World Refugee Day

On June 20th, people around the globe will observe World Refugee Day, recognizing the courage it takes to be a refugee in the face of daunting odds.  In this month's Spotlight article, BRYCS lets you test how much you know about refugees and highlights two groups of more recent newcomers: the Meskhetian Turks (also known as Ahiska or Akhiska Turks), and Burmese refugees living in Thailand and Malaysia.  This month's featured search provides resources that address acculturation.  Additional resources on specific cultural and ethnic groups can be found listed under BRYCS Targeted Resources.  In addition to the two new groups highlighted in this month's spotlight, resources can be found for: Afghans, Albanians, Bosnians, Cambodians, Cubans, Eritreans, Ethiopians, Haitians, Hmong, Iranians, Iraqis, Kosovars, Laotians, Liberians, Somali, Somali Bantu, Southeast Asians, Sudanese, and Vietnamese.

Last month's spotlight addressing foster care is available in the BRYCS archive. The accompanying featured searches on separated children, foster care and unaccompanied refugee minors are also available through the BRYCS archive, along with past resource lists.
 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a nationwide alert in response to the tragic lead poisoning death of a two-year-old Sudanese girl resettled in New Hampshire in 2000 and the subsequent discovery of a pattern of elevated blood levels among other refugee children in that state. On May 10th, the CDC issued new federal guidelines, “Recommendations for Lead Poisoning Prevention in Newly Arrived Refugee Children.”

Key points:

  “Stop lead poisoning in refugee children”

Many refugee children suffer iron deficiency anemia and malnutrition, making them magnets for lead after they are relocated to the United States, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This backgrounder was prepared by Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program and offered as a resource for broad use, it contains links to the CDC and EPA lead fact sheets, as well as the CDC’s Recommendations for Lead poisoning.

  BRYCS Publications on Foster Care

Due to popular demand, BRYCS has created separate resources out of two appendices to our publication, “Serving Foreign-Born Foster Children: A Resource for Meeting the Special Needs of Refugee Youth and Children.”  These new publications, “Developing Refugee Foster Families: A Worthwhile Investment”  and “Serving Refugee Children in Foster Care: Fundamental Considerations,” stand on their own as useful resources for both refugee-serving and public child welfare agencies.

The first document reviews the complexities and benefits of placing refugee children in ethnically similar foster homes, including proven strategies for recruiting, training, licensing, and retaining refugee foster families. The second resource provides an overview of issues and recommendations for refugee children in foster care, including factors in children's backgrounds that can influence their adjustment and recommendations for programs and foster families that increase positive outcomes for refugee children.

  New additions to Targeted Resources

Resources for the two groups highlighted in this month's spotlight, the Meskhetian Turks and Burmese, have been added to the listing of cultural and ethnic groups under the BRYCS Targeted Resources.  Newly added groups also include: Albanians, Cubans, Haitians, Laotians, and Somali.

  New in the BRYCS Clearinghouse:

School Success Tool-Kit: Tools To Help You Get Involved in Your Child's Education.  Published by the People for the American Way Foundation, this toolkit is part of a national campaign to help parents get more closely involved in their children's education. The campaign, "Success in School Equals Success in Life," asserts that all parents have the right to free, high quality education for their children regardless of race, gender, national origin, or disability status; all parents have the right to be involved in their children's education; all parents have a right to public schools that are properly maintained and adequately funded; all parents have a right to be informed of school policies; all parents have the right to send their children to safe, respectful public schools; and all parents have the right to know about any problems or challenges their children are facing and how they can work with the school to help their children succeed. The booklet presents information on visiting the child's school during school visits or open houses; dealing with disciplinary issues; the child and standardized tests; overcoming social, economic, and cultural barriers; school funding (a key to quality education); learning disabilities and special education; undocumented students and their rights; where to turn with concerns; and other resources. Questions to ask and/or issues to consider are presented for each section.

Race Matters Consortium Web site.  The Race Matters Consortium is a national think tank of concerned experts in research, social work practice, public policy, and philanthropy who critically examine the issues related to racial and ethnic disparities and influence policy and practice through education and consultation. The Consortium’s Web site addresses disproportional representation of individuals of different races and ethnic groups in the child welfare system. In particular, the site provides access to papers, models, discussion, and conferences on such topics as the relationship between child maltreatment and child welfare system entry and the distinctions between overrepresentation, disproportionality, and disparity in the child welfare system. It also includes key issues underlying racially disproportionate representation and outcomes in the child welfare system, along with promising solutions. Among the Consortium’s goals are translating current research into user-friendly language for multiple audiences; establishing collaborations at the national and local levels; and developing and advancing a national action agenda to address racial/ethnic disproportionate representation and outcomes in the child welfare system environment. The site gives researchers, social workers, and child welfare advocates a venue for joint efforts to influence change in child welfare practice and policy.

Immigration and Language Guidelines for Child Welfare Staff, 2nd edition.  The New York City (NYC) Administration for Children’s Services developed this pamphlet to help child welfare staff understand the different immigration status’ and the immigration issues that affect children in child protective services investigations and who are awaiting foster care placements. A reference list of sources for help with immigration and language issues is provided. In addition, the NYC Administration for Children’s Services Language Identification Card is included.

COMING SOON  The July Spotlight and Featured Search of Clearinghouse resources will focus on out-of school time programs and youth programs.  Also, check back with  www.brycs.org next month for the report from the roundtable discussion, "Enhancing State Child Welfare Services to Migrating Children," held by BRYCS at the 15th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Boston on April 20th.