Toronto Metropolitan University Releases Report on CWICE

Researchers from the Department of Social Work, and the Rights of Children and Youth Partnership (RCYP), at Toronto Metropolitan University have released a report discussing the impact of CWICE on children, youth and families facing immigration challenges. The report, called Connecting Child Welfare and Immigration Systems: The Role of CWICE, was supported by the Government of Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

The report’s authors, Dr. Henry Parada, Kristin Swardh, RSW, and Veronica Escobar Olivo, conducted interviews with front-line workers from child welfare agencies and settlement service providers about their experiences with immigration issues. The intent of this research was to map out the systems refugee children encounter when they seek asylum, particularly when they are unaccompanied.

During the interviews, CWICE came up frequently as an important service that helps to fill various gaps and support children and youth. The results of these discussions clearly show the value CWICE brings in supporting these complex cases, and the researchers opted to highlight that in this report:

"Several key themes emerged, including the expertise of CWICE workers in supporting cases involving unaccompanied minors and refugee children. CWICE workers were viewed as effective advocates in navigating the complexities of immigration processes and ensuring that children accessed culturally and contextually appropriate support networks. Participants indicated how the presence of CWICE workers led to a smoother transition into the refugee claim process and contributed to favourable outcomes during legal hearings." (Quoted from page 13 of the report)

The researchers also developed a system map to illustrate the interconnected processes that could impact an unaccompanied child or youth who arrived at a Canadian port of entry. The map highlights the important role CWICE plays in bridging the gaps between the child welfare and immigration systems and may serve as a resource for workers from both systems.

The full report, including the system map, is available on the RCYP website here: CWICE-TMU-REPORT-July-2024.pdf (rcypartnership.org)