Former Unaccompanied Refugee Minors' Experiences As Parents: A Collaborative Approach

Background and Purpose: Since 2011, the number of people leaving Central America has increased. Many of them are unaccompanied children, defined as individuals under age 18 who are migrating without a caregiver/parent. Some unaccompanied children without viable family in the U.S. may enter the federal Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) Program, which provides various services to URMs. “Former URMs” are those that have exited the program. A small research base exists that investigates the outcomes of former URMs; however, it is unclear how former URMs from Central America fare as parents.

The topic of this current paper is the collaborative methodology employed to investigate the experiences of former URM parents from Central America. Each stage of the research process has utilized equity-focused participatory approaches between university researchers and community-based stakeholders. The utilization of collaborative methods that center racial and social justice stands to enhance the quality of research and advance the social work discipline.

Methods: The research team consists of three social work researchers (one identifies as a Multiracial Black American woman and two identify as white American women), and two members are community-based (one identifies as a Latina from Mexico and one identifies as an Afro-Colombian woman who is a former URM). Before beginning the study, the research team met with community stakeholders to inform the initial formation of the study topic, create plans for study implementation, and to gauge the overall meaningfulness of the project. A community advisory board (CAB) was formed, consisting of community-based stakeholders who have and will continue to provide feedback to the research team on each stage of the process, including developing interview guides, recruiting participants, and member-checking of data. The community-based team members’ role includes working alongside the social work researchers to develop interview guides, conduct qualitative interviews, engage in iterative approaches to data collection and analysis informed by constructivist grounded theory, create reflexive memos, develop a final model that supports actionable changes, and to generate impactful dissemination products. The research team will also collaborate with study participants to verify emerging themes and interpret initial results during follow-up interviews and member-checking sessions.

Findings: Several themes have emerged from this collaborative process. Relationships: Collaborative research requires an authentic relationship between all individuals engaged in the research process that entails open communication and an acknowledgment that each brings vital expertise to the project. Responsiveness: The needs and concerns of community stakeholders must be addressed, which necessitates a high level of flexibility throughout the research process, and a system of checks and balances must be in place to ensure the response is adequate. Resources: Collaborative research requires sufficient time and funding to ensure all collaborators are fairly compensated and receive high-quality training.

Conclusion and Implications: Collaborative methods for investigating former URMs’ experiences as parents provide a mutually beneficial opportunity for stakeholder communities to participate actively in the research process and to enhance the overall quality of research. This equity-centered approach is a movement towards furthering social work research methods in support of racial and social justice.