CILA is excited to announce that the CILA team recently created a resource for attorneys working with migrant children. This resource provides practical tips, reminders, and considerations when working with children on immigration cases. CILA hopes that “Tips for Working with Migrant Children and Trauma-Informed Lawyering” will be particularly helpful to those who are new to children’s cases and approaching a migrant child’s case for the first time, but we hope that this resource will also include helpful reminders for those who are already practicing.
This 21-page resource discusses trauma-informed care and the need to engage in trauma-informed lawyering when representing migrant youth. Many children come to the United States after having experienced traumatic events in their lives and in their home countries, with these events often forming the basis of a child’s immigration case. Further, many children continue to experience trauma after arriving to the Unites States and throughout the course of their legal proceedings. “Tips for Working with Migrant Children and Trauma-Informed Lawyering” provides attorneys with guidance on working with child clients—from informing attorneys about the key components to trauma-informed lawyering and how to incorporate them into legal practice, to giving examples on engaging with and speaking to child clients about difficult topics—to promote meaningful collaboration throughout the course of a legal case.
This resource is available on CILA’s website on the Additional Resources webpage. If you do not have the password, please reach out to us at cila@abacila.org.