scholarly journals Clocking In: Employment Outcomes for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Leaving Foster Care in the United States

Author(s):  
Robert G. Hasson ◽  
Thomas M. Crea ◽  
Scott D. Easton ◽  
Kerri Evans ◽  
Dawnya Underwood
Author(s):  
Robert G. Hasson III ◽  
Jodi Berger Cardoso ◽  
Thomas M. Crea

Children and adolescents fleeing war, hardship, or natural disasters sometimes migrate to the United States without a parent or caregiver present. These children, classified by the U.S. Government as unaccompanied alien children (UAC), present unique needs based on previous exposure to trauma, including family separation. UAC who are not able to be reunited with family members are typically placed in the federally sponsored Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) foster care program. However, a majority of unaccompanied migrant youth are not served by the URM foster care program. An overview of the defining characteristics of unaccompanied refugee minors and unaccompanied migrant youth (UMY) is given along with the history of legislation and policies related to URM and UMY, the pathways in the U.S. immigration system URM and UMY encounter upon their arrival, mental health, legal, and education implications, and challenges with family reunification. Implications for the social work field are presented.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M Crea ◽  
Robert G Hasson ◽  
Kerri Evans ◽  
Jodi Berger Cardoso ◽  
Dawnya Underwood

2011 ◽  
Vol 113 (9) ◽  
pp. 2080-2114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meenal Rana ◽  
DesirÉe Baolian Qin ◽  
Laura Bates ◽  
Tom Luster ◽  
Andrew Saltarelli

Background/Context Educational resilience is defined as having successful outcomes in school despite the adversities one has faced in life. There is a dearth of research on a particularly high-risk group—unaccompanied refugee minors who are separated from their parents by war and lack the protection and advocacy provided by adult caretakers. Purpose This qualitative study explores the factors associated with educational resilience among unaccompanied Sudanese refugee youth who experienced extreme trauma and chronic adversity prior to being placed with American foster families in 2000–2001. Setting The setting includes Lansing and neighboring communities in Michigan. Participants Nineteen Sudanese refugees (mean age—15 years at the time of resettlement; gender—17 males, 2 females) who had been placed in a foster care program for unaccompanied refugee minors in the United States participated in the retrospective interviews. We interviewed 20 parents from 15 families, including five couples, 3 married mothers interviewed alone, 2 single fathers, and 5 single mothers. Research Design The study used a qualitative research design by using open ended semi-structured interviews in which the participants were comfortable speaking about their experiences, yet the researchers were able to follow the interview protocol. With the assistance of the resettlement agency (Lutheran Social Services of Michigan), we sampled for diversity in the foster families to obtain a sample of youth who were exposed to diverse families and circumstances. With the help of foster parents and the assistance of a Sudanese cultural consultant, we recruited at least one youth from each of these families, with the exception of two families. Data Analysis The transcribed interviews were coded thematically. A three-step coding procedure was used: open, axial, and selective coding. Findings All youth in our study came to the United States with “education” as their primary goal. Many youth had a desire to help those left in Africa and to rebuild Sudan. All the youth interviewed had achieved at least a high school diploma, and all but three had either completed or were enrolled in higher education. Personal attributes, relationships, and community support/opportunities helped the youth in overcoming the challenges that they faced in terms of educational attainment in the United States. Conclusions/Recommendations This study confirmed the important roles of parents, teachers, and school counselors in educational success for at-risk youth. The challenges noted by the youth and their foster parents provided useful information for possible changes in policy that could enhance their success.


2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Petr

Emerging adulthood is a phase in the life course recently identified by developmental theorists. For youth in foster care, recent federal legislation in the United States has engendered new programs, typically called independent living programs, to help them become successful adults. This qualitative study reports the findings of interviews with a diverse sample of 27 current and former foster youths in a Midwestern state, focusing on the quantity and quality of independent living services received. The youths reported hopeful expectations and plans for their futures, widespread support for postcustody benefit programs, mixed opinions about the utilization and effectiveness of existing independent living programs, significant educational delays associated with frequent placements while in out-of-home custody, and strong attachments to families of origin.


2022 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 102059
Author(s):  
Roni Nitecki ◽  
Benjamin B. Albright ◽  
Matthew S. Johnson ◽  
Haley A. Moss

Author(s):  
Mark E. Courtney

This chapter summarizes recent research in the United States providing evidence of the benefits of allowing youth in foster care to remain in care through their 21st birthdays. The chapter provides relevant background information about the foster care system in the United States, describes two studies that have considered the relationship between extended foster care and young people’s transition to adulthood, summarizes the findings of those studies regarding the potential benefits of extended care, and discusses the implications of the studies’ findings for policy and practice. As child welfare systems around the world increasingly continue to support young people in care into adulthood, research will be needed to ensure that these new care systems meet the needs of the young adults they serve.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Adams ◽  
Sonja Klinsky ◽  
Nalini Chhetri

In the United States of America, 2.2 million people are incarcerated in public and private facilities and over 700,000 are released yearly back to their home communities. Almost half are rearrested within a year. These problems have been excluded from mainstream sustainability narratives, despite their serious implications for sustainability. This paper addresses how the criminal justice, prison-industrial complex and foster care systems negatively impact these communities and families. To comprehend the system links, a sustainability lens is used to examine and address interlinking system impacts obstructing achievement of sustainability and the necessary community characteristics for building sustainable communities. Communities characterized by environmental degradation, economic despair and social dysfunction are trapped in unsustainability. Therefore, a system-of-communities framework is proposed which examines the circumstances that bring about prison cycling which devastates family and community cohesion and social networking, also negatively affecting the ability of other communities to become truly sustainable. We contend that a fully integrated social, economic and environmental approach to a major, complex, persistent problem as it relates to poor, marginalized communities faced with mass incarceration and recidivism can begin creating sustainable conditions. Further, we articulate ways sustainability narratives could be changed to engage with core challenges impeding these communities.


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