August 1, 2009

A Social Worker's Tool Kit for Working with Immigrant Families

The purpose of this brief is to illustrate how and when immigration issues may arise during the chronology of a child welfare case. It begins at the point of a child abuse report and continues through assessment, diversion or intervention, removal, dependency issues and permanency planning. The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) is the federal timeline for permanency decisions regarding a child's reunification with his or her birth parent(s). This brief reaffirms key assessments within the ASFA federally mandated timelines. The public child welfare worker's knowledge regarding the immigrant population in his or her community and potential immigration relief options can profoundly affect the decisions made about a child welfare case. Understanding what immigrant families are saying about their situation requires acute listening and assessment skills. It is also critical for public child welfare agencies to have integrated internal cultural and linguistic staff capacity as well as access to immigration legal counsel and community partners to assist in working with immigration and refugee communities.