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Family Reunification Monthly Update
November 2023
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For a complete list of ORR policies and procedures, click here.
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Here is the latest UAC program assignment list. Please use this updated list to find the Federal Field Specialist (FFS) when submitting home study reports.
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USCCB HS/PRS ORR Project Officer (PO) is Rebecca Packer as of July 14th, 2023 (rebecca.packer@acf.hhs.gov). The PO is to be copied on certain NOC submissions (i.e., media attention, death of a UC, and/or trafficking concerns)
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ORR and Department of Education - Explained Rights of UC to Enroll in School - Click here.
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ORR UAC Portal Changes: 11/16/2023
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Sponsor Unification Application App: Click here
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ORR Interpretation and Translation Request SOP
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Updates on Mandated Reporter Guidance: NOC Submission
Please see email from ORR linked below and read carefully as there is information related to submission of NOCs that are relevant to the network.
Please click here for NOC guidance provided by ORR.
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As a reminder, NOCs now need to be submitted within 24 hours of providers learning of the incident.
- Failure to report within required timeframes results in USCCB being out of compliance with ORR policy and procedure.
- You are responsible for uploading the NOC form to the UC Portal (UCP) and flagging sponsors if needed (this must also be done within 24 hours).
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The NOC that is uploaded to the UCP does not need to be password protected.
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However, the email attachment must be password protected utilizing the standard ORR PW.
- Therefore, we recommend you upload the NOC to the UCP prior to emailing to avoid adding and then removing protections (similar to HS submission).
- Per recent guidance, if a Sponsor and Minor change address, we need to submit an NOC for "Change of Address" to document the address change. If you have questions please reach out to your CSS.
Please contact me or your CSS should you have any questions!
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ORR Policy Notification
5.6.3 Record Management, Retention and Safekeeping
We have recently been informed of ORR's "No Shred" Policy regarding record keeping and shredding.
Please read the policy in its entirety as we glean clarification on how it applies to each program.
Click here to read.
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NEW ORR NOC FORM & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
We would like to provide a re-cap on the new ORR NOC form and email template. (Attached is an example below.)
Please connect with your team and familiarize yourselves with the updated guidance and template and ensure the template is being used and we are uploading NOC's to the UC Portal moving forward.
NOC Update: 9/12/2023
NOC Update: 9/21/2023
NOC Update: 10/2/2023
NEW ORR NOC Template
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Revised Family Reunification Packet
ORR revised the Family Reunification Packet (FRP) and new the version is effective today, 10/02/2023. Please ensure you are using the revised version (Version 14) moving forward.
Note that HHS/Program Support Center will not accept previous versions of the Authorization for Release of Information after 10/30/2023.
The revised FRP is available on the Key Documents page of the ORR website in English, Spanish, Dari, Haitian Creole, Pashto, Russian, and Ukrainian, and will be available on the UC Portal homepage within the next few days. Corresponding updates have also been made in the Sponsor Application tool.
Revisions Notes: ORR updated the Sponsor Care Agreement to require that sponsors report a missing child to the ORR National Call Center (in addition to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).
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USCCB/MRS Program Updates
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Kudos and Shoutouts
Thank you to all of you who traveled for the 2023 Children's Services Convening! We loved having you all in DC and hoped you enjoyed the convening.
The session materials and certificates were shared on 11/16/2023 - Click here to view.
- If you attended the entire conference the hours for your certificate are 11.5.
- Please reach out to Kailey Cano if you have questions.
- The materials will also be posted to MRS connect.
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USCCB Office Closures & Holidays
USCCB will be closed on the following days:
- December 8th, 2023
- December 25th, 2023
- January 1st, 2023
USCCB will be closed early on the following days:
- December 22nd, 2023
- December 29th,2023
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USCCB Final Push for Referrals 2023 | |
Final Push for Referrals! | |
As the end of the year is quickly approaching, we wanted to provide you with an update on our progress toward USCCB’s annual goals and align on expectations for the remainder of the year.
We are making our way through our goal and taking into consideration the planned time off that many programs will have around the holidays please review the following:
Please work with your program staff to ensure that everyone is at or working toward full capacity (for a typical full-time case manager, this means a caseload of 30 PRS cases). Since we are close to achieving our HS goal, you do not need to leave room for any HS referrals for the remainder of the year. For case managers who are not currently at capacity, we will plan on sending 2-3 PRS referrals per week to them until the capacity number is reached.
We still have some work to do before the end of the year, but we are confident that we can reach our goal together! Thank you so much for your dedication to this program and for all of the amazing work you have done this year.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding capacity, please email both Minh Martinez (MMartinez@usccb.org) and Elizabeth Throm (EThrom@usccb.org), and cc your assigned CSS.
Click here to read the full Memo sent out on 11/27/2023.
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USCCB Family Reunification Program Assignment
Please see below for the new program assignment list. You should have been notified by your previously assigned CSS of the transition. Please note that for the next month, Asma and Dory will still be shadowed by previous CSS's to complete their last phase of CSS's training. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Simy Cuervo, Associate Director, Family Reunification
- At Promise Youth Solutions
Kailey Cano, CSS
- Catholic Charites of Atlanta
- Catholic Charities of San Diego
- Catholic Charities of Nashville
- Bethany Christian Services of Florida
McKenna Heap-Garner, CSS
- Catholic Charities of Ohio
- Bethany Christian Services of Maryland
- Catholic Charities of Newark
- Catholic Charities of Baltimore
Dory Dinoto, CSS
- Catholic Charities Arlington
- Catholic Charities Boston
- Catholic Charities of Los Angeles
- International Christian Adoptions, Inc.
Asma Rehman, CSS
- Catholic Charities of New York
- Catholic Charities of San Antonio
- Catholic Charities of Trenton
- Catholic Charities of Houston
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Community of Practice Call
The next Community of Practice Call is scheduled for:
Friday, December 15th
1:00 PM EST
Use this LINK to access the call via Zoom on the indicated day/time.
Meeting ID: 873 8791 7055
Passcode: 523485
Please reach out to Kailey Cano at kcano@usccb.org if you would like to volunteer to chair the meeting or submit a topic for discussion.
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USCCB FR Network Meeting Recordings and Handouts:
- First Network Call:
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The recording and handout for the first network call of FY23 (held January 11, 2023) can be accessed here.
- Password= Standard ORR PW.
- Network Call to discuss HS Expansion
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The recording and handout for the network call on February 2nd.
- Password= Standard ORR PW.
- Network Call to discuss new forms on February 17th.
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The recording for the network call on February 17th.
- Password=Standard ORR PW.
- Second Network Call:
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The recording and handout for the most recent network call held on April 12th, 2023 can be accessed here.
- Password = Standard ORR PW.
- Third Network Call:
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The recording and handout for the most recent network call held on July 12th, 2023.
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Meeting minutes - Click here
- Password = mA@8hj#H
- Community of Practice Call:
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The recording from the last CoP call held on April 21st, 2023 can be accessed here.
- Password = Standard ORR PW.
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The materials shared can be accessed here.
- USCCB FR Network Call to Discuss PRS Sprint
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Click here for the Recording.
- Password = Standard ORR PW
- Fourth Network Call:
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The recording and handout for the most recent network call held on October 12th, 2023.
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Safe Passages Family Reunification Training | |
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As a reminder, all NEW staff are required to complete 40 hours of pre-training prior to case assignment.
New Directors Orientation
New Program/Staff Onboarding Training:
Program Directors/Managers:
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Please complete the new FY23 ORR Waiver Training Course found here and on MRS Connect.
*Partial recordings due to technical difficulties
All New Staff MUST complete Child Abuse and Neglect Background Checks before serving children. These must be completed for every state the employee has lived in for the past 5 years.
In the event that you are unable to print the certificate of completion for any mandatory training, please take a screenshot of the final screen, including your training score, and forward it to your assigned CSS.
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Additional Training Opportunities | |
Monthly Webinars: Responding to Foreign National Minor Victims of Trafficking
This training will help participants understand the resources available to assist foreign national minor victims of sex and labor trafficking as well as the reporting requirements under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended. Participants will receive an overview of the process to submit a Request for Assistance to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) as well as gain an understanding of Interim Assistance Letters, Eligibility Letters, and the benefits and services provided to minors who are potential and determined victims of trafficking.
Website Link for Webinar Details
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ORR Learning Center
ORR has created a learning center where required trainings for ALL HS/PRS staff complete.
Please log on to the UC portal and click on the ORR OLC tile to start your courses.
Please reach out to Kailey Cano kcano@usccb.org if you have issues.
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MRS Connect Library
We have started updating and making changes to MRS Connect. Please be patient as we will be redesigning and restructuring but the content is up to date and accessible for use.
If you do not have access please reach out Kailey Cano and Elizabeth Throm.
MRS Connect Link
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Georgetown University - World Children's Day!
November 20 marks the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. And even as we join the global community in celebrating children and their rights today, we are starkly aware that we sit in Washington, DC, the seat of the only government in the world that has yet to ratify the Convention.
The evidence shows that investing in children, youth, and caregivers across the life-course is a primary means of achieving sustainable human, social, and economic development, all of which are vital to ensuring international peace and security.
Click here to read the report.
World Children’s Day 2023 | UNICEF
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USCCB FR New Staff Onboarding Tools
As many of our programs continue to hire for FY23, and in anticipation of expansion for FY24, we wanted to provide you with a few new resources to utilize in the process of onboarding new staff. Attached, you will find the following:
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New Hire Checklist - Updated as of 10/4/2023
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Pre-Service Training Tracker for New Hires - Updated as of 10/4/2023
The New Hire Checklist contains a list of all the items that are required to be in staff personnel files as well as the items that need to be confirmed with USCCB before new staff may begin serving children. For all new hires moving forward, please complete this checklist and send it to your assigned CSS. This will help us ensure that all pre-service requirements are completed for new staff.
The Pre-Service Training Tracker for New Hires is an updated version of the current training tracker, specific to pre-service training requirements. You will notice that we are now requiring a statement on how knowledge of each topic has been assessed and a supervisor signature to confirm completion of the training. This training tracker will only be used for new hires; all other staff will continue to use the current training tracker to document their 40 hours of annual training. Please ensure that this new training tracker is completed for all new staff moving forward within one month of their start date and send the completed tracker to your assigned CSS.
*Important Note: ORR recently clarified that staff are NOT to have direct access to children until they complete the pre-service training requirements. New staff may still shadow visits before taking their own cases, but this will need to begin AFTER the 40 hours of initial training have been completed and the tracker as been submitted to USCCB.
Please each out to your assigned CSS if you have questions.
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OTIP 1 Pager - Benefits Application Guideance.
Minors with HHS Interim Assistance/Eligibility Letters are eligible for public benefits to the same extent as a refugee. If a minor is denied for public benefits and/or a non-work Social Security Number (SSN), advocate up the chain and educate office staff on the minor’s eligibility.
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CA/N Checks, FBI Clearance, and ORR CA/N Check Waiver Guidance
All New Staff MUST complete Child Abuse and Neglect Background Checks before serving children. These must be completed for every state the employee has lived in for the past 5 years.
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Monthly reports
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Monthly Reports are due the 2nd Friday of the following month. There are several data components from the reports that are used to complete subsequent reports that USCCB/MRS Safe Passages Family Reunification submits to ORR. Please remember to submit your monthly reports on time. This month, please submit your team's training trackers along with the monthly report.
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The 2023 Updated Monthly Report Form can be found here.
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Next Monthly Report is due today - December 8th, 2023
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New HS Template Form and Write-Up Guide
New HS Template Form Here.
New HS Write-up Guide Here.
* Please note due to the type of PDF, these files must be saved to your computer and opened with Adobe Pro. The forms are not compatible with browser pdf viewers. However, you can still save the PDF from the browser view. Please reached out to your CSS if you have questions.
- Please remember that you may use this form now if you would like, however it is not mandatory until we sign our Cooperative Agreement Addendum with ORR.
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Please remember to add HHM interviews to the additional comments section.
- Print the form to PDF to be able to include revisions.
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FY 23 Budget Revisions and Reimbursements
Any site thinking about modifying their budgets should submit a new budget to Michelle Peterson - mpeterson@usccb.org (cc Simy Cuervo scuervo@usccb.org) for review and approval. This is for USCCB Programs who budgeted for Level 3 and need to modify their budgets to hire for PRS Level 1 & 2.
Reminder: All subgrantee programs are required to submit reimbursement requests not later than 30 calendar days following the end of the month in which the expenditure being submitted for reimbursement is incurred. This policy applies to specifically to all Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Children’s Programs- Family Reunification/Home Study and Post Release Services and Foster Care Providers. Requests for reimbursement that are older than 30 days from the date of the expense will be subject to denial by USCCB.
NEW BUDGET REVISION REQUEST FORM
Please use this form to submit a budget reimbursement request. Click here.
Do you have questions about reimbursements, 2024 NOFO, or experiencing difficulty submitting in MRIS? If so, please contact Michelle Peterson - mpeterson@usccb.org (cc Simy Cuervo scuervo@usccb.org) and your CSS.
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General Reminders
Capacity Issues - If any sub-recipient program experiences capacity issues due to staffing challenges, medical leave, etc., please notify your CSS immediately via email and be sure to include Minh Martinez, Referral and Placement Specialist.
MRIS Updates:
- We are actively working on adjusting MRIS to reflect the new FY23 Level System inputted by ORR. However, in the meantime,
- Please indicate the level of the case in the PRS reports.
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