Michael Reisch, Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice, presented a paper on the past and present U.S. treatment of immigrant children and their families at the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education, and Social Development held in Dublin, Ireland in early July.
Dr. Reisch's paper, "Assisting the Least Among Us: U.S. Social Work's Response to Unaccompanied and Abandoned Immigrant Youth - Implications for a Conflict-Ridden World," was based on an article he co-authored with UMBC Professor Jayshree Jani that was published in Children and Youth Services Review this winter. His paper addressed the current crisis created by the Trump Administration's separation of immigrant children from their parents, the historical roots of this crisis, and the response of social workers in the public and private sectors.
At the conference, Dr. Reisch also participated in a multi-national roundtable discussion of how social work educators could increase students' interests in macro practice.