On February 1, 2023, UPE met with the County regarding the above policy and procedure and its impact/s on our members. The policy will affect the Case Carrying Social Workers (SW) in Court Services, Permanency, and Adoptions.
UPE asked the County to go through the policy for us to be able to ask clarifying questions. The first question from UPE was for the County to define the meaning of a detained parent/legal guardian. The County’s response was regarding the parent/legal guardian being detained by ICE for possible deportation. Next, UPE inquired how SWs should proceed when faced with difficulty communicating with the detaining agencies. The County responded, be sure to document this information. We requested that the County provide contacts to detention facilities; the County will look into this. Information will also be provided on how to provide parents/legal guardians with materials for mailing correspondence (vendor lists for detention facilities).
Once there is a final draft of the policy, it will be provided to UPE for review prior to implementation.
Thank you to the participants,
Eric Booker, Beverly Kearney, and Sarah Singleton