AFS Support. Provides assistance to participants (students) and host families during the exchange experience. Liaisons Support Coordinators AFS Support.

AFS Support

AFS Support

Provides assistance to participants (students) and host families during the exchange experience.

• Liaisons

• Support Coordinators

• AFS Support Staff (NY)

Rule-making Entities

U.S. Department of State

• AFS-USA is a designated sponsor

• Regulates J-1 Exchange Visitor Program for Secondary School Students

• J-1 visas allow students to attend U.S. high schools tuition free

Rule-making Entities

CSIET (Council on Standards for International Educational Travel)

• Creates an Advisory List of exchange programs that adhere to their standards

• Many high schools only accept students from programs on the Advisory List

Rule-making Entities

AFS Intercultural Programs International

• AFS member organizations are not-for-profit

• Countries that send students to the U.S. are referred to as “partner countries”

Rule-making Entities

AFS-USA

• Board of Directors develops standards for the U.S. in conjunction with AFS International

• Volunteers are very involved

Components of Support

• Relationship Building

• Contacts

• Counseling

• Escalation

Relationship Building

• All registered volunteers are invested in creating a support network for students

• Students should have more than one person that they feel they can go to

• Both students and parents need support

• Orientations can help build relationships

Students are less vulnerable when they have a support network.

Contacts

Monthly Contact website:

https://usa.afsglobal.org/mc/MonthlyContactMobile/Default_Login.aspx

Log into this website using Global Link username and password.

Contact Type SummaryStudent In-Person within his/her month of arrival

In-Home Visit within 60 days for a permanent placement every 30 days for a temporary placement

Student Contact In-person or telephone contact each month

Host Family Contact In-person or telephone contact each month

Host Family In-Person at least once before January 1 and at least once after January 1

School Contact 3 times for a year program student (Aug-Nov, Dec-Feb, and Mar-Jun) 2 times for a semester program student

Contact Types

Student In-Person: In-person contact with a student must occur within his/her month of arrival. Completing this will also satisfy the "Student Contact" requirement for that month. 

 DoS: The first monthly contact between the local coordinator and the

exchange student must be in person.

Contact Types

In-Home Visit: An in-home visit must occur every 30 days that a student is in a temporary placement. An in-home visit must occur once within 60 days of a student's arrival to a permanent placement. In-home visits must be completed for initial placements and any subsequent placements. 

DoS: A sponsor representative other than the local coordinator who recruited, screened and selected the host family must visit the exchange student/ host family home within the first or second month following the student’s placement in the home.

Contact Types

Student Contact:  In-person or telephone contact with a student must occur each month of the program. Completing this may also satisfy the "Student In-Person" requirement if the contact was made in-person within the

student's month of arrival.  

DoS: Maintain, at minimum, a monthly schedule of personal contact with the exchange student. Contacts may take place in-person, on the phone, or via electronic mail and must be properly documented.

CSIET: E-mail alone is not considered sufficient personal contact.

Contact Types

Host Family Contact: In-person or telephone contact

with a host family must occur each month of the program. 

DoS: Maintain, at a minimum, a monthly schedule of personal contact with the host family. Contacts may take place in person, on the phone, or via electronic mail and must be properly documented.

CSIET: E-mail alone is not considered sufficient personal contact.

Contact Types

Host Family In-Person: In-person contact with a host family must occur at least once before January 1 and at least once after January 1.

 DoS: At least once during the fall semester and at least once during the

spring semester, (i.e., twice during the academic year) the contact

by the local coordinator with the host family must be in person.

Contact Types

School Contact: In-person, telephone, or email contact with a school must occur 3 times for a year program student (once between Aug-Nov, Dec-Feb, and Mar-Jun) and 2 times for a semester program student.

DoS: That host schools are provided contact information for the local organizational representative (including name, direct phone number, and e-mail address), the program sponsor, and the Department’s Office of Designation.

Placement Compliance

Students must never be moved into a home that is not fully screened 

If the student needs a temporary place to stay but is not changing host families,o Four days or less – host family can place with a

friend/family member (Prudent Parent)o More than four days – must be approved host family*o If AFS finds a place for student to stay – must always be

approved host family* 

Placement Compliance

If another person is staying in the host family home,o If host family is gone, background check needed if more

than four dayso If host family is there, background check needed if more

than ten days

If the student is changing host families*,o Must be approved host familyo If another student is already there, must complete dual

paperwork

*TDS will link student to the new or temporary family

Prudent Parent Policy

On occasion, host parents may need to leave a participant in the care of a friend or relative for short periods of time. This is permitted when a business trip, family emergency, or other unavoidable situation requires the temporary absence of the host family for up to four days. In such cases, the host family may treat the participant as they would their own family member and arrange for appropriate, temporary care without first obtaining permission from AFS. However, prior to leaving their participant with another responsible adult or family, the host parents must inform their AFS liaison of: (1) the duration of the stay, and (2) complete contact information for the adult or family with whom the participant will temporarily reside. In these cases, the friend or relative who will host the participant on a temporary basis is not required to complete the AFS application process.  If the temporary absence exceeds four days and/or the host parents are unable to provide temporary care for a participant and need assistance from AFS, AFS volunteers or staff will identify a screened family for the temporary placement.

Counseling

• Liaisons are smoke detectors, not fire fighters

• Liaisons can do counseling, or they can refer the student/family to the support coordinator

• Keep the support coordinator informed of any issues

• Confidentiality should be maintained except to appropriate local volunteers

• Some issues are resolved locally, some are escalated to AFS staff in NY

The liaison is not responsible for solving problems or resolving conflicts for participants and families, but rather to provide support for them so that

they can do so themselves. 

Escalation

• Notify support coordinator of any issues 

• Support coordinator will notify AFS staff in NY if appropriate 

• AFS staff in NY will notify partner country if appropriate

• Goal: No Surprises

• Early Return is not unilateral except in cases of participation agreement violation

Details of support situations are usually communicated by email or phone with appropriate parties and do not need to be described again in detail in the liaison contacts; a summary will suffice.

AFS-USA Notification Policy

AFS is required by law to promptly notify the US State Department of any unusual or exceptional incidents that may bring the Department or AFS into notoriety or disrepute. Further, AFS must report incidents involving alleged sexual misconduct. Problems or controversies that we must report include, but are not limited to

–Events involving serious bodily injury or death –Allegations that the host family has taken or misappropriated the student's money or credit cards –Events in which the student was a victim or perpetrator of a crime –Events, alleged or actual, where the student is the victim or perpetrator of sexual assault –Missing/runaway students longer than 24 hours –Any issue that has the potential for press coverage

When AFS is informed of any incident or allegation involving the actual or alleged sexual exploitation or abuse of a student participant, staff will also be required to report it to local police and Child Protective Services for further investigation.

Participant Moves

• First step is counseling and communication

• If the family doesn’t want the student any more, it’s best to move the student

• If the student doesn’t want to be in the family, determine whether the problem is adjustment 

• Once a move is decided upon by all parties, the student should be moved from the home quickly, usually within a couple of days

Resources

• Learning Objectives 

• Counseling 

• Plan for Success 

• Support Agreement 

• Letter of Warning

Value of Crises in Learning

• The goal is not a crisis-free experience

• Manageable crises provide highly productive bases for intercultural learning

• With a network of support providing emotional security, crises are not overwhelming for AFS participants

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Questions