CICW Director, Dr. Kristina Lovato, recently shared insights on the intersections of immigration, child welfare, and domestic violence at the UCLA Pritzker Center’s online summit, 5 Years Forward: Progress and Partnership at the Intersection of Child Welfare and Domestic Violence. Please see their report for key findings from their research at the intersections of domestic violence and child welfare in Los Angeles County.
At the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference, on Friday, January 16th, 2026, Dr. Kristina Lovato organized a timely symposium titled “Borders Within, Bridges Beyond: Community Healing and Empowerment across Youth, Family, and Organizations in the Contemporary Immigration Climate.” The symposium brought together panelists Dr. Cheryl Aguilar, Dr. Arlene Bjugstad, and Dr Tatiana Londono, with discussion led by Dr. Maryam Rafiefar. Together, the panel explored community-centered responses to the current immigration climate, highlighting pathways for healing, resilience, and cross-sector collaboration among youth, families, and organizations.
The Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (CICW) is recruiting child welfare professionals and legal service providers in California to participate in a 30–40 minute survey and interview for our study, Empowering Child Welfare Practice at the Intersections of Immigration and Child Wellbeing. This research brings together child welfare practitioners, legal service providers, and immigrant families to advance culturally responsive and trauma-informed practice across California. Participants will receive a $30 honorarium. For more information or to participate, please contact: PI, Dr. Kristina Lovato at childwelfarefamilyvoices@
This is a two-day intensive workshop introducing mental health professionals to conducting assessments in support of immigration cases.
This webinar will cover the history and harms of family detention in immigration enforcement and offers practical skills for providing services and advocacy to affected individuals, families, and communities.
This webinar will share new messaging research to help advocates effectively communicate with audiences about the challenges faced by children in immigrant families during heightened enforcement.
This session will train social workers in culturally responsive, trauma-informed approaches for supporting immigrant clients facing fear, separation, and legal uncertainty during heightened enforcement, while also addressing practitioners’ own wellbeing through self-care and collective care strategies to prevent burnout.
This training with immigration attorney Katie Blankenship covers how to safely conduct research with immigrant communities during the current challenging enforcement climate.
This University of Virginia conference (April 24-26, 2026) invites papers examining familial and unaccompanied migration to the U.S. through humanities and social sciences lenses, exploring how border securitization, migrant experiences, and shifting democratic norms intersect with issues of detention, deportation, and the political framing of undocumented migrants.
This 2025 “year-in-review” highlights the CICW’s work throughout 2025. Thank you to all our partners and collaborators for your continued support. We look forward to continuing our efforts to support immigrant children and families in 2026.
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