Category

State Policy

An Examination of Immigration Status and Its Implications for Transition-Age Youth in the Child Welfare System

By | Foster Care, Immigrant Youth, Law & Policy, Social Work, State Policies, State Policy

An Examination of Immigration Status and Its Implications for Transition-Age Youth in the Child Welfare System

Anthony Gómez, Kristina K. Lovato, Andrea Lane Eastman, and Mark E. Courtney; Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services (June 28, 2025)

This policy brief analyzes administrative California child welfare data of undocumented immigrant youth in foster care, finding that immigration status data is often missing and that both U.S. citizens and undocumented youth were more likely to have transition plans than legal residents, highlighting needs for better services and data collection.

Criminalizing Immigration: The Influence of SB 4, Texas’s Regressive State Deportation Law

By | Deportation, Immigration Enforcement, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law, State Policies, State Policy

Criminalizing Immigration: The Influence of SB 4, Texas’s Regressive State Deportation Law

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (October 22, 2024)

This report reviews Texas’ punitive deportation law SB4 and its harmful consequences and identifies copycat policies being pursued by other states across the country.

Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Families through Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services

By | Child Well-Being, Culture: Issues & Competencies, Early Childhood, Federal Policy, Language Issues, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, State Policy, Trauma

Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Families through Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services

Maki Park, Lillie Hinkle, Katherine Habben and Emma Heidorn, Migration Policy Institute (April 2024)

This issue brief reviews the importance of infant and early childhood mental health services for immigrant and refugee families, identifies gaps impacting service access and use, and highlights opportunities to improve access to and the relevance of these services for immigrant families. 

Addressing the Shift in Child Welfare Practices Serving Latinx Immigrant Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Policy Recommendations and Future Directions

By | Child Abuse/Neglect Prevention, Child Well-Being, COVID-19, Federal Policy, Legal/Law, Social Work, State Policies, State Policy

Addressing the Shift in Child Welfare Practices Serving Latinx Immigrant Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Policy Recommendations and Future Directions

Marisol Sanchez, Socorro Ramirez-Gamiño; Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (2023)

This policy brief reviews recent research on child welfare agency practices serving immigrants during the pandemic and offers four policy recommendations to response to the needs of immigrant families in the child welfare system.

 

Immigrant Caregivers: The Implications of Immigration Status on Foster Care Licensure

By | Foster Care, Kinship Care, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law, State Policies, State Policy

Immigrant Caregivers: The Implications of Immigration Status on Foster Care Licensure

ABA Center on Children and the Law (December 14, 2022)

This brief reviews foster care licensure for immigrant caregivers, describes challenges that state licensing standards may present for undocumented caregivers, and explains how caregivers may overcome these challenges.

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