after coming to the United States. This article summarizes themes and common concerns from these “Parenting Conversations”, addressing topics such as discipline and respect, family roles and values, independence and interdependence, and balancing two cultures. (2009)
  • Immigrant Youth in Care
    The Spring 2010 Issue of Represent, a national magazine written by and for young people in the foster care system, includes several articles on immigration and foster care.
  • Children's Bureau Express (CBX): Spotlight on Cultural Competence
    The October 2009 issue of CBX puts a spotlight on cultural competence. Articles include: Cultural and Linguistic Competency in the Child Welfare System: State Strategies; Evidence-Based Practice in American Indian Communities; The Journey of Cultural Awareness; T&TA Network Resources on Cultural Competence; Resources for Working With Immigrant Youth and Families; Direct Service and Organizational Cultural Competence Strategies; and, Training in Cultural Competency and Domestic Violence.(October 2009)

Resources: Practice Tools

  • BRYCS Interviews with Refugee Parents
    From 2006 to 2008, BRYCS (Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services) staff interviewed a dozen refugee parents from nine different countries.  BRYCS asked them to reflect on their parenting experiences before and after coming to the United States.  They discuss subjects like discipline, respect, family roles and values, independence and interdependence, and the challenge of balancing two cultures. See the BRYCS Parenting Interviews to read about the experiences of refugee parents in their own words: Jarsso, an Oromo Ethiopian Father; Tou and Mee, Hmong Parents; Klee Thoo, a Burmese Karen Father; Anna, a Russian Mother; Mary, a Sudanese Mother; John and Ellen, a Liberian Family; Caridad and Arturo, a Cuban-Chilean Family; Aline, a Burundian Social Worker; Farah, an Iraqi Mother; Suzan, an Iraqi Mother; Dina, an Iraqi Mother; Toma, an Iraqi Father. The interviews are accompanied by discussion questions for refugee serving agencies.
  • Assessing the Needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children and Families in Out-of-Home Care
    This practice guide for service providersby the New South Wales Department of Community Services is meant to increase awareness of issues surrounding immigrant and refugee children, youth and families. The practice guide includes sections on the impact of trauma on refugee families and addressing language barriers. While this guide was designed for workers in Australia, this resource is also useful for American service providers working with these vulnerable populations in the United States. (March 2008)
  • Suggestions for Interviewing Refugee and Immigrant Children
    This brief from BRYCS offers a list of suggestions on how to interview refugee and immigrant children in a culturally sensitive way. Interviewing recently-arrived refugee or immigrant children and families at school, social services office, health clinic, or early childhood program may require special sensitivity and preparation. Agencies that receive federal funds are required by law to provide services of an equal quality to people who have Limited English Proficiency (LEP). To provide equal quality services, it is vital to allow LEP children and families to use the language that they are most comfortable speaking. (Winter 2009)
  • Interviewing Immigrant Children and Families for Suspected Child Maltreatment
    This article, by BRYCS (Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services) consultant Lisa A. Fontes, discusses ways to improve interviewing immigrant youth and their family members for whom English is not a first language. The article reviews culturally-important factors like the voice quality of the interviewer and interviewee, pace and time, and the interviewer’s demeanor. The article also briefly reviews trauma symptoms in children that may not stem from caretaker abuse. (Spring 2009)
  • Raising Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook
    This booklet by BRYCS (Building Refugee Youth and Children’s Services) was created as a tool for refugee and immigrant serving agencies, as they help newcomer parents adjust to the different laws, norms and practices around raising children in the United States. (2007)
  • Raising Children in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working with Newcomer Parents
    This Toolkit was developed in response to requests from the field – from refugee parents learning to raise children in a very new context as well as from service providers working to meet the needs of these newcomers and their communities. It represents months of research and reflects broad input by both refugee and mainstream service providers as well as by the staff of Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services (BRYCS). (2005)
  • Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Caseworkers’ Toolkit for Children in Federal Custody
    This toolkit was developed by the Children’s Services department of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB / MRS). These materials were primarily developed for foster care caseworkers assisting children in the federal custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Division of Unaccompanied Children’s Services (ORR/DUCS), to ensure that SIJS-eligible children receive the assistance and case monitoring they need during the SIJS application process. These documents can also help social service and legal practitioners working with other children who may be eligible for SIJS.

  • Protecting Assets & Child Custody in the Face of Deportation: A Guide for Practitioners Assisting Immigrant Families
    The Casey Foundation supported Appleseed in developing a manual that helps protect children and family assets when immigrants are deported. Nearly 5 million children are living in families at risk of separation due to increased immigration enforcement. When these working parents are deported, their U.S.-born children often remain here. The manual helps providers counsel their clients on issues such as establishing child custody, closing a bank account, and transferring assets into their children’s names. The Mexican government has translated the guide into Spanish and is distributing it through its network of consulates in the United States and Mexico.

  • Nuestras Historias
    Nuestras Historias is a collection of 10 stories in Spanish about parenting by Mexican-American immigrant mothers, published by Rise Magazine. Stories explore the challenges these mothers face maintaining safe and stable homes and supporting their children and families while living in a new culture. Stories were developed in a writing workshop at the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, in Brooklyn, New York. Rise Magazine is written by and for parents involved in the child welfare system. Its mission is to help parents advocate for themselves and their children. (2011)

Resources: From the States

  • Georgia:
    Working with Immigrant Children and Families: A Practice Model
    This training curriculum by the State of Georgia offers child welfare service providers with new practices for improving the welfare of newcomer children and their families.  The training aims to help service providers deliver culturally competent services, better recognize signs of maltreatment and human trafficking, utilize different resources in assisting immigrant children, and identify legal regulations and their impact on newcomer youth. This curriculum is the result of a collaboration between refugee resettlement agencies and child welfare officials at the Georgia State level and includes a Participant Guide as well as a Trainer’s Guide. (January 2009)
  • New York State: 
    Administrative Directive on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
    The purpose of this Administrative Directive (ADM) is to remind local departments of social services (LDSSs) and voluntary authorized agencies (VAs) that Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) eligibility must be assessed for youth in foster care who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents. If the youth is found to qualify for SIJS, this status should be pursued whenever appropriate. Since the application process for SIJS can be extremely lengthy, and must be completed before youth leave foster care, it is important to identify potentially eligible youth and refer them to an attorney with immigration expertise as soon as possible. It is especially important that older youth who qualify obtain this status prior to transitioning out of care. Through this ADM, the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) provides necessary information for child welfare agencies to move forward in identifying undocumented immigrant youth, informing them of SIJS, and referring them for assistance in applying for the status within the time frame needed to establish SIJS before discharge from foster care. (2011)
  • New York City:
    Immigration and Language Guidelines for Child Welfare Staff (2nd Edition)
    The purpose of this pamphlet from the New York City Administration for Children's Services is to provide staff with a brief overview of immigration and language issues for the purpose of maximizing child welfare services to meet the diverse needs of the city's immigrant communities.

Teleconferences, Webcasts, and Webinars

  • Immigrants and Refugees: The Intersection of Migration and Child Welfare
    On April 30, 2008, NRCPFC hosted this webcast conversation between Ilze Earner and Alan J. Dettlaff. To view the webcast and download handouts, click the link above. An excerpt from this webcast is also available in the Spring 2009 Issue of NRCPFC’s newsletter Permanency Planning Today.

  • Child Abuse Issues with Refugee Populations
    • Part I: Recognizing Suspected Child Maltreatment in Culturally Diverse Refugee Families
    • Part II: Refugee Resettlement and Child Welfare: Working Together for Child Protection
    These webinars, including audio recordings, PowerPoint presentations, and highlighted resources on the topics, are available on the BRYCS (Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services) website. (2010)


NRCPFC Information Packets

 PowerPoint Presentations

Websites

  • Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services
    BRYCS is a national technical assistance project working to broaden the scope of information and collaboration among service providers - in order to strengthen services to refugee youth, children and their families. The Publications section of its website contains several useful titles regarding foster care, family-centered, culturally relevant practice and permanency planning for refugee children.
 

Last updated 3/12/12