Lessons from working with Unaccompanied minors

1. Lessons from working with Unaccompanied minors Sarah Strole, LCSW Monica Cedeno, LMHC

2. Overview • Who are the UC? • Phases of Immigration Journey • Challenges in care & barriers upon entering the community and school system • Current Political Climate • How to integrate trauma informed care and cultural sensitivity when working with UC and helping them integrate to new culture

3. What is an Unaccompanied Child? “A child who has no lawful immigration status in the US, has not attained 18 years of age, and with respect whom there is no parent or legal guardian in the US or no parent or legal guardian in the US is available to provide care and physical custody” - Homeland Security Act

4. Who are the children crossing to the US? • Demographics • Countries of Origin • Gender/Ages • Dialects

5. Phases of Immigration Journey Pre-migration  Migration Detention Post-Release

6. Pre-migration Many UC have been separated from their parents or caregivers for many years. Many report hardships related to neglect, abuse, community, and gang violence. While in their country of origin, UC may have experienced traumatic events including the following: • Lack of consistent caregivers • Homelessness and lack of other basic needs, e.g., education and food • Violence (as witnesses or victims) • Gang and drug-related violence or threats • Physical injuries, infections, and diseases • Forced labor • Sexual assault • Lack of medical care • Loss of loved ones

7. Migration During migration, UC often face the same types of traumatic events or hardships that they faced in their country of origin, as well as new experiences such as the following: • Hazardous train rides • Robbery, assaults, and intimidation by gangs and thieves • Coercion or abuse by adults referred to as “coyotes” • Kidnapping • Sexual violence • Hardships and exposure to serious risk

8. Detention • Uncertainty • Separation from family/disruption on attachments • Reunification challenges • Length of placement

9. Post-Release During reunification with a sponsor, such as a parent or family member, UC may face the following: • Disruptions in attachment • Lack of familiarity and connection with caregivers • Caregivers with limited parenting experience or knowledge of child development • Difficulty trusting caregivers • Stress in caregiver-child relationship • Limited resources • Fear of deportation or legal involvement • Discovery that parents may have a new family • Caregivers unable to understand or relate to the UC experience • Expectations of the US and an idealistic image of a family that does not match their reality

10. Challenges upon entering community • Acculturation • Low Socio-economic status • Access to medical care • Family relationships • Legal status • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t52PmhB0dLI

11. Challenges entering the US school system • Being unfamiliar with school routines and expectations • Being placed in a classroom based on age that does not correspond to their skill or experience level • “First” experiences, such as eating new foods at lunch and taking a school bus • Discrimination, teasing, or bullying by other children at school due to their appearance, culture, religion, beliefs, or language • Trauma-related mental health symptoms, which may be exacerbated in a setting with authority figures

12. Mental Health • Depression • Anxiety • PTSD • Complex Trauma

13. What are some of the complexities of providing treatment to Unaccompanied Children? • UC have traveled a long way and worked very hard to meet their goal. Despite difficulties and hardships, they often demonstrate resilience and resourcefulness that can be leveraged as strengths in the healing process. • There is a lot at stake for these youth. Some know the dangers and uncertainty before they leave and choose to leave anyway; some make the journey multiple times despite having been deported previously. • UC are often in debt because they borrowed money to pay coyotes to help them travel to the US • UC live every day with the possibility of deportation. • UC may lack resources including health insurance, transportation, education, and vocational training • Complex trauma may be present. UC may have faced abandonment and neglect in addition to repeated exposure to and experience of traumatic events.

14. Current Political Climate Balancing policy changes with ethical care for children • Informed Consent • Changes in sponsor requirements • Policy considerations • Sponsor Vetting Process and fears

15. Cultural Considerations • Understanding of health, mental health, and healing • Stigma of consulting with a mental health professional • Beliefs about the best course of treatment • Expectations of outcomes of treatment • Trust of providers or service systems • Navigating service providers/systems

16. Cultural Humility:Leaving assumptions behind • Focus on self-reflection and life long learning rather than achieving a state of knowledge or awareness • Staff Selection & Training- Normalize not knowing • Community Forums • Asking what helps or hinders their care • Checking in with care providers and their expectations for the UC including expectations for the UC to help with the needs of the family • Differences among immigrant populations as well as differences in integrating into communities in the US. • Clinical cultural considerations

17. Supporting immigrant children • Keep families together • Make schools safe and supportive places (creative and individualized support) • Home-Based and School-Based programs-Tutoring not just academic- also incorporating functional and life skills • Build welcoming communities by developing partnerships • Address effects of trauma by providing cultural appropriate services • Build a Two-Way Approach (get support and provide support) • Social supports

18. Best Practices for School Social Workers • Conduct assessments in UC’s primary language. • Create Individualized Education Plans that differentiate between learning delays, disabilities, and access with a plan that directly addresses the need. • Reach out to sponsors and connect sponsors to programs that provide holistic support. • Consider the home environment and access to space for study-time and homework. • Maintain awareness of social integration of UC student. • Educate sponsors on the importance of keeping court appointments as well as rights in the community (access to interpreters/KYR/how to handle contact with immigration enforcement) • Be aware of extra support that students may need to encourage participation in school and potential pressures to work.

19. Programs and Initiatives • Refugee Youth Summer Academy (RYSA) at International Rescue Committee in NY provides a six week program that empowers refugee, asylee, and immigrant students from ages 5 to 20 to prepare for the upcoming school year. • Welcoming Cities and Counties recognize the benefit of supporting immigrant-friendly, welcoming environments in which all community members can fully contribute and participate • Mental Health for Immigrants Program (MHIP), a trauma-focused and culturally sensitive program for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) large immigrant student body. • Refugee Transitions assist newcomer families in becoming self-sufficient in the United States by providing services to help them attain the English language, life, job, and academic skills they need to succeed in their new communities. • Instituto Familiar De la Raza believes in self-determination, community empowerment and spiritual/cultural affirmation as the core of their development of services.

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