Residential (Staff Secure) Services for Unaccompanied Children

The Office of Refugee Resettlement/Division of Unaccompanied Children Operations (ORR/DUCO), within the Administration for Children and Families, provides temporary shelter care and other child welfare-related services to unaccompanied children (UC) in ORR custody. Residential care services begin once ORR accepts a UC for placement and end when the minor is released from ORR custody, turns 18 years of age, or the minor’s immigration case results in a final disposition of removal from the United States. Residential care and other child welfare-related services are provided by state-licensed residential care programs in the least restrictive setting appropriate for the UC’s age and special needs. ORR is announcing the availability of funds under this Standing Notice of Funding Opportunity (SNOFO) to seek staff secure residential care providers. A staff secure care provider facility maintains stricter security measures, such as higher staff to UC ratio for supervision, to control disruptive behavior and to prevent escape. Residential care providers operating a staff secure facility must be licensed (state child placement license and facility license) to provide residential care services for UC that require a heightened level of supervision. All entities funded under this SNOFO must also comply with Flores v. Reno, Case No. CV 85- 4544 RJK (C.D. Cal. 1996) (the Flores Settlement Agreement); pertinent federal laws and regulations; and ORR policies and procedures, including, but not limited to, the ORR Policy Guide and Manual of Procedures. ORR encourages applicants to review ORR's policies, instructions, and procedures at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/policy-guidance/unaccompanied-children-program-policy-guide as these will be critical to the overall program design. Please refer to this SNOFO when it publishes for more details on application closing dates and project periods.