USCCB Closings:

Monday, January 2nd

(New Year's Observed)

Monday, January 16th

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

USCCB 2pm Early Release:

Friday, January 13th

ORR Program Updates

• For a complete list of ORR policies and procedures, click here.
• Here is the latest UAC program assignment list. Please use this updated list to find the Federal Field Specialist (FFS) when submitting home study reports.
• ORR Project Officer (PO) is Andrea Francis (andrea.francis@acf.hhs.gov). The PO is to be copied on certain NOC submissions (i.e., media attention, death of a UC, and/or trafficking concerns)

USCCB/MRS Program Updates

FY23 Continuation: 

The proposed budget for FY23, including expansion of PRS services, was approved by ORR in December. Programs have been informed of the budget approval and should proceed with hiring for FY23 budgeted positions. Due to the expansion in scope of services, anytime capacity per program will be increasing. Your assigned CSS will be confirming anytime capacity numbers during January program calls. MOUs will be sent towards the end of the month.

USCCB Staff:

As reported in the November newsletter, with the promotion of John Abraham and resignation of Nikeita Lawrence, Family Reunification has two vacancies for Children’s Services Specialists. Additionally, with the approved budget USCCB Family Reunification will be hiring two Program Specialists to assist with the increased workload related to the expansion. We are actively recruiting and hopeful to fill these positions soon. In the meantime, please see program assignments below:

Kailey Cano

• Catholic Charites of Atlanta
• Catholic Charities of San Diego
• Catholic Charities of Nashville
• Bethany Christian Services of Florida
• Catholic Charities of Boston
• Catholic Charities of Arlington

Simy Cuervo

• Catholic Charities of Trenton
• Catholic Charities of Houston
• Catholic Charities of Los Angeles
• International Christian Adoptions, Inc.
• At Promise Youth Solutions

McKenna Heap-Garner

• Catholic Charities of Ohio
• Catholic Charities of New York
• Catholic Charities of Newark
• Bethany Christian Services of Maryland
• Catholic Charities of San Antonio
• Catholic Charities of Baltimore

*With the continued transition, CSS shortage, and increased caseloads, we sincerely appreciate your ongoing patience and understanding. For matters that require immediate attention, please include "URGENT" in the email subject line.

FY22 Training Tracker:

Please be sure to complete and submit FY22 Training Trackers for all staff to your assigned CSS by January 20^th.

Training

As a reminder, all *new* staff are required to complete 40 hours of pre-training prior to case assignment.

Mandatory Training:

• Pre-recorded** UAC Portal Trainings - Below are the updated links:  
• Cybersecurity Training
• Privacy 101 Training
• Rules of Behavior
• Pre-recorded** Trauma Informed Care: Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Unaccompanied Children (For new staff. Existing staff can complete any trauma informed training that focuses on unaccompanied/immigrant children.)

New Directors Orientation

New Program/Staff Onboarding Training:

• Introduction to Safe Passages Family Reunification Training (handout)
• Platforms Training (handout)
• Home Study Training (handout) *
• Post Release Services Training (handout) *
• Monitoring and Quality Assurance Training (handout)

*Partial recordings due to technical difficulties

Additional Training Opportunities:

• January 23-26, 2023: San Diego, CA - The Chadwick Center Presents: 38th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
• April 26-28, Washington, DC - The CWLA 2023 National Conference, Stronger Together: Uniting to Advance Change
• July 10th- 13th, Columbus, OH (Conference) - FFTA 37th 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

New trainings completed in 2023 should be noted in this FY23 Training Tracker

Resources/News



• MRSConnect Web Library
• BRYCS - Bridging Refugee Youth & Children's Service
• Updated Title 42 Backgrounder
• Afghan Resources
• Afghan Culture - Cultural Atlas
• Providencia Afghan Call Center (Dari and Pashto)
• ORR Afghan Assistance Resources
• ORR Refugee Policy Unit/Eligibility Questions (RefugeeEligibilty@acf.hhs.gov)
• ORR UAM Questions (UAM@acf.hhs.gov)
• Child Abuse Prevention Resources
• Resource Guide
• Child Maltreatment Data
• Multimedia Gallery
• Publications
• At - Promise Youth Solutions: Remote Home Study Case Manager Position
• APYS Home Study Contractor Job Description
• Community of Practice Call Shared Resources
• Child Friendly Interviewing Techniques
• PFA with UC's
• Safety Tips for Social Workers in the Field

Reminders

NEW FORMAT FOR NOC EMAIL SUBMISSION:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notification of Concern: AB,CD_1234

Synopsis of Incident: one sentence summary the incident.

Flagging: PRS provider does/does not recommend flagging the Sponsor [reason]. PRS Provider does/does not recommend flagging the Sponsor’s address [reason].

Please use standard password. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the latest NOC template. Please use this template until further notice.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.