Migrant Child Welfare: A Review of the Literature and Legislation

摘要

The delivery of services to migrant farmworkers is inhibited by many barriers -- language, mobility, and discrimination. These barriers create a need for special programs and regulations which respond to the unique needs of migrant farmworkers. At present, many laws which benefit the general population do not meet the migrants' needs. In the case of laws governing federal programs designed specifically for migrants, full compliance is all too rare. The magnitude of these problems and the large number of children affected demand a concerted effort to provide support to migrant families through supplemental child welfare services such as day care, health programs, and adequate education. The provision of these types of services not only alleviates immediate child welfare problems but also constitutes preventive care which, in the long run, is the only means to provide hope and a future for migrant children.