Reported that challenges employing mental health clinicians resulted in high caseloads and limited their effectiveness in addressing children’s needs. Facilities also reported challenges accessing external mental health providers and transferring children to facilities within ORR’s network that provide specialized treatment. Policy changes in 2018 exacerbated these concerns, as they resulted in longer stays in ORR custody and a rapid increase in the number of younger children-many of whom had been separated from their parents after entering the United States.We make six recommendations for practical steps that ORR can take to assist facilities.
