Overview of Child Welfare Immigration Policies and Programs
First Focus (October 5, 2012)
Presented by Yali Lincroft (First Focus) South Carolina Department of Social Services and Court Staff, Columbia, SC, October 2012
View PresentationPresented by Yali Lincroft (First Focus) South Carolina Department of Social Services and Court Staff, Columbia, SC, October 2012
View PresentationSigned into law October 1, 2012, the Reuniting Immigrant Families Act prioritizes keeping children with their families and out of the public child welfare system when possible. SB1064 authorizes more time for child welfare agencies to find and reunite detained and deported parents with their children or find placement with relatives, regardless of their immigration status. It requires the California Department of Social Services to provide guidance on filing special immigrant relief options and for working with foreign consulates regarding the custody of children of deported parents.
View BillIn light of the complexity of the legal process for unaccompanied children detained by U.S. immigration, this report provides a thorough overview of the system as a resource for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers working to help these children.
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Written by Kristen Jackson, this article discusses the use of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status as a form of immigration relief for immigrant youth.
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This case example involves an actual case and questions that were posed to the Immigrant Children’s Lawyers Network. Comments were provided by a dependency attorney, two retired child welfare agency directors, and an immigration/child welfare consultant.
Read the Case ExampleA presentation from the National CASA Conference March 19th – 22nd, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois, summarizing the process of child welfare system involvement through the lens of the experience of immigrant children.
View PresentationThis is a national benchbook for juvenile and family court judges on various immigration related issues including: Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, adoption, VAWA, U Visas, divorce, child custody, immigration consequences of delinquency and crime, and immigration enforcement.
Read the full textA presentation covering the state of research and knowledge related to immigrants and the child welfare system in 2006 – 2010, with specific focus on issues facing dependency judges.
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This article highlights how children face real and lasting consequences when immigration enforcement actions are taken against their parents. Reform efforts should minimize the trauma to children and avoid family separation whenever possible.
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