Sponsor Application Process
For those sponsors who receive a mailed version of the Family Reunification Packet, ORR expects potential sponsors to complete the Family Reunification Packet within how many days?
Within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of the packet.
True/False:
Case managers may share case information with ORR post-release and home study providers and Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) providers if a child is being referred for those services.
True
In what cases do we complete Sex Offender Registry Checks for?
In all cases
The purpose of a home study is to:
- Assess the potential sponsor’s ability to meet the child’s needs;
- Educate and prepare the potential sponsor for the child’s release; and
- Corroborate information gathered on the sponsor assessment.
Where can a sponsor get their fingerprints taken?
ORR funds a network of digital fingerprint providers at locations that are not affiliated with law enforcement entities. Sponsors may also go to any local police department for paper fingerprinting services in the event a digital fingerprint provider is not conveniently located near a sponsor’s location. Fingerprinting services are not available at ORR headquarters or at HHS/PSC offices.
What is included inside the FRA?
Family Reunification Packet Cover Letter, Authorization for Release of Information, Sponsor Application, Sponsor Care Agreement, Legal Orientation Program for Custodians Overview, UAC Sexual Abuse Hotline Flyer, Fingerprinting Instructions, Sponsor Handbook, Letter of Designation for Care of a Minor (used when a parent or legal guardian wishes to specify another person to sponsor his or her child), Sponsor Declaration, Privacy Notice for Sponsors, Privacy Notice for Parents and Legal Guardians, Fraud Warning, Acceptable Forms of ID for Fieldprint Fingerprinting Appointments
True/False:
After staffing and reviewing a case, Case Coordinators and Case Managers must agree on a release recommendation. If there is a disagreement or a particularly complex case, then the case will be elevated to the ORR/Federal Field Specialist (ORR/FFS) for further guidance.
True
T/F:
In cases where the proposed sponsor or an adult household member has been charged with, but not convicted of, a crime, ORR may postpone a final release decision until the legal issue is resolved.
True
A home study consists of:
Interviews, a home visit, and a written report containing the home study case worker’s findings.
Are potential sponsors required to disclose to the care provider that they have a record of a criminal charge or child abuse?
Yes. The sponsor must immediately advise the care provider of this situation and gather detailed documentation of the charges, dispositions, police reports, and evidence of rehabilitation.
True/False:
In all cases, the unaccompanied parent and their child should be approved for release to the sponsor only when both cases are ready for release to sponsor.
True
Child advocate appointments terminate when?
- Upon the closure of the unaccompanied alien child’s case by the child advocate;
- When the unaccompanied alien child turns 18; or
- When the unaccompanied alien child obtains lawful immigration status.
Who do we perform Public Records Check for?
All sponsors, regardless of category.
In all cases for household members and adult caregivers identified in a sponsor care plan. for category 2A, 2B, and 3.
For category 1 household members, only where there is a documented risk to the safety of the unaccompanied alien child, the child is especially vulnerable, and/or the case is being referred for a home study.
T/F:
The home study provider must accept the home study referral from ORR and staff the case within three (3) calendar days of ORR’s referral. The home study provider must contact the care provider within 24 hours of home study referral acceptance and contact the sponsor to schedule the home visit within 48 hours of referral acceptance.
True
Do background checks expire? If so when do they expire?
Yes. The FBI National Criminal History Check, CA/N Check, and State Criminal History Repository Check and/or Local Police Check all expire 270 days from the day results are received.
The Public Records Check and Sex Offender Registry Check expire 90 days from the day ORR receives results.
ORR requires new background checks if the previous results have expired prior to ORR approving the child’s release; this includes obtaining a new set of fingerprints (re-fingerprinting) when applicable.
Scenario:
You are working a case where a client reports wanting to reunify with an adult partner to whom the client is not legally married. Do we consider reunification with the adult partner? If so, what steps should the case manager take?
Release to an adult partner is considered on a case-by-case basis. The case manager and case coordinator consult with the FFS to determine if the release is safe and appropriate.
The case manager provides legal service providers (LSPs), attorneys of record, and Child Advocates, if applicable, weekly updates on case management decisions concerning the progress of a child’s case, which includes the following:
Notification that a child may not have a potential sponsor, Change in sponsor categories, Any final release decisions, and When a child has been recommended for, has initiated, or is pending transfer to a different level of care (specifically long-term foster care), and when a child’s transfer request has been approved.
T/F:
A Category 2A or 2B sponsor who is simultaneously sponsoring multiple children related to them undergo the background check requirements of the child most closely related to them.
True
Must a child receive a Trafficking Eligibility or Interim Assistance Letter from HHS prior to being referred for a TVPRA-mandated home study?
No, a child does not need to receive a Trafficking Eligibility Letter from HHS prior to being referred for a home study. A care provider may refer a child for a home study if the child qualifies based on ORR policy, during the assessment for trafficking, the care provider determines the child is a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons.
Does ORR share the results of the FBI fingerprint checks with other parties?
ORR does not release the results of the FBI fingerprints to outside organizations or individuals, or to ORR care providers. The FBI searches DHS databases that may contain overlapping records. The FBI system automatically initiates a notification to the DHS system if a particular record has been searched.
In cases where DNA testing is needed to determine proof of relationship, case managers must not recategorized the sponsor unless 1)______ or 2)________. The case manager must consult with the FFS before recategorizing the sponsor.
1) the sponsor and/or unaccompanied alien child is unable or unwilling to be tested or 2) results of the DNA test indicate a different relationship than that indicated by the sponsor.
Child advocate recommendation are based on information that is obtained from the child and other sources such as?
The child’s parents, potential sponsors, government agencies, legal service providers, protection and advocacy system representatives in appropriate cases, representatives of the unaccompanied alien child's care provider, health professionals, and other stakeholders.
Where there are no safety concerns, ORR does not require a public records background check or national criminal history FBI fingerprint background checks or proof of identify for household members and adult care givers when the sponsor is a parent or legal guardian (Category 1), so long as:
- the child is not determined to be especially vulnerable through ORR’s screening and assessment process;
- the child is not subject to a mandatory TVPRA home study; and
- there are no other safety concerns present in the case, including relating to abuse or neglect.
The care provider must provide the home study report to the potential sponsor if the release request is denied.
True
Who is considered to be a caregiver or adult with a special relationship?
A caregiver is defined as any person who is entrusted with the child’s care and who lives with the child. Other adults with a special relationship to the child could include a teacher, priest, or health care provider.