Program Snapshots of Six Providers of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program

Publication Date: July 16, 2021

Introduction

The Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) Program serves refugees and other eligible youth within the United States who do not have a parent or relative available to care for them. The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families awarded MEF Associates and its subcontractor, Child Trends, a contract to conduct a descriptive study of the URM Program to better understand the range of child welfare services and benefits provided through the URM Program. The snapshots linked below highlight each of the six programs visited by the study team. They are intended to provide information about service delivery in each of these six programs and are relevant to programs, policymakers and researchers at the national, state, and local level.

Purpose

Each snapshot describes the URM program provided by the six service providers visited by the study team. The overall goal of the snapshots is to highlight variation across URM programs and describe the program structure, participants served, services offered, and notable practices in each program. 

Key Findings and Highlights

  • Each of the URM programs visited offer a comprehensive set of services to youth, either internally, through external partners, or both. These services include out-of-home placements, case management, physical and mental health services, education support, and services to support a successful transition to adulthood.
  • Programs vary in how they provide services to youth due to differences between programs, in state and local context and policies, and the characteristics of youth served.
  • Each snapshot gives examples of the notable practices the program uses in serving URM youth.

Methods

These snapshots were developed using the three primary data sources from our study: a survey of URM providers, State Refugee Coordinators, and child welfare administrators; analysis of existing program data; and site visits to six URM programs (conducted between November 2019 and January 2020).

Citation

Child Trends & MEF Associates. (2021). “Program snapshot: Catholic Charities Community Services.” OPRE Report #2021-49. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Child Trends & MEF Associates. (2021). “Program snapshot: Crittenton Services for Children and Families.” OPRE Report #2021-48. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Child Trends & MEF Associates. (2021). “Program snapshot: Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains.” OPRE Report #2021-47. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Child Trends & MEF Associates. (2021). “Program snapshot: Bethany Christian Services.” OPRE Report #2021-46. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Child Trends & MEF Associates. (2021). “Program snapshot: Commonwealth Catholic Charities.” OPRE Report #2021-45. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Child Trends & MEF Associates. (2021). “Program snapshot: Lutheran Community Services Northwest.” OPRE Report #2021-44. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.