New Grants and Contracts That Will Reunite Families Across Borders!

JULY 31, 2018

July Issue

ISS-USA Awarded $64,000 Grant from Jesse Ball duPont Fund to Reunite Separated Families Across Borders

International Social Service, USA (ISS-USA) has received a $64,000.00 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund to provide social services for an additional 75 families separated across country borders. The support represents emergency funding following the recent separation of families at the southern U.S. border with Mexico, causing an overflow of those in need of cross-border social services.

Building on the work the International Social Service global network has been performing for over ninety years, this grant will allow ISS-USA and their Intercountry Casework Team to provide case management services to:

1. Locate and connect families separated by state and country borders.

2. Facilitate communication between separated families.

3. Perform community surveys used in immigration cases so judges can determine whether a child meets the threshold for immigration relief.

4. Perform community surveys for planning the safe return of children to their home country.

5. Find and acquire documents and birth certificates to verify relationships between parent and child.

6. Refer cross-border cases to pro bono counsel.

To learn more, view the full press release here .

ISS-USA and Connecticut Department of Children and Families Sign Contract to Support Permanency Planning Across State and Country Borders

ISS-USA has signed a two-year, $225,000 contract with the State of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) to allow ISS-USA to provide services supporting permanency planning for children and families across state and country borders.

Building on the work ISS-USA has been providing Connecticut DCF through individual cases, this contract will allow ISS-USA’s Intercountry Casework Team to provide additional case management services in:

1. cases in which the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) cannot be invoked because the relative who is being considered for placement is a non-custodial parent;

2. cases in which a child has a relative being considered for placement who lives in another country because they are in the military, have retired, work abroad, or are foreign nationals;

3. cases in which unaccompanied alien children (UACs) seek to be reunited with their family in another country;

4. cases in which children who have been separated from their parents through immigration enforcement activities.

This contract will decrease the amount of time it takes to complete social services for children living in the U.S. and abroad. It will also allow family permanency decisions to be made quickly and increase the ability of families to participate in the cross-border planning.

ISS-USA Welcomes Two New Bilingual Intercountry Case Managers: Virginia Moraleda and Olivia Barrios

Virginia Moraleda holds a B.A. in Social Work from UNED, an M.A. in Applied Sociology from Complutense University of Madrid, and an M.A. in Leadership and Management from Notre Dame of MD University. Prior to joining ISS-USA, Ms. Moraleda worked with a diverse population, including sex workers, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, survivors of domestic abuse, and female prisoners. Ms. Moraleda is looking forward to improving ISS-USA's services and working with immigrant populations. Ms. Moraleda is originally from Spain and is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Olivia Barrios graduated with B.S./B.A. degrees in Health Science and Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton. She takes a passionate approach to health education and social services. Prior to joining ISS-USA, Ms. Barrios worked for non-profit organizations serving youth and low-income families, helping them achieve their personal goals. She is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Did You Miss Our Live Chat on Parental Child Abduction & Trafficked Children ? Don't Worry, You Can Still View It!

On July 17th, ISS-USA hosted an hour-long Facebook Live Chat on Parental Child Abduction & Trafficked Children with staff members Elaine Weisman and Felicity Sackville Northcott. To watch the chat and find out more about ISS-USA 's cross-border services in support of reintegration for child victims of trafficking , click here .

Casework Corner: Reuniting Families Across Borders

6-year-old Julissa* was living in the U.S. with her mother, who suffered with drug dependency issues and could no longer care for her. Julissa entered into the U.S. child welfare system and was placed in a foster home. It was then discovered that Julissa's biological father and grandparents were living in Honduras and desired to care for her. ISS-USA conducted a homestudy on her father and extended family in Honduras, and concluded his home would be a safe and nurturing environment for Julissa. After several post-placement follow-up visits, Julissa is happy and healthy living with her father on a beautiful farm (pictured below).

*names and locations have been changed for privacy reasons

#KidsAreWaiting Facebook Live Chat

Today, children are facing more barriers than ever in reuniting with their families across state and country borders:

- 2,000 migrant #kidsarewaiting to be reunited with their families across the U.S. - Mexico border.

- 20,000 #kidsarewaiting to leave group homes in the U.S.

- 30,000 #kidsarewaiting to be deinstitutionalized in the U.S.

- 107,000 #kidsarewaiting to be adopted in the U.S.

- 100,000 #kidsarewaiting in U.S. foster care for their families in foreign countries to be engaged in permanency planning for them.

- 193,000 #kidsarewaiting in non-relative foster homes to be reunited with family.

ISS-USA provides the social work services needed to make permanency decisions in the best interest of the child when a state or national border separates a child from his or her family.

Join our staff for a #KidsAreWaiting Live Chat with the ISS-USA Staff on Wed, August 29th at 1pm EST. We will answer questions about our cross-border services that benefit waiting children and families.