Frequently Asked Questions
Learn More About the Unaccompanied Alien Children Office of the Ombuds (UACOO)
The Unaccompanied Alien Children Office of the Ombuds (UACOO) developed this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to help individuals quickly find answers to common questions about our Office’s role, authority, and processes. This FAQ resource also addresses how we handle confidentiality, what we can and cannot do, what happens after an inquiry or report is submitted, and how you can get in touch with our office.
If you do not see your question answered in the FAQ resource, we encourage you to contact our office directly at UAC.Ombuds@acf.hhs.gov. We are committed to listening, reviewing concerns thoroughly, and supporting constructive, informal resolution whenever possible.
What exactly does your office do?
Our office receives and independently investigates reports of concerns regarding the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) implementation of and adherence to federal law, regulations, policies, and standards in the administration of its unaccompanied alien children program. This includes services related to the care, placement, and discharge of unaccompanied children. We look at both individual cases and systemic issues.
How are you different from oversight conducted by ORR or other federal entities that conduct oversight of ORR?
Our office is independent of ORR and does not serve as a first level complaint mechanism for ORR. When individuals feel that their concern was not fully or adequately resolved by ORR, they may reach out to our office for assistance. As an ombuds agency, our office has a unique role to support informal resolution of issues, including by facilitating communication and collaborative problem solving between affected parties. We do not replace other oversight functions, such as those conducted by the HHS Office of the Inspector General, the General Accountability Office, or internal HHS and ORR entities created to monitor or investigate specialized allegations of criminal conduct or suspected abuse.
How do you handle confidentiality?
Confidentiality, along with independence and impartiality, are the central pillars to our work. We are required by regulation to maintain all files, records, and other information submitted to our office as confidential and are prohibited from sharing information except in instances of imminent harm to a person or judicial action. We are further prohibited from sharing information for any immigration enforcement related purpose. Lastly, our office also accepts anonymous reports of concern. Taken together, we hope that these measures to protect confidentiality will encourage unaccompanied alien children and any other stakeholders who may have concerns to come forward without fear of retaliation.
What authority does your office have?
We have the authority to independently receive, review, and investigate concerns about ORR’s compliance with federal law, regulations, policies, and procedures. As part of our impartial factfinding, we may conduct research, site visits, and interviews with affected parties. We issue reports containing our findings and non-binding recommendations to ORR. Whenever we identify best practices in the field, we note those as well.
What happens after a concern is raised with your office?
Consistent with standards developed by national ombuds organizations, the UACOO will conduct a “credible review,” or preliminary evaluation of a concern to determine whether the matter should be pursued by our office and what action(s) would be most appropriate towards facilitating a resolution. Some concerns we can resolve on our own; others may require collaboration or coordination with ORR.
What happens if ORR doesn’t act on your findings or recommendations?
Our role is to ensure that concerns are thoroughly reviewed and that we effectively communicate our findings and recommendations. While we don’t have enforcement power in the way a court does, our independence and placement within ACF allows us to bring issues directly to leadership for action and accountability.
How do you decide what to investigate?
Once we determine that an inquiry is within the scope of our office’s authority, we consider many factors, including the seriousness, complexity, and urgency of the allegations. The UACOO may provide a variety of types of assistance, up to and including opening an investigation; the determination on action(s) to take is case specific. Regardless of the action(s) that we take on a particular case, we track all reports to identify trends or patterns.
Do you share your findings publicly?
Yes. The UACOO has the discretion to publish reports with its findings and recommendations, as well as an annual report summarizing its efforts. Please note: any published reports that reflect work on case specific matters will have personally identifying information (PII) removed or redacted. The UACOO may also publish aggregated information about the type and number of concerns the office receives.
What types of concerns are good to report to your office?
The UACOO has a broad mandate to investigate claims related to ORR’s adherence to federal law, regulations, policies, and standards in the care of unaccompanied alien children. We most commonly receive concerns related to the treatment or circumstances of a child currently in ORR’s care or recently discharged from care. If you are unsure about whether to report something you have seen or experienced, we are willing to have a confidential conversation with you to evaluate your concerns.
How can I get in touch with your office?
You can submit an inquiry online (including anonymously) via our website: https://acf.gov/uac-ombuds, and we also can be reached by email at: UAC.Ombuds@acf.hhs.gov. If you are already in contact with a member of our staff, you can always reach out to them for additional information.