Understanding the Legal Rights and Mental Health Needs of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in US Government Custody and Beyond

Leecia Welch

doi:10.1016/j.chc.2023.10.007

Understanding the Legal Rights and Mental Health Needs of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in US Government Custody and Beyond

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2024 Apr;33(2):151-161. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2023.10.007. Epub 2023 Nov 18.

Author

Leecia Welch¹

Affiliation

¹ Children's Rights, 88 Pine Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10005, USA. Electronic address: lwelch@childrensrights.org.

PMID: 38395502
DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2023.10.007

Abstract

This article addresses the mental health rights of unaccompanied children, the ways in which the US immigration system does not sufficiently support children's mental health, and how clinicians can play a role in meeting immigrant children's mental health needs.

Keywords: Flores Settlement Agreement; Immigrant rights; Mental health; Office of Refugee Resettlement; Trauma; Unaccompanied children.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Child
Civil Rights
Emigrants and Immigrants*
Government
Health Services Accessibility
Human Rights
Humans
Mental Health
Refugees* / psychology