Family Reunification Monthly Update
March 2022
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Monthly Report
April 8th.
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Quarterly Network Call
The 2nd network call of FY22 is scheduled for
Wednesday, April 13th
2 -3:30 PM EST
Use this LINK to access the call via Zoom on the indicated day/time.
Meeting ID: 993 6384 8850
Passcode: 108855
Should you have any questions to submit prior to the call, please do so using this link. Questions must be submitted by 5pm EST on April 12th.
The recording and handout for the 1st quarter network call of FY22 can be accessed here.
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USCCB Closings
April 14th
(Holy Thursday)
April 15th
(Good Friday)
April 18th
(Easter Monday)
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ORR Program Updates
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For a complete list of ORR policies and procedures, click here.
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Here is the latest Federal Field Specialist (FFS) and Case Coordinator (CC) UAC program assignment lists as of January 2022. Please use these updated lists when submitting home study reports.
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USCCB/MRS Program Updates
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Starting April 1st, We will be assigned a new ORR Project Officer (PO). We will continue to keep you updated on the transition. In the meantime, In addition to Michelle Sheedy, also copy our soon-to-be PO, Tiffany Pham, on the appropriate NOC submissions (i.e., media attention, death of a UC, and/or trafficking concerns). Tiffany's email address is tiffany.pham@acf.hhs.gov.
- We are approaching the 2nd April 1
- Our newly hired CSS, Kailey Cano, will join the FR Team on Monday, April 4th. We will formally introduce Kailey during the upcoming network call.
*With the continued transition, CSS shortage and the increased case loads, we sincerely appreciate your ongoing patience and understanding. For matters that require immediate attention, please include "URGENT" in the email subject line.
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Training
Mandatory Training:
New Program/Staff Onboarding Training:
*Partial recordings due to technical difficulties
Additional Training Opportunities:
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Switchboard is excited to announce a new self-paced e-learning course and video series! Who are the Afghan newcomers?
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(Pre-recorded) - Child Maltreatment During the Pandemic
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March 30th, 12:30pm-2pm EST (Webinar) - Innovating Protection for Children at Risk in the Americas
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March 30th, 2pm EST (Webinar) - Increasing Immigrant Integration and Inclusion Through Community Partnerships
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April 7th, 12:30pm-2pm EST (Webinar) - History of Child Welfare in the United States and Cultural Issues
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April 14th, 12:30pm-2pm EST (Webinar) - Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention
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April 14th, 2pm-3:30pm EST (Webinar) - TVAP Training for PRS Providers (A recording will be provided following the webinar)
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April 19th, 2pm-3pm EST(Webinar) - Balancing the Demanding Needs of Case Management
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April 21st, 12:30pm-2pm EST (Webinar) - The Truth about Race and Trauma
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April 26th - 30th, Washington, DC (Conference) - CWLA 2022 National Conference
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April 27th, 1pm-2:30pm (Stakeholder Meeting) - Special Immigrant Juvenile Policy Updates - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services invites you to a stakeholder engagement on policy updates in the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) program. At this engagement, USCIS will provide a brief overview of the recently published SIJ final rule, as well as the Policy Manual update to consider deferred action and related employment authorization for noncitizens who have an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, for SIJ classification but who cannot apply to adjust status to become a lawful permanent resident because a visa number is not available. We will then address questions related to SIJ classification and these policy updates.
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May 18th, 3:15pm EST (Webinar) - Welcoming Haitians - Immigration Legal Services
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June 6th - 7th, New Orleans, LA (Conference) - APSAC Colloquium
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July 17th - 20th , New Orleans, LA (Conference) - FFTA 36th Annual Conference of Treatment Family Care
*In the event that you are unable to print the certificate of completion for any mandatory training, please take a screenshot of the final screen, including your training score, and forward it to your assigned CSS
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Resources/News
- April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
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MRSConnect Web Library
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BRYCS - Bridging Refugee Youth & Children's Service
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Afghan Culture - Cultural Atlas
- Humanitarian Parole Explainer for UAMs - Below you will find a Humanitarian Parole Explainer for Unaccompanied Afghan Minors (UAMs), in English, Dari and Pashto. This document is intended to help explain to UAMs what Humanitarian Parole is (and isn’t) and was created in response to feedback from programs that there was confusion about Humanitarian Parole status. The target audience of the document is UAMs themselves.
- English
- Pashto
- Dari
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Reminders
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NOC Submission Timeframe - NOCs should be submitted with 72hrs or 3 business days from the time you learned of the incident. The only exception, is for NOCs due to "No Initial Contact". When you are unable to establish initial contact with the sponsor or UC, you will follow the loss of contact protocols. If contact is not establish within 30 days, then the case closes and the NOC is submitted to ORR for "No Initial Contact". The NOC is not submitted before the 30 days unless the case closes due to age out prior to. "No Initial Contact NOCs" also require that the sponsor be flagged. These steps are also noted in the PRS training. Please contact your CSS is you have any questions or cases to consult.
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Current NOC Template - This is the latest NOC template, reflecting our current ORR Project Officer (PO), Michelle Sheedy. Please use this template until further notice. As mentioned earlier in this update, please also copy Tiffany Pham (tiffany.pham@acf.hhs.gov) on NOCs requiring the PO's attention.
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Flagging Sponsors - Per ORR's request, please remember to specifically indicate in NOCs whether or not the sponsor should be flagged. This is particularly important as it pertains to NOCs for placement disruption, CPS, or lost contact. This should be noted in both the submission email as well as the NOC report
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Monthly reports are due the 2nd Friday of the following month. There are several data components from the reports that are used to complete subsequent reports that USCCB/MRS Safe Passages Family Reunification submits to ORR. Please remember to submit your monthly reports on time. The monthly report form can be found here.
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Capacity Issues - If any sub-recipient program experiences capacity issues due to staffing challenges, medical leave, etc., please notify your CSS immediately via email and be sure to include Minh Martinez, Child Placement Specialist.
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Please remember to change your UAC Portal password when prompted via email; as a precaution, be sure to check your spam folders for the alerts. Failure to update your password within the time indicated will result in suspension of your Portal account. Also, you MUST login to the Portal weekly/bi-weekly to prevent being locked out due to inactivity.
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Enhanced Post Release Services (ePRS) - As previously mentioned, ORR partnered with grantees of the National Center for Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) to provide post release services to eligible unaccompanied alien children (UAC) and their sponsors who will require intensive services to maintain placement and/or continued services to ensure that continuity of care and services are not disrupted. ePRS are currently available to UC discharged or reunified with a sponsor in the following states: in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Texas, Illinois, or Florida. Learn more about ePRS and the eligibility requirements here. If you have a UC to refer for ePRS, please complete this referral form and the referral process flowchart as it relates to subrecipient program staff.
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Migration Protection Protocols - Please continue to track/report Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) (also known as “Remain in Mexico”). Additional information on the MPP can be found here. Please review and complete the information indicated here for all cases in which a child reports being impacted in any capacity by MPP.
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