Stakeholder Support Across Child Welfare Systems
We improve the outcomes for immigrant children in child welfare and other state court systems by offering interdisciplinary case consultations, training, mentorship, and connection to resources directly to the attorneys, caseworkers, government officials, and other professionals serving them.
Technical Assistance Program
Across the country, thousands of immigrant children must navigate multiple complicated and inequitable legal systems. Some are in probate, conservatorship, abuse and neglect, or family court proceedings. Others may face juvenile delinquency charges. Most immigrant children have limited access to legal resources and support systems to effectively maneuver through both state court systems and the federal U.S. immigration system.
These dynamics can negatively impact a child’s safety and well-being, the outcome of their immigration case, and their connection to family, language, and culture. The Young Center offers technical assistance to professionals working with immigrant children in state child court systems to help improve outcomes for these children and build the capacity of agencies and advocates to navigate the inevitable complexities that arise when immigrant children are impacted by these systems. The program is co-led by a Young Center social worker and attorney who provide expertise and resources with a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed lens.
Request Technical Assistance
Case Consultations: The Technical Assistance Program receives requests for assistance from across the country. These requests can vary in complexity from a request to be connected with a service, e.g., an international home study provider, to an exchange on a discrete question at the intersection of immigration and child welfare, to an ongoing partnership on strategy and problem solving on behalf of a multi-system-involved immigrant youth.
The Young Center has been an invaluable partner to us with family separation cases in the child welfare system. From assisting us in locating experts to helping brainstorm ways to remain client-centered in the midst of very difficult circumstances, [their] expertise and thoughtfulness has helped inform our legal strategy and deepen our relationship with our clients.
– Attorney for parent separated across borders from their tender age child
Training
The Young Center offers both virtual and in-person trainings on best practices and holistic considerations to help ensure that immigrant youth involved in state court systems have equitable access to family, culture, community, and permanency. These trainings can be tailored to an agency or entity’s specific needs in order to address specific topics or to provide a broad overview of the key topics most critical for state court stakeholders working with immigrant children and families to understand. With these trainings, TAP strives to build the capacity of agencies and advocates to navigate the inevitable complexities that arise when immigrant children are involved in multiple legal systems.
To request a training, please email tap@theyoungcenter.org
Legal Advocacy Collaboration
The Technical Assistance Program has served as Amici in matters involving immigrant family unity, has identified expert witnesses for family court matters, and collaborated to facilitate service or connection to counsel for parents outside of the U.S.
If you are an advocate seeking support on a legal matter impacting immigrant family unity, please email tap@theyoungcenter.org to discuss further how we might be able to support your efforts.