Current Initiatives

Preventing Child Maltreatment in ORR/DUCS-Funded Care Provider Programs

This training initiative began in October 2008 and is a collaboration between ORR/DUCS, the Children’s Bureau, the National Resource Center for Child Protective Services, and Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS). The overall goal of the initiative is to help ensure a safe and caring environment for children and youth while they are in federal custody.  BRYCS is providing technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of DUCS-funded care provider programs to ensure the safety and well-being of these minors while they are in federal custody. 

In addition to providing on-going technical assistance to the DUCS-funded care provider programs, BRYCS has updated all current training curriculum materials to reflect DUCS new Policies and Procedures Manual, created two DVDs of the training (English and Spanish),and is evaluating all of the trainings implemented by DUCS-funded care provider programs.

Learn more about our training initiative!

Refugee School Impact Grants (RSIG)

In October 2008, in partnership with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), BRYCS formally began providing technical assistance to Refugee School Impact Grantees (RSIG).  This focus on assisting Refugee School Impact Grantees builds on BRYCS’ ongoing work with refugee and mainstream community agencies that serve refugee children, youth, and families, including the schools.  RSIG program managers expressed a need for descriptions of “what works” so they could build upon what had successfully been done in other parts of the country as well as a mechanism for sharing resources, to avoid “reinventing the wheel.”
 
In order to address these and other concerns, BRYCS is providing ongoing technical assistance to RSIG programs, working closely with ORR to respond to questions posted on an RSIG listserv, documenting RSIG programs and collecting RSIG resources, and developing a toolkit for those working with refugee children in the schools.  In addition, in Federal Fiscal Year 2009, BRYCS staff met with RSIG program staff in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota.
 
Learn more about our technical assistance to RSIG programs!