Pediatric Support for Children Eligible for Legal Humanitarian Relief

Abstract

Many children in immigrant families may qualify for legal protection—for themselves if unaccompanied, or as a derivative on parents' claims—on humanitarian grounds related to persecution or forced migration. Pediatric providers can offer a spectrum of multidirectional medical-legal supports to increase access to medical-legal services and support children who are undocumented or in mixed-status families. These activities can include providing trusted information, incorporating screening for health-related social needs, establishing networks for multidirectional referrals, and providing letters of support for legal protection. To expand workforce capacity for medical-legal services related to immigration, pediatric providers can also receive training to conduct specialized, trauma-informed forensic evaluations and can advocate at individual, local, state, federal, and global levels to address factors leading to persecution and forced migration while supporting individuals who may be eligible for legal protection. [ Pediatr Ann . 2024;53(5):e183–e188.]