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REFUGEE PARENT INTERVIEWS
In order to gather first-hand accounts
of parenting and resettlement challenges
and successes, BRYCS staff are conducting
a series of interviews with refugee parents.
Each interview summary will be followed
by several discussion questions, so that
refugee serving agencies can use the interviews
as a staff development tool. A new interview
will be added monthly, so check back!
 Jarsso,
an Oromo Ethiopian Father
Aline,
A Burundian Social Worker
Caridad
and Arturo, A Cuban-Chilean Family
John
and Ellen, A Liberian Family
Mary, A Sudanese Mother
Anna,
a Russian Mother
Klee
Thoo, a Burmese Karen Father
Tou
and Mee, Hmong Parents
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PROMISING PRACTICES
FOR REFUGEE-SERVING
PROGRAMS
The BRYCS sidebar series continues this month by
highlighting two child welfare training programs
that emphasize cultural competence with newcomer
populations.
The Public Child
Welfare Training Academy (PCWTA) provides core
training to line social workers, supervisors, and
managers of five counties in the Southern California
region. Currently, the PCWTA is working with trainer/consultant
Dr. Wanjiru Golly on a class entitled, "Refugee
Communities: Social and Practical Implications for
Service Providers.”
The Ohio Child
Welfare Training Program (OCWTP) is a comprehensive,
competency-based in-service training system for
staff, managers, adoptive, and foster parents in
Ohio’s 88 county Public Children Services
Agencies. Since the program’s inception in
1986, OCWTP core curriculum for caseworkers has
addressed cultural considerations in all stages
of case planning and integrated them throughout
the modules; current workshops topics include: Culture
& Diversity; Basic Spanish; The Color of Child
Welfare; Working with Families who are Muslim; and
Casework with the Immigrant and Refugee in Mind.
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BRYCS will continue to develop our “promising
practices” series in the coming months as we
share the innovative work being accomplished by programs
serving refugee children and their families throughout
the United States. Please be sure to visit BRYCS'
Targeted Resources for Program
Managers, where you will find a link to the complete
list of Program Descriptions in the Clearinghouse.
If you have a program to share, or are aware of
any creative efforts towards enhancing services
for refugee children, please contact BRYCS with
the details. We want to recognize and profile these
efforts, so that others can learn from them. We
are also interested in hearing from you about what
tools, resources or mechanisms that you would like
to learn more about. Email
info at brycs.org or call 202-541-3232 to speak
with our Outreach and Information Coordinator.
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| Bridging
Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS)
is a national technical assistance project working to broaden
the scope of information and collaboration among service providers
- in order to strengthen services to refugee youth, children
and their families. Read more about our mission and services.
Who is a refugee?
 Now
you can sign up online to receive the BRYCS Bulletin Alert
via email, as well as sign up for our new BRYCS Discussion
Listserv.
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BRYCS is pleased to present our newest publication, Raising
Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook.
This booklet was created as a tool for refugee and immigrant
serving agencies, as they help newcomer parents adjust to
the different laws, norms and practices around raising children
in the United States. Please see our Publications
page if you prefer to download the handbook in smaller
segments. To order print or CD copies of the Handbook, please
email info@brycs.org or
call 1-888-572-6500. If you are interested in translating
this book into other languages, please refer to the Translation
and Copyright Guidelines for Service Providers and
accompanying sample cover page in PDF or
MSWord
format.
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WINTER
2007 SPOTLIGHT
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When the ACS [child protective services]
worker came to the house she did not speak Chinese,
so I sent my daughter to talk to her, I thought
she was a missionary. She talked to my daughter
for five or six minutes, my daughter only said
she would call me back…then I later found
out I had been reported for abuse by the school
because I punished my daughter for misbehaving.
No one ever talked to me or explained to me what
was going on, only to my daughter.
[1]
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These newcomer parents painfully convey
the cultural and linguistic barriers that can be experienced
when child welfare workers interact with foreign-born
parents. Situations like these are frustrating for both
newcomer families and for the child welfare workers involved
with them, underscoring the relevance of cultural competence
training for child welfare workers. Such training is a
necessary bridge between the assumptions and practices
of majority and minority cultures.
Given increasing diversity, and decreasing
cultural isolation—due to the forces of globalization
and migration—child welfare workers and newcomer
service providers must collaborate more in order to improve
caseworker knowledge of cross-cultural parenting practices,
and to improve newcomer knowledge of U.S. parenting laws
and norms. To read the BRYCS Winter 2007 Spotlight, click
here. In addition, please see BRYCS' lists of highlighted
resources on this topic: Child
Welfare Training Curricula for Staff Working with Refugees
and Immigrants and Resources
to Enhance Child Welfare Training Curricula.
To see any of the past Spotlights
or lists of highlighted resources by topic, please visit
the BRYCS archive.
| 1 - -- Earner, I. (2007).
”Immigrant Families and Public Child Welfare:
Barriers to Services and Approaches for Change.”
Child Welfare, 86(4). |
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WHAT'S
NEW - FEBRUARY 2008 |
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Due to many requests to translate Raising
Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook,
BRYCS has created Translation
and Copyright Guidelines for Service Providers.
If you are interested in translating this book into other
languages, please read the guidelines carefully and contact
us with your questions.
UNHCR is currently working with its member states to negotiate
a statement of principles and agreed practice for identifying
and serving children at risk. Recently updated, Best
Interest Determination for Refugee Children: An Annotated
Bibliography of Law and Practice is intended to
provide a common set of documents to work from with links
to the underlying child welfare principles or laws from
the United Nations, states or collections of states. This
resource is available in the BRYCS Clearinghouse and can
be searched using the terms BID or "best interest determination."
The U.S.
Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) has initiated
the Program Supporting the Successful Integration of Burundian
Refugees. The new USCRI Burundian program provides technical
assistance to all service providers, coordinates regional
community gatherings of Burundian refugees, and produces
linguistically and culturally accessible orientation materials
for Burundian refugees. The initial phase of the program
will focus on research, assessment, and resource development.
Program Officer Amanda Gonzales can be reached at agonzales@uscridc.org
(202)347-3507, ext. 3039.
EVENTS
Children
2008: A Call for Action—Leading the Nation for Children
and Families, the Child Welfare League of America’s
2008 conference, will be in Washington, DC, on February
25-27. BRYCS staff will host an exhibit table with materials,
including our new illustrated
parenting booklet. We hope to see you there!
The Migration
and Child Welfare National Network (MCWNN) will host
its second roundtable in Chicago, Illinois on April 1-3!
In an effort to enhance the power of partnerships focused
on the needs of immigrant children and families, the MCWNN
has joined forces with two additional national entities--the
National Immigrant Justice Center, host of the 2008 Unaccompanied
Minors conference, and the Immigrant Children’s Lawyers
Network. The three entities will be hosting a joint program
on the morning of April 3rd, as well. For more information,
CWMN@americanhumane.org.
The National
Conference on Family Literacy will take place in Louisville,
Kentucky from March 30 to April 1, 2008. The conference
includes a series of sessions on English as a Second Language,
and draws together national and international participants
to discuss issues of relevance to family literacy. The conference
audience includes educators, community leaders, philanthropists,
and government officials dedicated to family literacy.
The 2008
Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse
Populations is currently calling for presentation proposals
for its September 21-24, 2008 meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The conference will focus on how to improve the delivery
of health services in a culturally competent way with the
goal of reducing disparities in access and outcomes. Conference
objectives include: addressing the needs and concerns that
affect day-to-day practice at the clinical, organizational
and community level; continuing the integration of cultural
competence/disparity reduction into mainstream healthcare
priorities; and developing a vision for advancing the field.
For more information, please contact Julia Puebla Fortier,
Director: rcchc@aol.com.
FUNDING
The
Knight Foundation offers funding opportunities related
to six priority areas: Education, Well-being of Children
and Families, Housing and Community Development, Economic
Development, Civic Engagement/Positive Human Relations,
and Vitality of Cultural Life. The Knight Foundation has
no application deadline and has previously funded immigrant
related programs, including a major immigrant integration
initiative.
The
Max and Anna Levinson Foundation funds social concerns,
including protection of civil rights and immigrants' rights,
local economic development and responses to globalization,
empowerment of youth, and community health and violence
prevention. Grants are typically in the $10,000 - $20,000
range and go towards activities such as public education,
organization building, and advocacy. The next application
deadline is April 1st, 2008.
FOR REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT YOUTH
Your
Right to Education: A Handbook for Refugees and Displaced
Communities, a new resource from The Women's Commission
for Refugee Women and Children, is aimed at refugee children,
young people and adults. The brightly illustrated book raises
awareness of the universal right to education, especially
in areas of conflict. The book can be used as a coloring
book, a tool to facilitate discussion and a starting point
for role-plays and skits about universal and inalienable
human rights, the freedom from fear and abuse, the freedom
to achieve one's dreams and the freedom to make well-informed
decisions. Written in English, French and Arabic.
Career
Voyages, a Web site created by The U.S.
Department of Labor in collaboration with the U.S.
Department of Education, was designed to provide information
on high growth, in-demand occupations along with the skills
and education needed to attain those jobs. The Web site
has tabs for students, parents, career-changers, and career
advisors, with tabs also available in Spanish.
Refugee and immigrant youth may consider applying for
AmeriCorps
National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), a 10-month
residential program in which youth, ages 18-24, participate
in service projects that address critical needs of communities
in the areas of education, public safety, the environment,
and other unmet needs. Members tutor students, construct
and rehabilitate low-income housing, respond to natural
disasters, clean up streams, help communities develop emergency
plans, and address countless other local needs. Knowledge
of foreign languages can be an asset; applicants must apply
by March 15, 2008 and be a lawful permanent resident (i.e.
green card) or U.S. Citizen.
RESOURCES
Child Welfare
An
Analysis of Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality and Disparity
at the National, State, and County Levels, a report
from the Casey-CSSP Alliance for Racial Equity in Child
Welfare, makes several important contributions to the study
of disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare
system by incorporating a variety of communities, namely
American Indians, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics.
Furthermore, while most studies examine disproportionality
at only one geographic level, this analysis describes racial/ethnic
disproportionality and disparity at three levels—national,
state, and county. (Description taken from source.)
Parent
Engagement and Leadership, a fact sheet from the
FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child
Abuse Prevention, includes information about this strength-based
approach to family support that involves parent leaders
in helping to shape their families, programs and communities.
This parent leadership model may be useful to agencies organizing
parenting education with newcomer populations.
The
Hispanic Family in Flux, a working paper by Roberto
Suro for the Brookings Institution in collaboration with
the Annie E. Casey Foundation, discusses evolving family
life directions for Hispanics living in the U.S. The paper
discusses trends in demographics, family composition, marriage
rates, single mothers, family and Hispanic identity, and
the effects of immigration and acculturation.
Education
Against
All Odds is an interactive online game created
by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
to increase students’ awareness and knowledge about
refugee situations by putting players in the position of
a refugee. Players will be challenged by a variety of obstacles
and scenarios simulating struggles refugees are forced to
deal with every day, from sneaking out of town to dealing
with prejudices in a new place. (Description taken from
source.) The content includes implied violence and may not
be appropriate for all children. Available in English, German,
Greek, Norwegian, and Swedish.
Opening
the Door to the American Dream: Increasing Higher Education
Access and Success for Immigrants, a forum report
released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP),
identifies systemic barriers preventing legal immigrants
from enrolling in and/or completing college, such as financial
need, inadequate academic preparation, lack of college knowledge,
work and family responsibilities, and limited English proficiency.
The report includes policy recommendations, as well as highlights
from a “Question and Answer” session.
Parent
and Home Involvement in Schools from the Center
for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA, stresses the importance
of home involvement in schooling. Research findings over
the past 30 years have consistently shown that parental
involvement in schooling has a positive impact on youth’s
attitudes, aspirations, and achievement. (Description taken
from source). The report includes many references to working
with families from diverse language and cultural backgrounds.
After-School
Programs and Addressing Barriers to Learning, also
from the Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA, is
a “technical aid packet from the Center’s clearinghouse,”
revised in 2007. The packet focuses on opportunities for
after-school involvement offered at school sites, compiles
research on after-school programming, and includes references
to English as a Second Language (ESL) needs and opportunities.
Health/Mental Health
Caring
for Kids after Trauma, Disaster and Death: A Guide for Parents
and Professionals, from the New York University
Child Study Center, may be useful to service providers working
with refugee and immigrant children who have experienced
trauma. This resource provides educational and practical
guidance to help schools, parents, and others who care for
children understand and respond to children's reactions
to traumatic events. The guide is also intended to help
identify ways to strengthen the factors that promote resilience
in a climate sensitive to the cultural and social context
of families. (Description taken from source.)
Child Care
Child Care and Early Education Research Connections has
released three studies of family, friend and neighbor care:
1) Assessing
Initiatives for Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care;
2) Measuring
Quality in Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care;
3) Family
Child Care in the United States. Given the prevalence
of this type of child care among refugees and immigrants,
these resources may be of use to agencies assisting newcomers
with child care choices.
Program Development
A
Basic Guide to Program Evaluation is available
from the Free Management Library, which is a free, online
library that includes information on fundraising, volunteers,
public policy, and more. This publication provides guidance
toward planning and implementing an evaluation process and
covers many kinds of evaluations, such as goals-based, process-based,
and outcomes-based.
COMING SOON:
Later this month, BRYCS will debut its new Youth Arts
and Voices Web page to provide refugee and immigrant youth
an opportunity to share their voices and to showcase their
creativity and talent. Keep checking back!
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