Unaccompanied Children
Since responsibility for unaccompanied children was transferred to HHS by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, OIG has provided oversight of the Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program.* OIG is charged with overseeing programs and operations in HHS, including the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), to combat fraud and abuse in those programs and promote their efficiency and effectiveness. To accomplish this, OIG employs an array of oversight tools: investigations, evaluations, and audits. Read More
OIG has completed work examining various aspects of the UC Program. For example, we audited grantee expenditures and assessed their internal controls for administering UC Program funds. We also examined whether ORR grantees met safety standards for the care and release of children in their custody. When OIG has identified possible criminal misconduct, we have investigated it or referred it to our Federal or local law enforcement partners as appropriate. All of these efforts have one unifying purpose—to promote the protection of children in the Department's care.
*Before March 2021, the Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program was named the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program.
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| Title | Date | Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Toolkit: Insights from OIG's Work on the Office of Refugee Resettlement's Efforts To Care for Unaccompanied Children OEI-09-21-00220 | 05-25-2021 | welfare, mental health, safety, employees, staff, significant incident reports, SIRs, physical security, influx care, emergency intake, health, COVID-19, pandemic, coronavirus, DHS, homeland, coordination, reunification, reunify, screenings, criminal background checks, surge, transfer, planning, sponsors, infectious, communicable disease, hiring, retaining, release, discharge, telehealth |
| The Office of Refugee Resettlement Did Not Award and Manage the Homestead Influx Care Facility Contracts in Accordance With Federal Requirements A-12-20-20001 | 12-18-2020 | Homestead, facilities, facility, shelters, providers, ICF, Biscayne, Comprehensive, CHS, contractors, No-Bid, sole source, Federal Acquisition Regulation, FAR, Brookstone, General Dynamics, SWK, no bid, Southwest Key, temporary, emergency |
| Office of Refugee Resettlement Ensured That Selected Care Providers Were Prepared To Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic A-04-20-02031 | 11-06-2020 | COVID-19, pandemic, coronavirus, emergency preparedness, preparedness, emergency planning, planning, quarantine, communicable, disease, communicable disease, outbreak, health, facilities, facility, providers, shelters, PPE, CDC, telehealth, infectious, cleanliness |
| Youth For Tomorrow - New Life Center, Inc., an Administration for Children and Families Grantee, Did Not Comply With All Applicable Federal Policies and Requirements A-03-16-00250 | 09-29-2020 | Virginia, shelters, providers, facility, facilities, allowable, expenditures, costs, claim, funds, transactions, criminal background checks, screenings, employees, staff, unallowable, care, release, discharge, Bristow, safety, health, salary, salaries, compensation |
| Southwest Key Programs Failed To Protect Federal Funds Intended for the Care and Placement of Unaccompanied Alien Children A-06-17-07004 | 09-16-2020 | Texas, Arizona, California, allowable, costs, expenditures, SWK, unallowable, claim, funds, grantee, transactions, facility, facilities, providers, shelters, rental, capital leases, GAAP, less-than-arm's-length, less than arm's length, salary, salaries, compensation |
| The Office of Refugee Resettlement's Incident Reporting System Is Not Effectively Capturing Data To Assist Its Efforts To Ensure the Safety of Minors in HHS Custody OEI-09-18-00430 | 06-17-2020 | Safety, employees, staff, facilities, facility, providers, shelters, significant incident reports, sexual assaults, SIRs, sexual abuse, assaults, abuse, physical, physical abuse, harassment, sexual harassment, national |
| Unaccompanied Alien Children Program Care Provider Facilities Do Not Include All Required Security Measures in their Checklists OEI-05-19-00210 | 06-17-2020 | Facilities; facility, providers, shelters, safety, employees, staff, inspections, national, physical, physical security |
| Communication and Management Challenges Impeded HHS's Response to the Zero-Tolerance Policy OEI-BL-18-00510 | 03-05-2020 | Zero tolerance, Zero-tolerance, family separation, separated, DHS, CBP, coordination, reunifications, Homeland, Customs, Border, reunify, national, coordination, DOJ, Justice, planning, facilities, facility, providers, sheltersx, criminal background checks |
| Care Provider Facilities Described Challenges Addressing Mental Health Needs of Children in HHS Custody (OEI-09-18-00431) | 09-03-2019 | Zero tolerance, separated, mental health clinician, mental health, clinicians, trauma, employees, staff, safety, facilities, facility, providers, shelters, sponsors, reunifications, Zero-tolerance, reunify, family separation, national, hiring, retaining, transfer |
| Unaccompanied Alien Children Care Provider Facilities Generally Conducted Required Background Checks but Faced Challenges in Hiring, Screening, and Retaining Employees (A-12-19-20001) | 09-03-2019 | Employees, staff, screenings, criminal background checks, ratios, shelters, facility, facilities, providers, case managers, mental health clinicians, waivers, staffing, national, safety |
| Southwest Key Did Not Have Adequate Controls in Place To Secure Personally Identifiable Information Under the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program (A-18-18-06001) | 08-15-2019 | Texas, Arizona, California, PII, information system security, SWK, technology, grantee, providers, facility, facilities, shelters |
| Southwest Key Programs Did Not Always Comply With Health and Safety Requirements For The Unaccompanied Alien Children Program (A-06-17-07005) | 08-15-2019 | providers, facility, facilities, shelters, Texas, California, Arizona, care, release, discharge, reunifications, criminal background checks, screenings, sponsors, employees, staff, SWK, ratios, grantee, video, hazards, hazardous, cleanliness |
| The Children's Village, Inc., an Administration for Children and Families Grantee, Did Not Always Comply with Applicable Federal and State Policies and Requirements (A-02-16-02013) | 04-26-2019 | safety, criminal background checks, screenings, sponsors, employees, staff, care, release, discharge, allowable, expenditures, drawdowns, New York, unallowable, costs, claim, funds, providers, facility, facilities, shelters, transactions, Dobbs Ferry, salary, salaries, compensation, hazards, hazardous |
| Lincoln Hall Boys' Haven, an Administration for Children and Families Grantee, Did Not Always Comply With Applicable Federal and State Policies and Requirements (A-02-16-02007) | 02-11-2019 | safety, release, discharge, criminal background checks, screenings, employees, staff, care, allowable, expenditures, costs, State, New York, unallowable, claim, funds, providers, facility, facilities, shelters, transactions, Lincolndale, fire, health, video |
| Separated Children Placed in Office of Refugee Resettlement Care (OEI-BL-18-00511) | 01-17-2019 | Zero tolerance, Zero-tolerance, family separation, DHS, CBP, coordination, reunifications, reunify, Homeland, Customs, Border, Ms. L, Ms L, ICE, release, discharge, national, placement, transfer |
| BCFS Health and Human Services Did Not Always Comply With Federal and State Requirements Related to the Health and Safety of Unaccompanied Alien Children (A-06-17-07007) | 12-06-2018 | sponsors, criminal background checks, screenings, employees, staff, care, release, discharge, Texas, facility, facilities, shelters, providers, foster, grantee, San Antonio, fire, video |
| The Tornillo Influx Care Facility: Concerns About Staff Background Checks and Number of Clinicians on Staff (A-12-19-20000) | 11-27-2018 | tent, Texas, unlicensed, ratios, criminal background checks, screenings, employees, staff, semi- permanent, waivers, temporary, emergency, memorandum, grantee, shelters, facility, facilities, providers, care, BCFS, mental health, ICF |
| Florence Crittenton Services of Orange County, Inc., Did Not Always Claim Expenditures in Accordance With Federal Requirements (A-09-17-01002) | 10-15-2018 | California, allowable, expenditures, costs, shelters, facility, claim, unallowable, funds, Fullerton, providers, facilities, shelters, transactions, grantee, salary, salaries, compensation |
| Heartland Human Care Services, Inc., Generally Met Safety Standards, but Claimed Unallowable Rental Costs (A-05-16-00038) | 09-24-2018 | Illinois, providers, facility, criminal background checks, screenings, sponsors, employees, staff, care, release, discharge, allowable expenditures, costs, shelters, facilities, claim, unallowable, transactions, less-than-arm's-length leases, rental, funds, Chicago, grantee, Morse, Chase, Giles, ratios, less than arm's length, health, video |
| Florence Crittenton Services of Orange County, Inc., Did Not Always Meet Applicable Safety Standards Related to Unaccompanied Alien Children (A-09-16-01005) | 06-18-2018 | California, providers, facility, criminal background checks, screenings, sponsors, employees, staff, care, facilities, shelters, Fullerton, grantee, release, discharge, health |
| BCFS Health and Human Services Did Not Always Comply With Federal Requirements Related to Less-Than-Arm's-Length Leases (A-06-16-07007) | 02-20-2018 | Texas, allowable, expenditures, costs, transactions, leases, claim, less-than-arm's length, unallowable, funds, Baytown, Raymondville, San Antonio, rental, grantee, providers, facility, facilities, shelters, foster, less than arm's length |
| Office of Refugee Resettlement Unaccompanied Alien Children Grantee Review-His House (A-04-16-03566) | 12-04-2017 | Florida, providers, facility, facilities, shelters, criminal background checks, allowable, expenditures, costs, claim, safety, sponsors, placement, post-release, postrelease, post release, funds, care, Miami, unallowable, transactions, payroll, screenings, discharge, health |
| HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement Improved Coordination and Outreach to Promote the Safety and Well-Being of Unaccompanied Alien Children (OEI-09-16-00260) | 07-31-2017 | DHS, coordination, reunifications, reunify, sponsors, screenings, Homeland, postrelease, post release, post-release, release, discharge, placement, MOA, memorandum, trafficking, TVPRA, criminal background checks, transfer |
| Division of Unaccompanied Children's Services: Efforts to Serve Children (OEI-07-06-00290) | 03-06-2008 | DHS, coordination, Homeland, reunifications, reunify, sponsors, screenings, postrelease, post-release, post release, release, Flores, intake, placement, care, MOA, memorandum, background checks, discharge, transfer |