Resources

Families Torn Apart: Language-Based Discrimination at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families

By | Child Welfare System Research, Culture: Issues & Competencies, Language Issues, Research, Research Highlight, Social Work

Families Torn Apart: Language-Based Discrimination at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families

Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law & Justice (January 2021)

This reports explores research on the extent to which the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) provided adequate language access to limited English proficient (LEP) individuals. Findings identified a failure to provide these federally mandated services and critical implications and disparities for the experiences of LEP families who become involved with DCF.

Framework for Considering the Best Interests of Unaccompanied Children

By | Child Well-Being, Federal Policy, Immigrant Youth, Language Issues, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law, Safety, Unaccompanied Minors

Framework for Considering the Best Interests of Unaccompanied Children

Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (May 2016)

This document provides a framework for how immigration officials could consider the best interests of unaccompanied children throughout their decision-making continuum from apprehension to placement to release and repatriation.

 

Correcting Course: Restoring the critical protection of placement in licensed facilities for children in federal immigration custody

By | Child Well-Being, Federal Policy, Immigrant Youth, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law, Unaccompanied Minors

Correcting Course: Restoring the critical protection of placement in licensed facilities for children in federal immigration custody

Neha Desai, Emma McGinn, & Laura Alvarez; National Center for Youth Law (April 2023)

This briefing explores the erosion of state child welfare licensing procedures for facilities that house unaccompanied minors and offers recommendations to restore important protections.

Ken Paxton’s Annunciation House investigation is the latest attack on religious organizations aiding migrants at the border

By | In the News

Ken Paxton’s Annunciation House investigation is the latest attack on religious organizations aiding migrants at the border

Uriel J. García & William Melhado, The Texas Tribune (February 29, 2024)

The Texas Attorney General launched an investigation into Annunciation House, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid to migrants, accusing it of engaging in human smuggling and operating a stash house.

Through Iceboxes and Kennels: How Immigration Detention Harms Children and Families

By | Child Well-Being, Detention, Family Separation, Immigration Enforcement, Toolkits, Handbooks, Guides & Books, Trauma

Through Iceboxes and Kennels: How Immigration Detention Harms Children and Families

Luis Zayas, Oxford University Press (May 2023)

This book reviews the history and politics of immigration enforcement and detention centers operated by private prison companies, featuring the stories of children and parents and highlighting the negatives impacts to children’s growth and development.

An examination of child welfare agency models that serve immigrant children and families

By | Child Welfare System Research, Culture: Issues & Competencies, Peer-Reviewed Publications, Research, Social Work, State Policies

An examination of child welfare agency models that serve immigrant children and families

Kristina K. Lovato, Megan Finno-Velasquez, Sophia Sepp, Effie Clayton & Kelechi Chinyere Wright; Journal of Public Child Welfare (March 18, 2024)

This study examined child welfare system models for serving immigrant children and families. Findings highlight the importance of specialization of immigrant-related knowledge and skill sets, relationships with consulates and external stakeholders, and innovative engagement approaches.

‘Yo Soy la Mamá’: A Migrant Mother’s Struggle to Get Back Her Son

By | In the News

‘Yo Soy la Mamá’: A Migrant Mother’s Struggle to Get Back Her Son

Deborah Sontag, The New York Times (March 25, 2024)

Olga, a Honduran migrant and mother of two, fled to the U.S. to escape an abusive husband. When her son was taken by his father, physically abused, and removed by the child welfare system in Massachusetts, Olga was denied reunification for over a year because she was not a legal U.S. resident, highlighting the unique vulnerabilities and discrimination faced by undocumented immigrant parents who encounter the child welfare system.

Correcting Course: Restoring the critical protection of placement in licensed facilities for children in federal immigration custody

By | Child Well-Being, Federal Policy, Foster Care, Immigrant Youth, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law, Unaccompanied Minors

Correcting Course: Restoring the critical protection of placement in licensed facilities for children in federal immigration custody

Neha Desai, Emma McGinn, & Laura Alvarez; National Center for Youth Law (April 2023)

This briefing reviews the history of state licensed care for children in federal immigration custody, its requirements and recent erosion, and provides recommendations to decrease the government’s reliance on unlicensed placements and restore the protections of state licensing.

Global Webinar on Cross Border Family Connections and Children’s Rights

By | Opportunities

Global Webinar on Cross Border Family Connections and Children’s Rights

International Social Service • March 19, 2024 • 7am PT/10amET

This webinar will provide an overview of the 7 principles and recommended child protection practices from the ISS Global Advocacy Paper on ‘Equity in Permanency’, which emphasizes the need for cross-border family connections for children in care.

 

Open