Family Reunification Monthly Update
May 2021
Monthly Report

The monthly report for May is due June 11th.
Previous Monthly Updates

March 2021
April 2021
Quarterly Network Call
 
The recording and handout for the 2nd quarter network call of FY21 can be accessed here.
 
The 3rd network call is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14th
2 -3:30 PM EST

Please submit any questions or training requests for the 3rd quarter call HERE.
USCCB Closings

May 31st
(Memorial Day)

July 5th - 6th
(Independence Day)
Children's Service Convening
September 2021

The Safe Passages Family Reunification program is joining forces with the USCCB/MRS Foster Care team for a joint Children's Services Convening. The free virtual conference is scheduled for the last week of September, with more details to come. Anyone interested in presenting at the Convening should can review the call for proposals email and access the proposal form here.

Proposal submissions are due on June 11th
ORR Program Updates
USCCB/MRS Program Updates

  • FY21 Monitoring will occur during the 3rd and 4th quarters. Sub-recipient programs will hear from their CSS in the coming weeks with regards to scheduling what to expects from the monitoring process.
  • We recently informed you that Monique Harvey joined the Family Reunification team as our 3rd CSS. As such, we will be integrating Monique into program calls, referral emails and case consultations for the sub recipient programs that she will soon oversee. In the interim and during the transition, Simy Cuervo and Nikeita Lawrence will remain your main points of contact, but please also include Monique (mharvey@usccb.org) on all email communications to. The updated CSS assignments are below:

  • Nikeita Lawrence (nlawrence@usccb.org)
  • Catholic Charities San Antonio, TX
  • Catholic Charities Trenton, NJ
  • Catholic Charities Arlington, VA
  • Catholic Charities Boston, MA
  • Catholic Charities Baltimore, MD

  • Simy Cuervo (scuervo@usccb.org)
  • Catholic Charities San Diego, CA
  • Catholic Charities Nashville, TN
  • International Christian Adoptions - ICA
  • Catholic Charities Las Angeles, CA
  • Catholic Charities Houston, TX
  • Catholic Charities Atlanta, GA
  • Bethany Christian Services Florida

  • Monique Harvey (mharvey@usccb.org)
  • Catholic Charities Newark, NJ
  • Bethany Christian Services Maryland
  • Catholic Charities Cincinnati, OH
  • Catholic Charities New York, NY

*The CSS assignment for some programs currently covered by Nikeita and Simy, may change once the 4th CSS is hired and onboarded.

*With the transition and the increased case load of the current CSS' more than doubling, please be patient and understanding during this transition. For matters that require immediate attention, please include "URGENT" in the email subject line.
Emergency Influx Sites/Border Visit

On May 12th and 13th, Simy Cuervo, along with a staff person from USCCB’s Foster Care program and several other organizations (including American Academy of Pediatrics, KIND, The Woman’s Refugee Commission, USCRI, and others) participated in a tour of the ORR Emergency Influx Sites (EIS), Pecos Target Lodge in Pecos, TX and Ft. Bliss in El Paso, TX. Both tours raised some concerns regarding the lack of case management, recreation, education (among others) with the tour group and has resulted in several follow up meetings with ORR, Congresswoman Escobar (TX), and the White House. At the provider level, it is important to note that youth who are released from EIS may not have the comprehensive case documents needed for the case file as case management services are being conducted remotely. If you identify youth referred for PRS who are missing necessary documents, please contact your assigned CSS to determine how to proceed. 
Training

Mandatory Training:


New Program/Staff Onboarding Training:

*Partial recordings due to technical difficulties

Additional Training Opportunities:

*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

*FY21Training Tracker - Please note that the training tracker has been updated to include the new mandated trauma and UAC Portal training requirements. Please utilize this tracker moving forward.
Reminders
  • 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
  • As of January1, 2021, please use the NEW training tracker to document your ORR required trainings.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Current NOC Template - This is the latest NOC template, reflecting our new ORR Project Officer (PO), Michelle Sheedy. Please use this updated template moving forward.
  • MRSConnect
  • New subrecipient program staff should have recently received an email regarding your access to MRSConnect and login credentials
  • If you already had access to MRSConnect through another USCCB program, your access was updated to include the Safe Passages Family Reunification program and/or Children's Services
  • For subrecipient staff who were with the Safe Passages Family program prior to 2020, and not actively using MRSConnect for another program, your password was likely part of a system wide password reset. You new temporary password is (lastname)Connect4321!. Please note the the password is simply your last name (all lowercase) followed by Connect4321! with no parenthesis or spaces. If you have any issues logging into MRSConnect, please contact Nikeita Lawrence @ nlawrence@usccb.org.
  • 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.
  • MRIS Issues - Some sub-recipient program staff reported recent issues with MRIS, including some glitches with PRS report forms. The MRIS help desk is aware of the issue and appreciates your patience in the interim. The help desk is requesting screenshots of issues to assist with resolving them; if you experience and issue or glitch, please forward the screenshot and a description of the issue to your assigned CSS. Additionally, remember that MRIS is most compatible with Internet Explorer, and may not function properly with other browsers. Additionally, you need to ensure that your compatibility view settings are configured to include the website. Please contact your CSS is the issue persists.
  • 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.
Resources/News