by Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LMSW, & Sophia Sepp, LMSW, MPH, CHES
Relatives for Placement
As immigrant children now comprise over 25% of all children in the United States (Ward & Batalova, 2023), child welfare professionals face an urgent need to develop specialized skills to serve this growing population effectively. Child welfare systems nationwide encounter unprecedented challenges when serving immigrant families. These families face unique vulnerabilities from immigration enforcement activities, language barriers, cultural differences, and complex legal status issues (Dettlaff, 2012; Finno-Velazquez & Dettlaff, 2018). Traditional child welfare approaches often fall short when applied to immigrant populations, necessitating specialized knowledge and culturally responsive practices. A new, free comprehensive online training program from New Mexico State University, called Supporting Immigrant Children and Families in the Child Welfare System: Challenges & Best Practices for Child Welfare Agencies & Practitioners, addresses these critical needs, offering evidence-based strategies for navigating the complex intersection of immigration and child welfare. The training draws from successful immigrant-serving child welfare models across the United States, highlighting policies and practices that have demonstrated measurable positive outcomes (Lovato et al., 2024; Greenberg et al., 2019). This evidence-based approach ensures participants gain access to proven strategies rather than theoretical frameworks alone.
Core Learning Objectives
The training targets administrators, caseworkers, supervisors, attorneys, and other professionals who regularly interact with immigrant children and families. Participants develop five core competencies: recognizing unique challenges immigrant families face and identifying appropriate resources; applying knowledge of cultural, legal, and systemic factors affecting service delivery; implementing effective communication strategies that overcome language and cultural barriers; developing competence in navigating complex immigration-related issues; and integrating evidence-based policies from successful immigrant-serving models.
Training Overview
Module One: Foundation and Context
The first module provides essential background on children in immigrant families within the child welfare system. Participants examine key demographics, recent migration patterns, and immigration enforcement trends that directly impact practice. This foundational module addresses how immigration-related factors create unique vulnerabilities for parents and children. It explores impacts of parental detention and deportation on families and children's wellbeing, helping practitioners understand the trauma and disruption these experiences create. The module identifies common challenges child welfare systems encounter when serving immigrant populations and establishes guiding principles for culturally responsive practice.
Module Two: Policy and Practice Implementation
The second module focuses on critical policy considerations and practical implementation strategies across essential practice areas. It begins by discussing organizational structures and specialization, such as dedicated units and positions, for immigration-related cases. It also addresses the importance of citizenship determination for assessing service eligibility and developing appropriate case plans that maximize available resources, and maintaining confidentiality, including understanding when immigration status information can be shared and developing protocols that allow effective case coordination without compromising family safety. A section on language access emphasizes the importance of translation and interpretation services for initial contacts, court proceedings, ongoing case management, and family meetings. Effective programs ensure qualified interpreters are available for all interactions while addressing cultural communication differences.
Another section focuses on immigration legal relief screening and teaches practitioners to identify individuals who may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U Nonimmigrant Status (U visas) for crime victims, T Nonimmigrant Status (T visas) for trafficking victims, and asylum protections, and refer them to experienced legal professionals. This module also addresses human trafficking identification and provides sample screening tools and protocols for identifying and reporting potential trafficking victims and connecting them to the appropriate resources.
The module also contains comprehensive practice strategies for transnational casework and family engagement that recognize the international complexities of immigrant families' lives. This includes developing case plans accounting for family members in multiple countries and coordinating services across borders. This section explores consular relationship development strategies for building productive partnerships with foreign consulates, which provide assistance in locating family members, facilitating communication with detained parents, obtaining documentation, and supporting repatriation efforts when appropriate. Recommendations for transnational relative location and placement coordination are reviewed, including conducting international family searches and coordinating home studies in foreign countries while ensuring child safety remains paramount. Strategies for facilitating family visitation with detained or deported parents to maintain parent-child contact are discussed, including coordinating visits in ICE detention and across international borders and utilizing technology for ongoing communication. A section on facilitating parental participation in court proceedings when parents are detained or deported reviews guidelines for parental participation, technologies for remote participation, coordination with detention facilities and foreign jurisdictions to ensure that language barriers and immigration status don't prevent parents from exercising legal rights.
The training also addresses specialized areas including work with unaccompanied minors and creating safe environments to provide resources and support to immigrant families in the face of immigration enforcement.
Practical Application
Throughout both modules, the training emphasizes practical application through case scenarios, interactive elements, and resource sharing. Participants receive templates, protocols, and tools they can implement in their practice settings. The essential practice areas covered represent evidence-based approaches with positive outcomes across different jurisdictions. This comprehensive training represents a significant advancement in preparing child welfare professionals to serve immigrant children and families effectively. By combining evidence-based practices with practical implementation strategies, it offers a pathway toward more equitable outcomes for one of our most vulnerable populations.
Megan Finno-Velazquez, PhD, LCSW, is associate professor at New Mexico State University's School of Social Work and Director Emeritus of the Center on Immigration and
Child Welfare. Contact: [email protected]
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, overseeing Center programs and operations. Contact: [email protected]