Refugee Immigration Ministry
“Building Community With Uprooted
People to Serve the Common Good.”
Refugee Immigration Ministry
Developing Our
Spiritual Care
Giver’s Program
RIM began in 1986 as a
ministry to detainees.
Spiritual Care Givers are
trained to…
Visit detained immigrants
 Offer the gift of listening
 Offer Spiritual Care appropriate for
detained persons
 Bring hope out of isolation
 Help a person tap inner resources
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Refugee Immigration Ministry
Starting Our Training Program
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A Multi-discipline committee
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Conversation and buy-in from ICE
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Buy-in from faith-group leadership
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Meetings with facilities early in planning
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Including ICE and COEs in training
Steps To Building SCG
Program
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Building Your Training Team
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Recruiting Trainees
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Planning A Training Schedule
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Inviting speakers for various topics
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Supporting Volunteers
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Administrative Procedures
Building a Training Team
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What is needed?
Small Group Leaders (Identify 4-6
months in advance so people have time
to schedule 8 training sessions.)
 Speakers (Identify 3-4 months in
advance, provide directions, a copy of
the training manual and schedule)
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• Outside speakers broaden the community
investment
• Help build networks with other providers
Training Components
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Subjects
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Loneliness
Separation
Shame and Guilt
Grief
Depression
Trauma
Suicide
Family Systems
Violence: Sexual
Assault, Domestic
Violence, Racism
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Operational Issues
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Legal
INS
Prison Culture
Prison Regulations
Faith Issues
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Faith Rituals
Spirituality of Healing
Interfaith Ministry
Training Components cont.
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Active Listening
Skills
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Heart of the
training
Can be
transforming for
trainees
Need practice in
role play
Builds the team
Is interactive
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Self-Care
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Essential for good
service delivery
Encouraged strongly
In-Service
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Retreat
Saturday session to
focus on issues
Small groups required
Tips for Finding Speakers
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What organization can help you identify
interested people with expertise?
Who on the Planning Team or last year’s
trainees can help with this?
For example: Can you get a Pastoral
Counseling Center to co-sponsor?
Are there hospital chaplains in your area?
Military? Prison? Retired?
Trauma Therapists
Recruiting Trainees
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Complete application
Participate in an interview
Take 30 hours of training
Participate in an ongoing small group
Participate in ongoing visitation
Participate in in-service training
Maintains confidentiality, respects facility
rules and keeps good boundaries
Selection and
Participation Issues
Spiritual Care Givers may not have
prior felony convictions.
 SCGs will agree to adhere to all
prison and ICE rules and regulations
when in the facilities.
 SCGs will not participate in advocacy
efforts in the same community
where they are SCGs.
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Selection and
Participation Issues:
Will work with all faiths
 All SCGs will sign a non-proselytizing
agreement and a confidentiality
agreement.
 All SCGs will the highest level of
confidentiality and professional
conduct.
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Interviews
 Need
to be done by trainers,
face-to-face to screen
dysfunctional applicants
 Helps welcome trainee to the
group
 Helps plan for the small groups
 References must be checked
Management of Training
Small Groups
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Try to make groups diverse
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Help people deal with their own material, share with
others and build the team
Evaluation of Trainees is on-going
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At interview
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During training
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During colleague groups
Feedback is essential
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Must be given to promote learning
Task List
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Interviewing Prospective Trainees
Additional Articles for reading requested
Set up and handle lending library
Set up Small Groups
Schedule devotions
Plan for snacks, including light supper opening night.
Music on arrival
Role Play Cards for final weeks of training
Equipment to tape sessions
Hosting speakers
Teaching listening skills: Requires 7 pairings to
explain, demonstrate and guide practice.
Identify small group leaders
Support of Volunteers
1. The importance of team formation
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Role Play
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Small group sharing
2. Follow up
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In-service training
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Support groups (Participation required for continued
visitation)
3. Sharing Faith Resources
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Opening Meditation
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Sharing of Rituals
Support of Volunteers cont.
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4. Debriefing and Processing of
sessions
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5. Journals
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6. Staff feedback to volunteers
Support of Volunteers cont.
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7. Prison Visits
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8. Installation and Recognition
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Respect for Prison Rules is Required
Background Check is often Required
Tracking Hours
Group Participation
9. An annual retreat
Public Relations
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Regional Offices of Denominations
Council of Churches
Press Release to religions press
Academic Institutions
General Press release
TV- Announcements
Congregations
Ethnic Organizations
Fund Raising
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Building your support base
Who are your constituents?
What are the interests of
constituents which can be met by
this program?
Values Underlying
Project Development
Recognizing that solace in religion is beneficial to all,
the spiritual care project seeks to:
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Provide appropriate spiritual care for all detainees as
desired
Exhibit respect for all faith traditions
Provide clinically and professionally trained and
accountable spiritual care givers
Develop an authentically collaborative and respectful
relationship with the ICE
Provide spiritual care for the whole institution
(detainees and staff)
Develop a sense of community
Values cont.
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Validate present programs and, if suitable,
complement them by the addition of the
spiritual care givers program
Eliminate individual isolation (within the
institution) of staff.
Link detainees and staff to faith
communities
Facilitate community integration
Practice authentic spiritual discipline as
foundation and motivation of the project
Encourage inclusivity and diversity among
the participants.
Volunteer Recognition
Each person who completes training
is given a certificate of completion.
 Second level of certification given
when:
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Completion of 12 months of visitation
 Interview with training director
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Acknowledgements
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Refugee Immigration Ministry gratefully
acknowledges the input and support
given by:
Church World Service
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Lutheran Immigration Refugee Service
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
United Methodist Committee on Relief
Jesuit Refugee Service
Resources Available
from RIM
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RIM can arrange for onsite consultation
as program is built
You may order copies of training manual
RIM may assist with planning, training
and recognition on site
RIM will welcome anyone who wants to
take the training in Boston
Phone consultation is available
Refugee Immigration Ministry
119 Exchange Street
Malden, MA 02148
Phone: 781-322-1011
Fax: 781-322-1013
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web-site: www.r-i-m.net
We Can Make a Difference!
The human spirit can endure almost
anything except the sense that the
world has forgotten him or her and
has no concern for what is
happening.
Bruno Bettleheim