How to lead a family preparedness workshop at your church or school

This page is general information, not legal advice. DNLH is not a legal service. A workshop host is not a lawyer either, and that is fine. Your job is to open the door and point families to trusted help.

Why hold a workshop at all?

Because a plan made on a calm day protects children on a hard one. Families often know they "should" make a plan. What stops them is not knowing where to start, which form to use, or who to trust. A trusted place like a church hall or a school library takes away that fear.

California law also gives families a reason to act now. Since January 1, 2026, schools, licensed child care and state preschools must first follow the emergency contacts a parent gave them. Child protective services is called only if care cannot be arranged (AB 495 text). A family that has its contacts and caregiver form in order is far more likely to keep a child with someone they know.

What can I do, and what should I leave to a lawyer?

Draw a clear line and say it out loud at the start.

You can:

• Host the room, welcome people and keep it private.
• Hand out free official forms and DNLH pages.
• Read the steps of a family plan aloud.
• Help a family and their caregiver read the Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit so they can fill in their own answers. The caregiver signs it, not you. Our suggestion: if a family asks what to write for their own situation, send that question to your legal partner.
• Share the local help list on this page.

Leave to a lawyer or DOJ accredited representative:

• Any question about a person's own immigration case, record or options.
• Whether someone should apply for anything.
• Custody and guardianship choices for a specific child.

USCIS says only an attorney or an accredited representative working for a Department of Justice recognized organization can give immigration legal advice. A notario público cannot. Check a lawyer on the State Bar of California attorney search. Check an accredited representative on the DOJ recognition and accreditation roster.

How do I plan it?

Give yourself about four weeks.

Four weeks out

• Book a free legal partner. Ask a nonprofit from the help list below. Ask if they can bring an attorney or accredited representative for questions after the talk.
• Pick a day and time families can come. Evenings or right after a service often work best.
• Plan child care in a separate room so parents can focus.
• Plan for language. Ask which languages your families speak and line up interpreters.

Two weeks out

• Print the caregiver form in English and Spanish, the family handout, and red cards.
• Announce it in plain words: "Free family planning night. Learn how to protect your children. No names or papers needed."
• Ask your pastor or principal to announce it in person, too.

Day of

• Set up tables so families can fill out forms with pens and clipboards.
• Put the help list and rapid response numbers on every table.
• Bring a quiet corner where the legal partner can talk with people one on one.

How do I keep families' information private?

Trust is the whole workshop. Protect it.

• No sign in sheet, or only first names and a phone number for follow up, kept by one person and shredded when done.
• Never ask anyone's immigration status. Not on paper, not out loud.
• No photos or video of people. Post pictures of the empty room or the table of handouts only.
• Don't collect copies of anyone's papers. Families keep their own forms.
• Remind families not to post about the workshop with names or faces.

Schools have their own rules too. Under California laws that took effect in 2025 and 2026, schools may not share student or family information with immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant, subpoena or court order, or a parent's written consent. School staff also may not let immigration officers into nonpublic areas without a valid judicial warrant, judicial subpoena or court order, unless another law requires it (California Attorney General). Teachers, your district has a policy on this. Ask for it before you plan your event.

Churches, know this: in January 2025, the federal government ended its old policy that limited immigration enforcement near places of worship and schools. Enforcement there is now decided case by case (ICE). Federal rules let officers enter private areas of a building only with a warrant or consent (8 CFR 287.8). Legal groups advise church staff not to let agents into nonpublic areas without a judge's warrant, and to call a lawyer. See Can ICE arrest me at a courthouse, hospital or church? Plan your event with that in mind, and keep the rapid response number handy.

What happens during the 90 minutes?

Here is a simple flow. Adjust the times to your group.

A short opening script you can read:

"Welcome. Tonight is about one thing: making sure your children are cared for by someone you trust, no matter what happens. We are not lawyers. We will not ask your name or your status. Our legal partner is here for private questions about your own case. Everything you write tonight goes home with you."

What are the five steps to teach?

These steps come straight from the family plan. Teach them in order.

1. Choose a caregiver. An adult your child knows and trusts, who could care for them for a few days or longer. Choose a backup too.
2. Fill out the Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit. The caregiver can then enroll your child in school and agree to school related medical care. If the caregiver is a relative, they can also agree to most other medical and dental care. Since January 1, 2026, "relative" includes more family than before. The form is free. No notary. No court.
3. Update school and child care emergency contacts. Put your caregiver on the list. Schools follow those contacts first.
4. Make a family folder. Copies of birth certificates, passports, medical information, the school's phone number, and the caregiver form. Keep originals safe.
5. Talk with your children. Tell them who will pick them up, in calm and simple words.

For legal custody, a parent may need a guardianship instead. Since January 1, 2026, California also allows a joint guardianship between a parent and someone they choose, for times a parent is temporarily unavailable, including because of immigration action (Probate Code 2105). That is a court process. New court forms for it were recommended for the Judicial Council's October 24, 2026 meeting and were not adopted as of October 21, 2026, so families should ask a legal partner or the court self help center how to ask for it today. Send families to a legal partner for it. The full family guide is at Make a family preparedness plan, and the form walkthrough is at How to fill out the California Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit.

How much about rights should I cover?

Keep it short, accurate and from the official card. Hand out red cards and let your legal partner explain them. Don't improvise legal answers. If your group wants more, plan a second night using How to teach your community their rights, Red cards and If immigration agents come.

End this part with the rapid response numbers. Ask everyone to save theirs in their phone before they leave.

What should families take home?

A one page handout. Print it double sided in English and Spanish.

What does it cost, and what do I need?

Very little. The forms, red cards and the Attorney General's family guides are free. Most costs are printing and snacks. A simple checklist:

• A room with tables, and a separate room for child care
• Printed caregiver forms (two pages each; English to sign, Spanish to read), handouts and red cards
• Pens and clipboards
• One interpreter for each main language
• A legal partner, booked early. Free legal groups get many requests, so give them four weeks.

What does a workshop night look like?

Example only. The church and families are made up.

A small church in San Mateo County books a free legal partner for a Thursday evening. Two volunteers run child care in the next room. Fourteen adults come. The host reads the opening script and says, "We are not lawyers. We will not ask your status." She walks through the five steps and holds up the caregiver form. The legal partner explains the red card and the county rapid response number. At table time, three caregivers sit with parents and fill in their own forms. Two parents ask about their own cases, and the host sends them to the legal partner's quiet corner. Everyone leaves with a handout and the number saved in their phone. Two weeks later, the host sends a text about the legal partner's next open hours.

What should I do after the workshop?

• Follow up in one or two weeks. A short announcement or text: "Did you finish your plan? Our legal partner has open hours on ___."
• Hold a second session for people who want help with guidance from a lawyer, such as guardianship or their own case.
• Keep supplies on hand. A small box of caregiver forms and red cards in the church office or school front office helps families who missed the night.
• Check the forms each year. The caregiver form was revised January 1, 2026. Always print the newest edition from the California Courts site.
• Care for yourself and your team. These nights can stir up fear and grief. Plan a debrief.

What mistakes should I avoid?

• Giving legal advice. Even kind guesses can hurt someone's case. Send case questions to the legal partner.
• Inviting a notario or "consultant" who is not an attorney or accredited representative. See Warning signs of an immigration scam.
• Collecting personal information you don't need.
• Using an old caregiver form. Print the January 1, 2026 edition.
• Promising outcomes. A plan helps. It does not guarantee what an agency or court will do.
• Making faith a condition. Welcome everyone. A prayer can be offered, never required.

Questions hosts ask

Do I need permission to hold this at a school? Yes, follow your school and district rules for events. Ask your principal early. Your district also has a policy on immigration enforcement that staff should know.

Can I charge a fee or take donations? Keep the workshop free. Families should never feel they paid for help with a free form.

What if someone tells me they are scared or in crisis? Listen. Connect them with your pastor, school counselor or the legal partner. If someone may be thinking about suicide or is in emotional crisis, they can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and confidential, 24/7. If someone is in danger, call 911. See Mental health care without fear.

Can we host more than one family plan night? Please do. Many families need to hear it twice.

Who can help?

These are free or low cost public offices and nonprofits that can partner with you or take referrals. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA): (650) 326-6440, 1861 Bay Road, East Palo Alto.
• Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, Redwood City: (650) 780-7530, office main line and citizenship workshop registration. Free first consultation: (650) 587-1558.
• Catholic Charities (San Mateo County): (650) 295-2160.
• Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, for San Mateo County residents: (650) 558-0915.
• San Mateo County Immigrant Legal Assistance and county list: Find legal assistance.
• Asian Law Alliance (Santa Clara County): (408) 287-9710.
• Other California counties: your county's rapid response line on the statewide list (CCIJ).
• Outside California: the DOJ list of free legal service providers, by state.
• Anywhere in California: the state's map of free immigration legal services, or call (916) 651-8017.
• 211: free help finding local services. See 211.

See also Free legal help in the Bay Area.

Is there a plan I can print?

Yes. Print this for your team.

Thank you for opening your doors. A room full of families making a plan is a room full of hope.