Browsing by Author "Underwood, Dawnya"
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Item Clocking in: Employment outcomes for unaccompanied refugee minors leaving foster care in the United States(Elsevier, 2021-04-29) Hasson III, Robert G.; Crea, Thomas M.; Easton, Scott D.; Evans, Kerri; Underwood, DawnyaMillions of people around the world experience forced displacement from their homes because of war, natural disaster, and political turmoil. A particularly vulnerable sub-group of this population includes children and youth who migrate without parents or guardians, also known as unaccompanied minors. In recent years, dramatic increases in the number of minors from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala have arrived to the US seeking asylum from violence and refuge from destitution. Yet, relatively little is known about outcomes for this population after their arrival. The current study uses a secondary analysis of administrative data from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service to explore factors related to employment outcomes for minors from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, as compared to minors from 23 other countries who exited the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program in 2015 (N = 187). Results indicate that each additional month in care increased the odds of being employed part-time or full-time at time of discharge by 3.2%. The odds of being employed part-time or full-time are 92.0% lower for URM from El Salvador, compared to URM from other countries. Results of the study yield two major implications: first, the results support immigration policy development that increases lengths of program duration for URM. Second, results identify URM from El Salvador as particularly vulnerable to accessing employment opportunities.Item Educational Services for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in the United States(Taylor & Francis, 2022-07-25) Hasson III, Robert G.; Corbett, Caitlin; Diaz-Valdés, Antonia; Evans, Kerri; Crea, Thomas M.; Underwood, DawnyaSome unaccompanied children (UC) who migrate to the United States (US) receive post-release services (PRS) to help them adjust to the US and access community-based supports. Upon their arrival to the US, UC discuss their need(s) with their PRS caseworker in order to identify their primary needs. This study examines factors associated with UC who reported education services as a primary PRS need. The sample is based on administrative data shared by a major nonprofit in the US that provides technical support for PRS for UC throughout the US (n = 851). The cross-sectional research design includes a binomial logit regression model. Older UC have higher odds of reporting educational services as a primary need and UC placed with their mothers have lower odds of reporting education services as a primary need. The results can inform how education professionals and social services assess the needs of vulnerable immigrants. For example, older UC may require additional support with navigating barriers for accessing education. Conversely, UC who are placed with their mother may require less support with accessing education. Future research includes examining education levels and need for education support, and qualitative methods that describe how family dynamics inform the need for education services.