CHARGE TO AD HOC COMMITTEE ON REFUGEE and IMMIGRANT CHILDREN and TRAUMA
The Illinois Childhood Trauma Coalition (ICTC) recognizes that children and their families immigrate to the United States for a variety of reasons and under a variety of circumstances. Some of those circumstances, which may include events and conditions that children are exposed to in their countries of origin, in their journey to the US and/or once they arrive here, may be traumatic. ICTC through its members has considerable knowledge and experience about childhood trauma, in general but less knowledge and experience with refugee and immigrant children and their communities.
The Ad hoc Committee on Refugee & Immigrant Children & Trauma will be made up of volunteers who are members of ICTC as well as volunteers from agencies and organizations involved with immigrant and refugee children. It will be co-chaired by a representative member of ICTC and a person representing agencies and organizations working with immigrant and refugee children.
The Ad hoc Committee on Refugee & Immigrant Children & Trauma is charged with exploring ways to use the ICTC’s current resources (including its members):
- to raise public awareness of how trauma can impact immigrant and refugee children,
- to develop the workforce necessary to serve the needs of these unique communities,
- to assist agencies in building the capacity to help immigrant and refugee families that may have experienced traumatizing events.