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ORR details Home Study and Post‑Release Services for unaccompanied children under new NOFO
Summary
The Office of Refugee Resettlement outlined the Home Study and Post‑Release Services (HSPRS) model and service-level requirements — including mandatory TVPRA home studies, three PRS intensity levels, and a 10-business-day home‑study deadline — as part of a $258 million NOFO.
Pedro J Rodriguez, Project Officer with the Unaccompanied Alien Children program at the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), described the Home Study and Post‑Release Services (HSPRS) model that will be funded under the agency’s NOFO for Home Study and Post‑Release Services.
ORR’s HSPRS model aims to ensure the safety and stability of unaccompanied alien children after release to vetted sponsors by requiring home studies and offering voluntary post‑release supports. "Home studies provide in‑depth assessments and insight into the potential sponsor's ability to provide safe and appropriate care," Rodriguez said, listing household interviews, facility interviews, housing and bedroom checks, and assessments of medical and mental‑health needs as routine components.
The agency described three Home Study categories. TVPRA‑mandated Home Studies are required when children are trafficking victims, have been abused, or have special needs; ORR Required Home Studies apply for nonrelative sponsors, frequent sponsors, and tender‑age children (under 12); and Discretionary Home Studies allow ORR to request assessments where necessary to protect child welfare. Rodriguez stated Home Studies must be completed within 10 business days from referral acceptance to submission of the Home Study report to ORR.
Post‑Release Services (PRS) will be provided at three intensity levels. Level 1 consists of virtual check‑ins on Days 7, 14 and 30 post‑release for monitoring and light support. Level 2 requires initial contact within two days, a first in‑person visit within 14 days, and monthly in‑person visits for six months; it focuses on school enrollment assistance, medical and legal referrals, and individualized service plans. Level 3 is an intensive in‑home model for children with complex needs — initial contact within two days, first visit within seven days, and weekly in‑person visits for six months — and includes crisis intervention, intensive family counseling and specialized safety planning.
Rodriguez listed PRS service areas that providers should be ready to deliver, including legal and immigration assistance, guardianship, education and English‑language instruction, medical and behavioral health services, placement stability and safety, youth programming, employment assistance, substance‑use prevention and treatment, and gang prevention services.
The HSPRS program described a national service model to reach high‑need and remote areas, and ORR emphasized that providers must be able to assess and escalate services when necessary to protect child safety. The overview concluded with a reminder that PRS are voluntary and that Home Studies and PRS are intended to support the child's transition while immigration proceedings continue.
