Consultant

Background The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is responsible for the care and placement of unaccompanied children (UC) transferred from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Challenges related to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic and an unprecedented spike of UC arriving in the United States in calendar year 2021 caused tremendous strain on ORR’s shelter network. To resolve these challenges and effectively respond to future spikes in referrals, ORR seeks technical assistance from organizations with broad experience in the domestic child welfare and juvenile program arenas. Under this PWS, the Contractor will provide analysis, provide technical assistance, and develop a series of recommendations for ACF/ORR about how best to structure its resources to meet the myriad needs of UC and the ORR program. Purpose and Objectives The Contractor shall provide administrative support and analysis to ORR to meet its mission, expand, and reorient its resources to meet external pressures that impact ORR shelter and service provider capacity. Under this effort, the Contractor will provide ORR with review/analysis and recommendations intended to meet the following performance objectives: Increase capacity of licensed-UC providers. Enhance and support UC case management. Increase capacity and services within ORR’s shelter network (including transitional foster care, small group homes, shelters, and long-term foster care). Rapidly expand bed capacity in licensed ORR shelters without a diminution of services. Improve ORR capacity to timely discharge and transfer UC from placement.