BRYCS Wednesday Webinar Series - Child Abuse Issues with Refugee Populations

  1. Building Bridges: A Guide to Planning and Implementing Cross-Service Training. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) 35 page s . 2003. English . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/XSVCTFIN.pdf

    Outlines a training program for service providers in the specific needs of refugee families, with an emphasis on coordination of services among public child welfare agencies, refugee-servicing agencies, and refugee community associations. Developed by Bridging Refugee Youth & Children's Services (BRYCS), this guide reinforces the concept of establishing mechanisms of ongoing communication and collaboration among all service providers through cross-service training, with the ultimate goal of creating and sustaining a comprehensive continuum of care for the refugee population. The guide covers key steps in the process of cross-service training, including: (1) determining how local resettlement agencies, mutual assistance associations, public child welfare agencies, and mainstream organizations interact with one another; (2) establishing a task force to spearhead the development and implementation of cross-service training; (3) defining the focus of the training itself; (4) estimating both timelines and budget needs; (5) outlining the training agenda and preparing materials; and (6) evaluating the training program. Also contains numerous charts, worksheets, and case studies as well as a list of background reading.

  2. Child Abuse and Culture: Working with Diverse Families. Fontes, Lisa Aronson 239 page s . February 2005. English This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.

    This book provides a framework for culturally competent practice in child maltreatment cases. It offers vital knowledge and tools to help professionals from any background play a more positive, effective role in the lives of diverse children and families.

  3. Child Maltreatment Prevention Training. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) . 2008. English Spanish . http://www.brycs.org/ducstrainingmaterials.cfm

    This training initiative 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) with the overall goal of helping to ensure a safe and caring environment for children and youth while they are in federal custody. ORR/DUCS and BRYCS are deeply indebted to all our partners for making this training initiative possible.

    This Web page provides a central location for BRYCS technical assistance materials geared specifically to ORR/DUCS-funded care provider programs. These materials provide information about culturally competent child maltreatment prevention within the context of ORR/DUCS services, and include a full curriculum, instructions for implementing child maltreatment trainings using the BRYCS training model, and additional resources for those serving unaccompanied children.

    The BRYCS training model promotes the use of a training team that includes a representative from the local Child Protective Services (CPS) agency.  This CPS representative can lend expertise on child abuse and neglect throughout the training, particularly during discussion of case examples, as well as clarify local child maltreatment definitions and reporting policies.  BRYCS is available to assist ORR/DUCS-funded care provider programs, as needed, in working together with their local CPS.

  4. Child Welfare Information Gateway (website). Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) . English Spanish . http://www.childwelfare.gov/

    Formerly the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (NCCANI) and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (NAIC), Child Welfare Information Gateway provides access to information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families.

    This Web site includes information on:

    1. Child Abuse and Neglect (overview)
    2. Family-Centered Practice
    3. Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
    4. Supporting and Preserving Families
    5. Out-of-Home Care

    It also has information on Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect, including:

    1. State Laws on Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
    2. Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect
    3. Child Abuse Reporting Numbers (by state)

  5. Determining Child Abuse and Neglect Across Cultures. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) 4 page s . 2005 April. English . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/brycs_spotapr2005.pdf

    Although child abuse and neglect exist to some degree in all cultures and societies, the ways in which abuse and neglect are defined are culturally influenced and can differ in important ways. This Spotlight article provides information on child abuse and neglect according to U.S. law - what it is, who are considered mandated reporters, and how reporting should occur - and also addresses the complexity of assessing child abuse and neglect in refugee families.

  6. Families Guide to Child Protection. Children and Family Services 4 page s . 2006. English Hmong Somali Spanish . http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=id_000152

    This resource details to process of family assessments and investigations, with an emphasis on the roles and obligations of the social services worker. Though this resource is was developed by the Minnesota DHS, the concepts are general and could be applicable in other states.

     

  7. Guardianship Toolkit. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) page s . 2003. English . http://www.brycs.org/guardianship/

    These resources are for those assisting refugee families who are caring for non-biological children (such as grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, siblings, or friends). Overseas, these children are typically referred to as "separated children," while in the U.S. Refugee Program, they are typically referred to as "attached refugee minors." In the U.S. legal and child welfare fields, these caregivers are often referred to as "relative caregivers" or families with "kinship care" arrangements. The toolkit includes fact sheets for both refugee families and the staff that assist them, a highlighted resource list, as well as a searchable directory that provides basic information about the guardianship procedures in each state.

  8. Interviewing Immigrant Children and Families About Child Maltreatment. Fontes, Lisa Aronson page s . 2000. English This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.

    Instructs listeners of the audiotape how to conduct open interviews with immigrant and refugee children (even if they do not speak English) who have suffered experiences of child abuse and neglect. Covers background on why culture and demographic information such as non-nuclear arrangements are important. Advises about the location of the interview, the role of adults who accompany children, and the use of interpreters and bilingual interviewers. Nonverbal cues need special attention: gestures, eye contact, seating arrangements, and physical expressiveness, touch, pace of speech, and silence. The interview consists of three phases: (1) building rapport and establishing trust; (2) conducting the assessment; and (3) reaching closure and preparing for the next steps. Sample questions are included as well as suggestions for using aids such as dolls and drawings during the interview as well as consideration of the crime scene in terms of the culture involved. The techniques described are geared specifically to assist social workers, medical professionals, teachers, attorneys, therapists, and law enforcement personnel in developing rapport with diverse children. (IP)

  9. It Shouldn't Hurt to Be a Child. Wisconsin Department of Children and Families 2 page s . 2009. English Hmong Spanish . http://dcf.wisconsin.gov/children/cps/pubs/pubINDX.htm

    These brochures define the different types of child abuse and neglect, lists the signs, and discusses how you can help report child abuse and neglect. The brochure is also available in Spanish and Hmong.
     

  10. Keeping Children Safe and Families Together: A Guide for Immigrant Families to Understand Child Abuse and Neglect Laws and Support Services in New York. Coalition for Asian American Children & Families 16 page s . May 2008. Chinese Korean Vietnamese Urdu Hindi Punjabi Bengali . http://www.cacf.org/resources_publications.html

    This parent education brochure provides information on the child welfare system, appropriate childrearing practices, child discipline laws, parents’ and children's’ rights, and support services.   [Description summarized from source]

  11. Portrait of a Promise: Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome. Midwest Children's Resource Center page s . 2005. English Hmong Somali Spanish This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.

    This video is available in Hmong, Somali, and Spanish. The “Portrait of a Promise” program was designed to educate a wide variety of audiences about this form of child abuse by addressing the effects and offering insights on prevention.
     

  12. Raising Children in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working with Newcomer Parents. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) 41 page s . November 2005 (Revised). English . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/raisingchildreninanewcountry_web.pdf

    Refugee parents need support in maintaining strong relationships with their children and in preventing problems that can limit their children's success in a new country. To aid refugee serving agencies in helping parents, BRYCS has created Raising Children in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working with Refugee Parents. The Toolkit includes: - An overview of research and good practice in parent education programs for refugees - Detailed information about free and fee-based parent support and education resources for refugee-serving agencies, including free access to certain curricula, handouts in different languages and reports - Program development guidance, including fundraising resources and evaluation tools. This Parenting Toolkit is ideal for mutual assistance associations (MAAs), refugee resettlement agencies, and other organizations providing parent support and education programs for refugees and newcomers. BRYCS' goals in developing this parenting toolkit have been twofold: (1) To summarize the "state of the field" in parent support and education with refugee families, and (2) To gather concrete parenting resources, appropriate for use with refugee families, in an easily-accessible format for refugee-serving agencies. This BRYCS resource is designed to make it easier and feasible for refugee-serving agencies to establish effective parent support programs.

  13. Raising Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) 36 page s . September 2007. Arabic English Hmong Karen Nepali Spanish . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/RaisingChildren-Handbook.pdf

    This booklet was created for agencies serving refugees and immigrants in order to support their efforts to ensure that newcomer parents have the basic information they need about U.S. laws and parenting practices. Although newcomers may find the booklet useful by itself, it is primarily intended for case managers and other service providers to use together with their refugee and immigrant clients. The booklet is targeted to newcomer parents with low levels of English proficiency and/or low literacy levels. Since the often complex concepts illustrated here are necessarily simplified, the resource section (pages 28-31) provides easy-to-access information for service providers to supplement the basic points in this booklet. For best results, BRYCS recommends using this booklet in culturally appropriate parent support groups, preferably run by at least one experienced newcomer parent of the same ethnicity and one U.S.-born parent, where refugee and immigrant parents can ask questions, try out new behaviors, and find positive support to help ease their transition. (See the BRYCS publication Parenting in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working with Newcomer Parents for more information on parent support groups, including curricula and other educational information).

    This booklet has been translated into Arabic, Nepali, Spanish, and White Hmong by local refugee agencies.  Contact BRYCS at info@brycs.org for more information.

  14. Refugee Resettlement and Child Welfare: Collaboration for Child Protection. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) 3 page s . 2006 Winter. English . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/brycs_spotnov2006.pdf

    This Spotlight focuses on collaborations between newcomer services groups and child welfare organizations. Increasingly, public child welfare agencies are recognizing their need to collaborate with agencies serving refugees and immigrants so that services to families from diverse backgrounds occur in a language and culture they understand. Similarly, refugee and immigrant service agencies are recognizing their need to better understand child welfare laws and services, and the resources each discipline can offer the other. For more information, read the interviews with Frances Johnson and Ilze Earner.

  15. Refugees and the U.S. Child Welfare System: Background Information for Service Providers. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services 37 page s . September 2006. English . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/Refugee-and-the-US-Child-Welfare-System.pdf

    In our interactions with refugee resettlement staff, numerous workers have highlighted the need for practical tools that utilize a "train the trainer" approach and impact service delivery in the field. Many have also expressed uncertainty about the U.S. child welfare system and its function in relation to refugee families. In response to these concerns, we intend this toolkit to be a practical resource that will: 1. Be a training guide for refugee resettlement staff to improve their understanding of how the child welfare system works, and how to access and assist clients in obtaining services. 2. Provide a common vocabulary of child welfare terms, enabling refugee resettlement staff to make appropriate referrals for child welfare services. 3. Dispel misconceptions about child welfare agencies and encourage stronger linkages between child welfare services and refugee resettlement agencies to utilize preventative techniques and ultimately keep refugee children and youth with their families, minimizing the need for child removal. 4. Assist in the development of a network of services based on a common understanding of how and why the child welfare system works and increase partnerships between the resettlement system and child welfare; increase the responsiveness and cultural sensitivity to refugee children, youth and families, while building on their inherent strengths. 5. Empower refugee resettlement staff to make referrals to child protective services as needed, recognizing the safety needs of refugee children and families. We hope this resource will shed light on how the child welfare system works and inspire refugee resettlement workers and administrators to reach out and partner with child welfare agencies in their communities, thus providing more comprehensive services to assist new refugees integrating into communities across the United States.

  16. Resources on the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services page s . English This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.

    The following four resources provide an overview of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) program:

    1. Brochure
    2. Frequently Asked Questions
    3. Information on Reclassification

  17. Sexual Abuse in Nine North American Cultures: Treatment and Prevention. Fontes, Lisa Aronson (ed.) 328 page s . 1995. English This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.

    "A beautiful foreword by Eliana Gil and a very helpful preface and introduction by the editor, Lisa Aronson Fontes, elucidate the many ways in which culture is relevant to sexual abuse. They set the personal tone and the fresh scholarly information that characterizes the chapters. The reader is treated to an impressive, state-of-the-art array of ideas on culture that opens new avenues for inquiry." - Publisher's description

  18. State Child Welfare Policy Database. Casey Family Programs page s . n.d.. English . http://www.childwelfarepolicy.org/pages/map.cfm

    The Web site aims to centralize and make publicly available an array of state child welfare policies so that policy makers, practitioners, and other stakeholders can stay abreast of the policies that protect our nation's most vulnerable children.  Refugee service providers may find this site particularly useful for its information on guardianship.  Information on "guardianship policies" can be found within the section on "kinship care policies." 

  19. Suggestions for Interviewing Refugee and Immigrant Children. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) 3 page s . Winter 2009. English . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/BRYCSBrief-Interviewing-Winter2009.pdf

    Interviewing recently arrived refugee or immigrant children and families takes special sensitivity, preparation, and frequently a foreign language interpreter. Whether your topic is child abuse, education, health or other issues, this list of suggestions can help you prepare to interview refugee or immigrant children and families.

  20. Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program: Frequently Asked Questions. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) , United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) 3 page s . February 2006. English . http://old.usccb.org/mrs/urmfaqs.pdf

    Provides basic information, in a question-and-answer format, about the fostering of unaccompanied refugee minors, including the locations of current refugee foster care programs and telephone numbers for further information. Questions address (1) who unaccompanied refugee minors are; (2) who is eligible for refugee foster care programs and for how long; (3) what services are available; (4) how the programs are funded and monitored; (5) what kind of foster family or other care arrangements are provided to the minors; (6) how these children respond to foster care and how they fare in the American educational system; (7) who can become a foster parent; and (8) whether unaccompanied minors are ever reunited with their families.