Best Practices in Working with Immigrant Children and Families in the Child Welfare System

Overview: Child welfare workers require a specific set of knowledge and skills to effectively work with immigrant children and families within the child welfare system. This scoping review assesses the body of research on best practices for working with this population and offers recommendations for future research, policies and practices.Proposal text:

Background: Global migration is one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century. Immigrants and refugees need to adapt and respond to a whole new world and navigate complex social systems that are foreign and unknown to them. A universal government operated child welfare system may not be existent in their country of origins or the current legislation and practices differ dramatically from what they know or familiar with. Child welfare workers are tasked with ensuring the safety and protection of vulnerable children but also offer support to better equip parents with the capacity to care for their children. This work is even more challenging when working across difference. This scoping review aims to assess the extant literature on best practices for working with immigrant populations involved with the child welfare system.

Methods: The scoping review employs a framework by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines (Peters et al., 2020; Tricco et al., 2018). The following electronic databases were used to identify research studies: CINAHL, ERIC, Medline, PsycInfo, Social Service Abstract, and Social Work Abstracts. A list of key terms related to each concept (e.g., immigrant, child welfare, and best practice) were used to search the titles, abstracts, and keywords in each database. The scoping review focuses on literature over a 20-year period from 2000 to 2020. Inclusion criteria comprised of original peer-reviewed empirical research in the English language specific to child welfare intervention with immigrant and refugee populations. Exclusion criteria were conceptual articles, and literature, book, and systematic reviews.

Results: A total of six (n = 6) studies were eligible and included for analysis. The ethno-cultural groups, best practices, and methodology to evaluate the best practices varied across the studies. Han and Osterling (2012) focused on factors that influence reunification outcomes for Vietnamese immigrant children and families. Lau et al. (2011) used mixed methods to assess the efficacy and implementation outcomes of a culturally responsive parent training program. Lay and Papadopoulos (2009) also used mixed methods to examine the strength and limitations of service provision for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors. Hernandez Vazquez (2020) identified practices that were effective in addressing barriers undocumented families experience when involved with child welfare. Velazquez (2008) focused on the needs, challenges, and strengths of Latino immigrant families. Lin et al. (2018) identified the strengths and challenges faced by Chinese immigrant child welfare workers.

Conclusion: While immigrant families are overrepresented in many points throughout the service continuum and have unique needs, there is limited research on this topic. The differences in ethno-cultural groups and methodology used to examine best practices made comparisons difficult. The extant literature highlights the strengths and challenges of service provision, factors that positively affected child and family outcomes, effective practices in interactions with immigrant families, and the particular needs of workers and clients to develop a culturally safe relationship. Future research needs to further the knowledge base by examining both global and unique immigrant groups needs and to link these needs with the goals of the child welfare system.