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Adolescence is a challenging time. It’s a period of rapid change during which youth shape their sense of identity, adjust to their growing bodies, develop peer relationships and social ties within the greater community, and master critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.  Now imagine trying to do that all alone, without the support of family and friends from home, in a new country where you may (or may not) speak the language and are certainly not made to feel welcome. 

That’s the reality for the thousands of unaccompanied children who enter the United States every year seeking refuge from war, gangs or abusive homes. Others come to reunite with family members already here or seeking economic opportunities.

The large increase in children crossing the southern border – almost doubling in each of the past three fiscal years – has sparked a media frenzy. Who are these children? Where are they coming from? Current estimates project that more than 60,000 unaccompanied youth will enter the US in FY2014 making these important questions. But, I would argue, not the most important.

The majority of these children, who are primarily male adolescents, are coming to the US from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Many, if not all, of these youth have experienced trauma prior to and during their journey to the US, not to mention the unfamiliar and uncertain situation in which they find themselves upon arrival. In fact, a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees this spring found most of the newly arrived unaccompanied and separated children may qualify for international refugee protection due to a legitimate belief they are unsafe at home, whether due to gang violence or abuse

No, the more pressing issue is what to do now that they’ve arrived. Official responsibility for these children falls to the Division of Children’s Services within the Office for Refugee Resettlement at the Department of Health and Human Services, which operates under a child welfare-based model of care rather than the detention model used with adults. That’s great, except the system is overwhelmed.

The Youth Thrive work done at CSSP offers a unique lens through which to view these unaccompanied children.  This framework examines the protective and promotive factors necessary to reduce risk factors to ensure healthy development and well-being for adolescents.

Let’s start with the risk factors:

1. Psychological stressors – Fleeing their country alone and being detained by foreign officials.
2. Inadequate or negative relationships with family members, adults outside the family and peers – Many of these children are running from gang pressure or abusive family members.
3. Insufficient or inadequate opportunities for positive growth and development – These children are coming from developing countries with high poverty rates and low levels of education.
4. Unsafe, unstable, inequitable environments –Their native countries have increasing levels of violence and crime.

So what do these children need in order to overcome the risks they’ve faced?  What is necessary for them to move towards healthy development and overall well-being?

1. Youth resilience – This is the process of managing stress and functioning well even when faced with adversity and trauma. The youth entering the US have already demonstrated resiliency through their journey but need additional support to mitigate the high level of stress they’ve experienced during their lives and ensure they develop a sense of self-efficacy.
2. Social connections – Connections to people and institutions to help youth increase their knowledge and develop their skills, have a sense of belonging and find meaning in their lives. These connections provide emotional, informational, spiritual and concrete support as children develop.
3. Concrete support in times of need - Assisting youth to identify, find and receive concrete support in times of need helps to ensure they receive the basic necessities everyone deserves in order to grow and thrive (e.g., healthy food, a safe and protective environment), as well as specialized academic, psychoeducational, health, mental health, social, legal or employment services.
4. Knowledge of adolescent development – It is essential that the adults working with the unaccompanied youth understand the science of adolescent development and apply this knowledge to any new programs and policies designed to help these youth.
5. Cognitive and social-emotional competence in youth – All youth need nurturing adult support, positive peer relationship and wholesome experiences to help them navigate the transitions of adolescents and to develop these cognitive and social-emotional competencies such as self-awareness, personal agency, gratitude and integrity.

So what have we offered these children? A medical checkup, a cot in an overcrowded shelter and a promise that we’re working on it. The average stay in the shelters is more than a month, during which time the youth receive services including family reunification to facilitate safe and timely release to family members or other sponsors within the US. While eighty-five percent of unaccompanied children are released to a family member or sponsor, the remaining fifteen percent (an estimated 9,000 children this year alone) are either transferred to the state foster care system or remain in custody with Office of Refugee Resettlement.

These children deserve better than an extended shelter stay while the immigration process plays out.  They need to be in a family setting, receiving individualized services to address their trauma history and provided consistent supportive relationships in a culturally respectful manner. It is only through these connections and support that they will become ready for a meaningful and rewarding adulthood, wherever they ultimately end up.