by Sophia Sepp, LMSW, MPH, Kristina Lovato, PhD, MSW, Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LMSW, Effie Clayton, MSW,
and Kelechi Chinyere Wright, PhD
Introduction
The demographics of children in the United States have fundamentally shifted over the past three decades, with children in immigrant families now comprising over a quarter of all children nationwide (Ward & Batalova, 2023). However, the U.S. child welfare system was not designed to address the distinct experiences of immigrant populations and has remained largely unreformed. This mismatch between system capabilities and population needs has left child welfare agencies struggling to provide equitable services to families with complex immigration-related circumstances.
A recent study by Lovato et al. (2024) titled "An examination of child welfare agency models that serve immigrant children and families," provides critical insights into how select agencies have addressed this challenge. This qualitative study of ten representatives from seven agencies across five states reveals systematic approaches for overcoming traditional barriers and providing culturally responsive services to immigrant families.
This article summarizes the study's findings, beginning with the demographic and systemic context that has shaped inequities in serving immigrant families. It then outlines key challenges before presenting three models of specialized practice: developing immigrant expertise within agencies, building strategic partnerships, and implementing innovative family engagement strategies. The article concludes with policy implications and recommendations for advancing equitable, culturally responsive service systems.
The Complexity of Serving Immigrant Families
Children in immigrant families may become involved with child welfare services due to traditional concerns of abuse or neglect, but also due to circumstances unique to their immigration status, such as parental detention or deportation (Lovato et al., 2024). The complexity of serving these families spans multiple challenges including providing adequate interpretation services, screening for immigration legal relief, coordinating with international entities, facilitating visits with detained parents, and ensuring meaningful participation in proceedings (Dettlaff, 2012; Finno-Velazquez & Dettlaff, 2018). Immigrant parents also experience unique barriers to supportive services that may prevent system involvement or are required in child welfare cases, such as mental health and substance abuse services (Dettlaff & Cardoso, 2010; Finno-Velasquez et al., 2015, 2016). Lack of expertise among practitioners around cultural considerations, acculturation experiences, and the unique needs of immigrant families presents additional challenges to equitably serving this population (Finno-Velazquez & Dettlaff, 2018; Greenberg et al., 2019).
These challenges exist within an immigration policy environment characterized by increased enforcement and reduced pathways to legal status. This punitive context has direct psychological impacts on immigrant families, resulting in depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma, and toxic stress for children (Rojas-Flores et al., 2017; Wood, 2018). These stressors compound pre-migration and peri-migration traumas many families have already experienced, including exposure to poverty, natural disasters, war, violence, and the physical hardships of migration itself (Held et al., 2018; Keller et al., 2017).
Key Findings: Three Models of Specialized Service
Developing Immigration Expertise Within Agencies
Successful child welfare agencies have developed specialized knowledge through three distinct organizational approaches. Some have established dedicated immigration units that serve as centralized hubs to streamline immigration-related casework, coordinate communication with consulates, manage documentation requests, and provide consistent points of contact for foreign entities. Other agencies have designated specific staff members as immigration specialists who develop deep expertise in immigration-related policies and procedures. These specialists serve as internal consultants, providing guidance to frontline workers while maintaining specialized knowledge that would be impractical for all staff to develop. A third approach focuses on enhancing language capacity by hiring multilingual staff and interpreters to engage families in their preferred language and certifying bilingual staff. Some agencies are expanding beyond traditional languages to include indigenous languages, partnering with community organizations to provide interpretation for these populations.
This study revealed both advantages and limitations of specialization approaches. While specialized units and designated experts can provide sophisticated support for complex cases, they may create dependencies that become problematic during staff turnover. Some agencies have addressed this vulnerability by adopting more distributed models where broader staff receive immigration-related training.
Strategic Partnerships and Formal Relationships
Child welfare agencies serving immigrant families have developed sophisticated networks of external partnerships essential for effective service delivery. Relationships with foreign consulates represent a cornerstone of these partnerships, enabling agencies to comply with international notification requirements, obtain essential documentation, and coordinate family searches across borders. Coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can be crucial when parents are detained but often presents particular challenges. Effective agencies have developed protocols for working with the ICE Parental Interests Unit to facilitate family contact, coordinate court participation, and advocate for parental release when appropriate for family reunification.
Partnerships with immigration legal service providers have become increasingly critical to ensure immigrant children receive appropriate screenings and representation for legal relief. Many agencies have developed formal contracts with immigration attorneys or law school clinics to provide screening and representation for children in care. Formal Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) provide structure for these partnerships, clearly delineating responsibilities and expectations for all parties and providing sustainability and consistency that informal relationships cannot guarantee.
Innovative Family Engagement Strategies
Child welfare agencies serving immigrant families have developed creative approaches that go beyond traditional service delivery models. These innovations recognize that immigrant families may approach government services with heightened fear and suspicion based on previous experiences or community narratives about immigration enforcement. Agencies have implemented intensive rapport-building processes that acknowledge the additional time required to establish trust with immigrant families. This includes flexible scheduling to accommodate work patterns, culturally informed engagement strategies, and the use of cultural brokers who share linguistic and cultural backgrounds with families.
Transnational family engagement represents perhaps the most innovative area of practice development. Agencies have created systems for facilitating in-person visits across international borders, often coordinating with consulates and community partners to arrange safe meeting spaces. When physical visits are not possible, agencies have developed sophisticated approaches to maintaining family connections through technology, including video calls and messaging platforms. Some agencies have developed policies that allow placements with undocumented relatives, recognizing that immigration status should not preclude preservation of family ties. Others have created specialized contracts with key service providers to ensure that families receive needed services.
Policy and Practice Implications
The research findings have significant implications for child welfare policy development and practice improvement. Agencies should establish specialized immigration capacity through dedicated units or designated specialists with clearly defined roles and sustainable funding. Immigration-related competency must become a core component of workforce development, with training for all staff covering basic immigration-related considerations and trauma-informed approaches. Language access requires systematic workforce planning including certification standards for bilingual staff and protocols for external interpretation services. Critical compliance requirements include consular notification obligations requiring formal policies, staff training, and centralized tracking systems. Service delivery must adapt to incorporate immigration factors as central considerations in case planning and permanency planning. This includes extended timelines for trust building, specialized assessment tools addressing transnational factors, and formal protocols for coordinating with consulates and immigration attorneys.
Conclusion
The demographic transformation of children in immigrant families demands corresponding transformation in child welfare systems. The research by Lovato et al. (2024) demonstrates that such transformation is both possible and necessary, providing concrete examples of how agencies can develop capacity to serve immigrant families effectively. The three models identified—specialized expertise development, strategic partnerships, and innovative engagement strategies—provide a framework for system change that extends beyond individual practice improvements to encompass organizational structure and service delivery approaches. However, implementing these models requires significant investment in staff development, formal partnerships, and practice innovation. As immigrant populations continue to grow, child welfare agencies that develop these specialized capacities will be better positioned to fulfill their mission of protecting children and supporting families, regardless of immigration status.
Sophia Sepp, LMSW, MPH, CHES, is a program manager in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University, supporting research and training development. She is also the program manager for the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative.
Kristina Lovato, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, where she also serves as Director of the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative (CICW).
Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LCSW, is an Associate Professor of Social Work at New Mexico State University. She conceptualized and oversaw all aspects of this study.
Effie Clayton, LMSW, is a school social worker and former intern with the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare.
Kelechi Chinyere Wright, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Houston in the African American Studies Department. She examines the impact structural and institutional involvement has on the health and well-being of families of color.