ABSTRACT
Much of the improvement in coordination has stemmed from statewide task forces or councils on migrant farm workers, usually established under the authority of the state governor. In Illinois, the statewide Inter-Agency Committee on Migrant Affairs meets six to eight times a year to set priorities, share analyses of farm labor trends, identify gaps in services, and undertake similar functions. Local networks are also encouraged to get together regularly during the peak migrant season. The consolidated outreach form has been refined over the years, so that the caseworker can go over each item carefully with the farm worker being interviewed, usually at his or her residence in the migrant camp. Migrants truly new to the system are often bewildered; after often arduous journeys and settling into modest temporary quarters, they are offered full-day child-care at no charge, summer school for their children, and health and legal services.
