Q&A
Limited interaction between city agencies and unaccompanied minors in federal custody
2:39:55
·
69 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph questions the communication between city and federal government regarding unaccompanied minors. ACS officials explain the limited circumstances under which they interact with these minors.
- Most unaccompanied minors in federal custody never interact with ACS
- ACS may provide prevention services to sponsor families if needed
- ACS can intervene in cases of abuse or neglect in sponsor families
- ACS can provide foster care services for youth aging out of ORR care at 18
Rita Joseph
2:39:55
Does does the city and the federal government talk at all?
2:39:57
Because these kids wind up in your custody, there's a handoff.
2:40:00
Is there a conversation?
Stephanie Gendell
2:40:02
So the overwhelming majority, thousands and thousands of young people who come across the border and the custody of ORR, never interact with ACS.
2:40:11
There's just a few ways that they would interact with ACS.
2:40:14
1 would be if their sponsor family needed prevention services like any other family, we would provide prevention services.
2:40:21
If Unfortunately, there was abuse or neglect in their sponsor family.
2:40:27
We would be notified through the SCR in a way of any abuse or neglect.
2:40:33
There are some young people in the care and custody of ORR where their care and custody, they all ended 8 18, and their immigration attorney and those work and the agency working with that young person believe that they really need assistance beyond age eighteen, at which point we can work through our process to bring a young person from ORR care into foster care and provide foster care services to them so that their care and custody doesn't end at 18 with ORR.
