Article I first became involved
with my local CASA organization as a program coordinator,
implementing a CASA program in three counties in central New
York. Although my zip code and job title have a changed a few
times over the years, I continue to be a passionate advocate of
the organization’s mission and methodology. Now, as the
executive director of International Social Service, United
States of America Branch, Inc. (ISS-USA), I am thrilled to be
partnering with National CASA and Honorable J. Dean Lewis,
editor of The Judges’ Page, to produce this issue.
I have collected articles from some of the top experts in the
fields of child migration, immigration, law and international
social work to present key issues that will help the courts
understand more about the issues and available resources when
making international permanency and placement decisions in the
best interests of children.
The authors highlight what we do and don’t know about how many
children and families are affected by international placements.
They also reveal that many of the factors that influence
permanency decisions are the same for children regardless of
whether they are being placed within or outside of the US.
However, contributing experts have highlighted that the
following must also be evaluated when determining what is
best for a child being considered for an international
placement:
- The circumstances of entry into foster care (e.g.,
immigration enforcement, undocumented migration, differing
cultural values and behaviors)
- The immigration status of the child and family and how and
when to seek the assistance of an immigration attorney
- The potential risks of an international placement compared
to the potential benefits
- The affect of language, cultural identity and religion on
the current situation and the permanency plan
- The transnational or international resources available to
gather information about placement and service options outside
the US
- The multilateral agreements, international laws and
conventions that inform the decision making process
- The additional information and resources needed to better
understand the culture of the child and his/her family
These are just a few factors that require special
consideration when making determinations about international
placements. Many more are highlighted in the articles that
follow. Best interests and permanency can only be synonymous
when we have truly explored all options by taking into
account all facts of the case. Nobody does a better job
of this than a CASA volunteer.
However, as the populations change within the child welfare
system, so must the information we gather. There is a vast
need to expand our knowledge in this area, and ISS-USA’s newly
founded Arthur C. Helton Institute for the Study of
International Social Service was founded to work with child
advocates, lawyers, social workers and judges to improve the
information available and provide training for service
providers that work on transnational issues within the child
welfare system. Similarly, the ISS-USA case management team is
available to assist with many of the transnational issues that
CASA volunteers, judges, lawyers and case workers may
encounter. Specifically, ISS-USA can search for documents,
advertise for missing relatives (for TPR cases), locate family
members and perform home studies and follow-up placement
reports in more than 150 countries worldwide.
In the US anyone involved with a child welfare proceeding can
request an intercountry home study (or any of the other
services described above). If the judge agrees, the court
order for the specific transnational service requested can be
sent to the ISS-USA The casework supervisor will assess
whether a home study (or other service) can be performed in
that country. In many situations, states can use their Title
IV-E funds to pay for these services.
ISS-USA and its social work partners worldwide have an
excellent understanding of the cultures, sociopolitical
situations, economics, laws and child welfare systems in the
countries in which we work. All requested services are
conducted by trained social workers in that country. ISS-USA
coordinates the exchange of information from the foreign
country back to the parties to the proceedings so that it may
be used to make a decision regarding permanency placement.
ISS-USA has been providing international social work services
for over 80 years. For more information, please go to
the website of ISS-USA.
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Summary