Workgroup on Safety and Well-Being for
Immigrant and Refugee Children and Families

The workgroup is a 26-member committee comprised of professionals in child welfare, education, health care, immigration law and other fields whose mission is to assure that the goals of safety, permanence and well-being are given the same priority for immigrant children and families as they are for all those served by DCF. The workgroup began in July 2009 and meets monthly to research, analyze and discuss issues affecting immigrant children and families in the child welfare system. The workgroup will make recommendations for changes in policy to improve services to immigrant families in the child welfare system and for better training child welfare workers to equip them with the tools they need to serve those families.

This website is a work-in-progress of the workgroup, as part of its corresponding goal to provide resources both in written form and on the internet for families and social workers.

Report: "Serving Immigrant and Refugee Families in the Child Welfare System"
A report prepared by the Workgroup with recommendations to the Department of Children and Families

Mission Statement

To assure that the goals of safety, permanence and well-being are given the same priority for immigrant children and families as they are for all those served by the Department of Children and Families and its contracted entities.

To achieve this goal the Committee will:

• Promote policy to assure that all children and families, including immigrants, refugees, unaccompanied children and non-citizen children and families, have equal access to supports and services that promote stability, safety and well-being.
• Study the unique obstacles facing immigrant children and families in achieving stability, safety and well-being, and devise solutions to incorporate into the Department’s child welfare policy.
• Educate workers and Department grantees to be familiar with the specific needs of immigrant children and families and to be prepared with a method of meeting those needs that incorporates the new policies developed by the Committee.
• Make it a tenet of the Department that the unique culture and language of children and their families should be preserved as a necessary part of maintaining their safety and well-being, and educate workers and Department grantees to respect the unique traditions, customs and backgrounds of immigrant families.
• Develop protocols for collaboration with community agencies and international consulates and organizations to ensure that immigrant children and families have access to the best resources available.
• Assure that all children and families have the tools, translators and resources they need to understand court proceedings and communication with their workers.

Workgroup Members and Contact Information

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