Provider Case Consultation Helpline
About
The Refugee Youth Provider Consultation Helpline is a resource available for refugee-serving agencies and providers who work with ORR-eligible children and youth. We provide guidance, referrals, and resources to professionals such as resettlement agency case managers, child welfare workers, educators, and other youth-serving agency staff who need support in assisting refugee youth who may be experiencing mental health challenges, placement concerns, and other complex or crisis situations. This helpline requires that the youth be eligible for benefits and services through the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
How to Request Assistance
The helpline is available to refugee-serving agencies across the nation and is accessible by using the referral form below, by calling 833-286-0864, or by emailing us at [email protected].
What to Expect
Once you have made a referral you will be contacted by an RYRC Subject Matter Expert within one business day. Our Subject Matter Experts bring specialized knowledge and experience in the areas of child welfare, behavioral health, and refugee resettlement.
The RYRC Subject Matter Expert(s) will schedule a virtual consultation with you and any other requested team members within one week, or sooner depending on the urgency of the request. At the initial case consultation we will gather information to further assess the presenting needs/concerns and share education, resources, community referrals, safety planning measures, and recommendations to help support your team in best meeting the needs of the youth and family.
Lastly, we will schedule a follow-up within two weeks of the initial consultation to ensure that the suggestions and referrals were effective in helping you support the youth and family through the crisis or challenging situation and connect them to necessary long-term supports. If your agency needs more time to implement the plan/recommendations discussed, we will schedule the follow-up at your convenience. Once the youth and family are connected to long-term supportive services, we will close the case consultation.
We look forward to collaborating with you!
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Unfortunately, no, we are not a mental health hotline or support center that provides direct crisis assistance or mental health counseling to refugee youth and families. Youth in crisis should call the 988 Lifeline or 911 in the event of an emergency. Youth can also ask their refugee resettlement case manager, school counselor, teacher, or other supportive adult for assistance connecting to mental health services. Families can also utilize USCRI’s community resource directory to find mental health and other supports in their area.
A: This service is available to refugee-serving organizations, such as resettlement agencies, child welfare, schools, health and mental health providers, anti-trafficking organizations, and other service providers who support refugee and other ORR-eligible youth, including asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, victims of human trafficking, Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, among others. The youth must be between 0-24 years old and have arrived in the U.S. within the past 5 years.
A: We provide consultation for cases involving refugee youth experiencing mental health challenges, acculturation stress, trauma, safety and placement concerns, family conflict, school adjustment issues, and other complex and crisis situations.
A: We assist with both urgent and non-urgent cases. Please contact emergency services (911) first if there is an immediate danger to the youth or others. Our service is best suited for situations requiring clinical guidance, case consultation, and resource navigation. The expectation is also that providers have staffed the case with their supervisor and attempted some interventions to address the need/concern prior to contacting the helpline for support.
A: You can request assistance through the helpline by calling 888-286-0864, emailing us at [email protected], or filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
A: Please have the following information available for the initial consultation:
- Basic demographic information about the youth (age, city, state, country of origin, year of arrival year in the United States, and ORR eligibility status)
- Description of the presenting needs and concerns
- Any immediate safety risks/concerns
- Previous interventions attempted
- Current support systems in place
Note: The RYRC will request that you provide documentation of the child/youth’s eligibility or sign an attestation confirming the child/youth’s ORR eligibility.
A: Our RYRC Subject Matter Experts will provide:
- Clinical consultation on complex cases
- Resource information and referrals
- Education on trauma-informed and child welfare best practices
- Cultural context and considerations
- Crisis intervention strategies
- Guidance on safety planning
- Written summary via email of next steps and recommendations for follow-up following the consultation
A: No, we understand that complex cases may require ongoing consultation. You can reach out multiple times as the situation evolves, or as new challenges arise.
A: The RYRC will request that you provide documentation of the child/youth’s eligibility or sign an attestation confirming the child/youth’s ORR eligibility. The RYRC will not ask for other personally identifiable information (PII) for the purposes of case consultation.
There may be rare circumstances where USCRI, ORR, and/or the refugee-serving agency decide that direct assistance from USCRI is necessary to support the refugee youth and family to address and mitigate the presenting concerns. In these situations, USCRI will request that the refugee-serving agency obtain the youth and caregiver’s written consent to share information and participate in the case consultation prior to USCRI providing any type of direct services to the family.
RYRC staff will not share specific case information without the family’s consent, except in the following circumstances:
- Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect
- Duty to warn in the event the youth poses a risk to themselves or others
- In response to a court order or subpoena
A: We will respond to all case consultation requests within 1 business day. Keep in mind that we are not a crisis or emergency hotline. For after-hours emergencies, please contact emergency services or your local crisis response team.
A: No, there is no cost for providers to receive case consultation and/or crisis intervention services with our agency.
A: Yes, we offer target training and individualized technical assistance to refugee-serving agencies by request. Please visit our Training and Technical Assistance page for more information.
A: Yes, please do! We are a nationwide helpline.
Case Consultation Request Form
Coming SOon
Looking for support with a complex, high needs, or crisis situation involving a refugee youth?
Contact us by calling 888-286-0864, by emailing [email protected], or fill out the form below to request assistance. Someone from our team will respond to your request within one business day.