Four Strategies to Improve Community Services for Unaccompanied Children in the United States

When unaccompanied migrant children leave federal custody to live with a parent or other sponsor, the transition into U.S. communities can be difficult for both children and their families. While some support is available through a patchwork of programs from local governments, post-release service providers, and other organizations, their resources and capacity vary widely. These organizations also often lack formal mechanisms to coordinate the services unaccompanied children may receive from different providers. Too often, unaccompanied children’s needs are inadequately addressed, negatively affecting their well-being and longer-term development.

This issue brief offers promising practices and resources for government agencies, community organizations, and funders seeking to improve supports for unaccompanied children transitioning from federal custody into U.S. communities. The brief focuses on four areas: strengthening coordination among government and community-based organizations to improve continuity of care; leveraging the unique role of public schools to connect children with comprehensive support; taking an interdisciplinary approach to program design so that children and their families can more easily benefit from multiple types of specialized, coordinated services; and developing a workforce of skilled, linguistically and culturally competent service providers. This research results from a collaboration between MPI and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that included three roundtables on supporting unaccompanied children’s transitions into U.S. communities.