HSPRS -
Services for Unaccompanied Children

Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children seek refuge in the United States each year. Most are from El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras.

These children are released from Office of Refugee Resettlement custody into the care of a sponsor. Most (85%) join a relative or friend already living in the United States. It is often a tough transition as they adjust to new communities, cultures, languages and family units. Each child has mental health, safety, education and legal needs that must be met.

Many sponsors—who may be without legal status themselves—are ineligible or afraid to seek the limited community-based services that are available. That’s where CWS and our network of offices come in.

In our Home Study and Post Release Services program, CWS teams nationwide work with these children and their sponsors. In the Home Study part of the program, we visit the homes where these children will be living before they get there. We interview each member of the household and make sure it is a safe placement for the child. We help prepare the sponsor for the responsibilities associated with ensuring the arriving child’s safety, rights and needs are met.

Once the child is living with their sponsor, the Post Release Services component of our work starts. CWS caseworkers work with the children and sponsors to create an action plan. They set goals like finishing school, obtaining a legal immigration status or connecting to other community support systems. Then we check in with the child and their sponsors at least once a month to make sure the child is safe and making progress. The child and caseworker can update and adapt their action plan as needed throughout the program. The entire process takes place in whatever language the child and their sponsor are most comfortable speaking.