Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program Overview
The Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program, overseen by Molly Daggett, MSW, is a vital initiative assisting refugee youth who arrive in the U.S. without parents or caregivers. Established in 1980 in Washington State, this program provides essential services such as foster care, legal assistance, mental health support, and educational guidance to vulnerable youth from various countries. Eligibility criteria include refugees, victims of trafficking, special immigrant juveniles, and more. The program aims to help these youth integrate into society, offering a range of services from independent living skills training to higher education support.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program Molly Daggett, MSW Program Manager Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance DSHS 1
History Began in 1980 in Washington State Part of Refugee Act of 1980 Two agencies, Catholic Community Services and Lutheran Community Services Northwest (USCCB and LIRS) Way to resettle refugee children who did not have a parent or adult caregiver Currently operate in Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, and Vancouver 2
Countries of Origin Initially Vietnam and Cambodia, now countries include: Burma (Chin, Rohingya), Bhutan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Cameroon, Eritrea, Sudan, Liberia, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico 3
Eligibility Refugees overseas refugee youth who have been separated from parent or caregiver Victims of trafficking youth with eligibility letters from ORR who lack a parent or caregiver Special Immigrant Juveniles youth who received this visa while in federal custody Asylees Family breakdown Cuban/Haitian Entrants; U visa recipients 4
Unaccompanied Children 12,000 in ORR care in U.S. Most have entered U.S. to reunify with parent Average length of stay 2 months Placed initially in shelters or foster care 5 facilities in Washington When gain qualifying status, can transfer to URM program 5
Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Services Foster care/group care/semi independent placement Intensive case management services Agency assumes legal custody Legal immigration assistance, mental health counseling, school advocacy Independent living skills training Support for higher education 6
Independent Living Curriculum Areas of focus: Educational Planning and Career Preparation Financial Stability Access to Health Care Stable Housing Reliable and Appropriate Transportation Identification and Realization of Personal Goals 7
Parent Curriculum Foster Parent trainings focus on Cultural and religious backgrounds Working with traumatized youth Issues relevant to all teens substance abuse prevention, healthy relationships Working with bio families Refugee processing overseas Helping youth adjust to your home Communicating effectively cross-culturally 8
Higher Education Youth receive assistance pursuing post-secondary education: Governor s Scholarship College Success Foundation Treehouse Program provides IL services (not eligible for DCYF) FAFSA Workshops, Educational Summits Mirror domestic services including IL, TL, ETV funding 9
Thank you! Contact: Molly Daggett, MSW Program Manager Office of Refugee & Immigrant Assistance Economic Services Administration Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (O) 206-568-5795 / molly.daggett@dshs.wa.gov 10
