Family to Family Northeast/Midwest Conference

November 7-8, 2007(Dearborn, Michigan)

The Intersection of Child Welfare and Immigration

Workshop Objectives

1. To learn about organizations available to provide technical assistance.

2. To provide an overview of issues facing child welfare staff in working with immigrant families.

3. To promote improved partnerships with community-based agencies serving immigrants.

4. To learn about the New York City model for serving immigrant families.

Facilitator: Yali Lincroft, Pacific Region Family to Family Consultant/Immigration Liaison, yalilincroft@yahoo.com

Presenters:Ken Borelli, Former Deputy Director for Santa Clara County, California and Co-author of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Legislation and Consultant to Family to Family, kjosephb@aol.com

Rene Velasquez,Pacific Region Family to Family

Consultant, velasquezrene@hotmail.com Mark Lewis, Director, Immigration Services, Association of Children’s Services, New York, Mark.Lewis@dfa.state.ny.us

About the Migration and Child Welfare National Network (MCWNN)

MCWNN Leading Members:

American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law American Humane Association Annie E. Casey Foundation BRYCS/US Conference of Catholic Bishops Casey Family Programs Child Welfare League of America Family Violence Prevention Fund Immigrant Legal Resource Center Loyola University of Chicago Hunter College University of Illinois at Chicago/Jane Addams School of Social Work University of Texas

(also public child welfare agencies in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Fresno, Washington DC)

Membership is free. To join, go to http://www.americanhumane.org/site/DocServer/CWMNN_Membership_Form.pdf?docID=5401

“Child welfare services should be available to all children regardless of immigration status”

“Federal, state, and local policies should encourage full integration of immigrant families into US society through an expanded delivery of child welfare services”

To join the Migration and Child Welfare Network, please email CWMN@americanhumane.org or go to http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pc_initiatives_migration

Statement Adopted by the Migration and Child Welfare National Network (MCWNN)

Resources on Immigrants and Child Welfare from the Annie E Casey Foundation

http://www.f2f.ca.gov• Recruitment Resources• Guidelines for Child Welfare Staff in Working with Immigrant Families• Sample MOUs with Mexico

Email yalilincroft@yahoo.com to join the immigration/child welfare listserv

Statistics on Immigrant Children and Families

Immigration in the United States

• The United States has long been considered a land of immigrants.

• The peak of immigration occurred in the 1890s, (15% of the total population, 9.25 million foreign-born in 1890)

• We are now in a second peak (11.5% of total population, 32.5 million foreign born in 2002)

Growth in Foreign-Born Population

Immigrants are:• 1 in 9 US residents;• 1 in 7 US workers;• 1 in 5 low wage workers;• 1 in 2 new workers.

Source: “A Quick Look at US Immigrants: Demographics, Workforce and Asset Building” by the National Conference of State Legislators (June 2004)

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/immig/immigstatistics0605.htm

Growth in Foreign-Born Population

21% of children in the US is an immigrant or has an immigrant parent.

80% of the children in immigrant families are US citizen.

30% of US children without health insurance is in an immigrant family.

The proportion of students in US schools who are children of immigrants more than tripled from 1970-2000, from 6 to 20% (will be 30% by 2015).

Source:

“Kids Count Data Snapshot” by The Annie E. Casey Foundation (No. 4, March 2007)

http://www.kidscount.org/sld/snapshot_immigrant.pdf

Immigration Status and Family Structure

• Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. families with children is a mixed immigration status family

• ¾ of the children with non-citizen parents are citizens (Fix & Zimmerman, 2001).

• 1 in 12 immigrant children lives apart from their parents.

• Each year approximately 7,000 children arrive in the U.S. without a parent or guardian.

• Growth in migration, economic remittances and transnational families

Source: National Center for Children in PovertyIllinois Task Force on Unaccompanied Minors

World Bank

Immigrants Children in MI, NY, and OH

Source:

“Data Snapshot (Number 4, March 2007): One Out of Five US Children is Living in an Immigrant Family” from KidsCount

• In 2005, among the 50 states, CA (47%), NV (32%), NY (32%), TX (30%) and NJ (30%) had the highest proportions of immigrant children.

• 11% of all children in MI, 5% of all children in Ohio, and 32% of all children in NY are either foreign born or have at least one foreign-born parent.

NEW Urban Institute Study on Immigration Raids and Families (10/31/07)

• The number of undocumented immigrants arrested at workplaces increased more than sevenfold from 500 to 3,600 between 2002 and 2006

• For every two illegal immigrants arrested in a workplace raid, at least one child feels the effect

• A large majority of the children affected are U.S. citizens (one site 2/3 were citizens – matching national statistics) and were often the youngest and most vulnerable (two sites, 79% and 88%, were children ten or younger, while one site had more than half of the children under age 5.

• Report recommendation: Social service and other public agencies should prepare plans to respond to immigration raids and develop outreach strategies regarding emergency assistance and benefits to children under such circumstances.

Source: Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigration Raids on America’s Childrenhttp://www.urban.org/publications/411566.html

Issues Facing Public Child Welfare Administrators and

Staff in Working with Immigrant Families

• Legal Permanent Resident (i.e. “green card” holders, eligible to apply for citizenship in 5 years)

• Naturalized Citizen (same rights as US born citizens)

• Refugees or asylees (numbers set each year by the US government)

• Temporary Legal Residents (i.e. employment, student, or tourist visa)

• Undocumented residents (i.e. “border crossers” or immigrants who overstayed temporary visas )

Immigration Terms

Unaccompanied Minors• Some children came to the U.S. fleeing violence

or even murder, others were seeking escape from economic deprivation, and still others were simply abandoned.

• Every unaccompanied child has his or her own story and that the circumstances of each are unique.

• Different immigration relief options are available but it is important to do a thorough assessment and work in partnership with immigrant relief organizations.

Interaction with Recently Revised Immigration and Naturalization Services

Revised Structure A) Bureau of Citizenship and

Immigration Services

B) Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement

C) Bureau of Customs and Border Protection

Toll Free number for US Citizenship and Immigration Services: 1-800-375-5283 www.USCIS.gov

Why Immigrant Children Enter Child Welfare• Poverty is one of the most important predictors of negative

child outcomes. Poverty rates are generally higher among children of immigrants than among children of natives.

• Young children of immigrants are less likely to receive public benefits.

• Children in immigrant families are considerably more likely to be uninsured, to be reported in fair or poor health, and to lack a usual place where they can get preventive health care.

• Immigrant families enter and stay in child welfare for same reasons as natives - domestic violence, substance abuse, health, and mental health – however access to services is limited in most regions of the country.

Source: “Undercounted, Underserved: Immigrants and Refugee Families in the Child Welfare System” Annie E Casey Foundation (2006)

http://www.aecf.org/upload/pdffiles/familytofamily/immigration.pdf

Policy Recommendations to Child Welfare Agencies

1. Fiscal claiming and considerations

2. Services to new immigrant populations, including policies regarding relevant bilingual and multicultural matters

3. Family assessment – local, regional, and transnational

4. Information sharing with partner agencies

5. Placement and licensing guidelines

Issues for Child Welfare Agencies to Consider in Working with Immigrant

Agencies

Training include sensitivity to the needs of immigrant families, including confidentiality issues

Assessment for potential relief options such as VAWA, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U Visas

Delivery of service models (i.e. contracts with community-based organizations, consultants, specialized units, departmental task forces service committees, liaisons)

Issues for Child Welfare Agencies to Consider in Working with Immigrant

Agencies

Support documents to assist staff (i.e. special handbooks, memos and protocols with foreign consulates)

Integration of immigration services into overall child welfare service delivery system (i.e. TDMs, domestic violence, duel status youth, ILP plans, relative searches, differential response)

Partnerships with Community-Based Agencies Serving Immigrant Families

Over Arching Issues in the Intersection between Migration and Child Welfare

• Lack of sufficient research / shared knowledge / guiding principles

• Often small number of cases

• Complexity of cases • Unprepared professionals • Families caught between

systems• Questions of professionals

unanswered • No funding sources

• Culturally responsive practice with immigrants and refugees requires that child welfare professionals understand the impact of migration and acculturation has on each family and how these experiences have contributed to their child welfare involvement.

• An immigrant family’s residency status is a critical aspect of their reception and eligibility for needed services during their period of resettlement.

Impact of Migration, Acculturation and Family Status

• Complex immigration laws and policies, costly services

• Dependence upon others for information• Language skills• Overall levels of education• Discrimination (ethnic, religious, socio-economic,

gender, sexual orientation) • Limited work opportunities• Other factors: living arrangements, cultural

practices

Based on: American Bar Association Latin America & Caribbean Law Initiative Council

Why are Immigrant Families Vulnerable

Undocumented Immigrant Families

• Children may come in through temporary (e.g. visitor) visas and overstay, or come in over the border

• Increasing numbers of children are coming in; previously undocumented immigration was a largely male phenomenon (since men were the people crossing the border to seek work)

• US policy changes and the general border crackdown has made it harder for immigrants to make the return trip to their homes and families - if they have any expectation of going back to the US - so in many cases entire families are crossing over so they can stay together

Source: Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Building Community Partnership Team Decision Making Recruitment, Development and

Support Self-Evaluation

Family to Family Core Strategies

Who are Key Providers in the Immigrant Community?

Advocacy Organizations

Immigrant Coalitions

Faith-based Organizations

Legal Services Provider

Community-Based Organizations

Recruitment and Support

• Immigrant Foster Parents not only help children adjust to out-of-home placement but are better able to communicate with birth parents, an important step toward reunifying families.

• There is a population of legal residents within each immigrant community with the potential to become foster parents.

• Recruiting families, through personal connections, is key.

Core Services for Families

Ethnic Community- Based Organization

Interpretation Translation Cultural Consultations

Indigenous problem-solving strategies

Cross-Training

Alternative / Family Preservation Services

Foster Families

Reunification Plan Support

Morland/BRYCS (2006)

Collaboration with Ethnic Community-Based Organizations

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN'S SERVICES150 WILLIAM STREET

NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10038 JOHN B. MATTINGLY

Commissioner

Mark LewisDirector, Immigrant Services

Immigrant Community Partnership Initiative

Asia24%

Other1%

Latin

American

32% Africa3%

Europe19%

Caribbean

21%

Top 20 Groups in NYC (2000)Total NYC Residents: 8,008,278, Total Foreign-Born: 2,871,032

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Thou

sand

sPopulation Trends in New York City

Project Background

Newly emerging and fastest growing populations:

Mexico - 2/3rd comes from Mixteca region (Puebla, Oaxaca,

Guerrero)West Africa

- Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Bissau-Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Niger, Congo, Burkina Faso, Fulani, Mauritania, Gambia, Congo, Uganda, Senegal

South Asia- India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal,

Bhutan, Tibet, Afghanistan, Myanmar

Challenges for Child Welfare System in Working With Immigrant Communities

Language barriers Religious practices Cultural differences Lack of information and understanding of Child

Welfare System Immigration status limiting access to services Fear of government intervention Cultural competence of service providers Capacity of immigrant-services CBOs

Services offered through the Project

Community Education ForumsCultural Competence TrainingInterpretationFamily Case-ConferencingAssistance in Engaging FamiliesInformation & Referral to Support Services

Current status of the project – Mexican immigrants

Asociación Tepeyac de New YorkLanguage capacity:

Mixteco, Zapoteco, Otomi, Nahuatel, Chinanteco, Chontal (of Oaxaca), Cuicateco, Huasteco, Huichol, Popoloca, Tzeltal

Services provided:

Community forums (Queens and Brooklyn)Presentations at ACS field officesParticipation in case-conferencingInterpretation and family engagement

Current status of the project – West African immigrants

Sauti Yetu Center for African WomenAmerica Welcomes AfricansForum for African Immigrant Associations Nigerian Social Workers AssociationLanguage capacity:

Soninke, Hausa, Twi, Mandingo, Bambara, Jula, Susu, Pulaar, Fulani, Ibo, French, Wolof, Arabic, Swahili, Morey, Yoruba

Services provided:Participation in case conferencingInterpretation and support services

Challenges

Capacity of immigrant community organizations

Community Resource and Family Advocate Building Child Welfare expertise of CBOs Buy-in by Child Welfare Agencies Evaluating outcomes and impacts

Going forward

RFP for the South Asian community

Connection with Borough offices and

Preventive and Foster Care agencies

Participation in Community Partnership

Coalitions

Capacity Building for CBOs

Creating data collection and evaluation

systems

Children’s Services Initiatives to Improve Language Services for Immigrant Families

Recruited new bilingual child protective specialists

Increased language assistance services by over 300% (6,600 in CY05 to 20,000 in CY06)

Implemented a new telephonic interpreter system (Nearly 10,000 requests in CY06)

Out-stationed Spanish interpreters in field offices and the Office of Advocacy to improve language access

Improved accuracy of translations through secondary reviews

Improved primary language determinations by eliminating default field.

Children’s Services Initiatives to Improve Language Services for

Immigrant Families (Continue)

Funded preventive service agencies to enhance their interpreter capacity to serve Limited-English Proficient (LEP) clients.

Revised cultural competency training and special immigrant training to include best practices and protocols in providing interpreter services.

Created an internal Children’s Services Task Force on Racial Equity and Cultural Competency to address racial disparity in child welfare outcomes and to improve Children’s Services’ provision of culturally competent services.