- December 2021/January 2022
- Vol. 22, No. 11
- Children's Bureau Express
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- Strategies and Tools for Practice
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- Continuing to Move Forward With Lessons From a National Convening on Trafficking and Child Welfare
Continuing to Move Forward With Lessons From a National Convening on Trafficking and Child Welfare
Written by the Capacity Building Center for States
Children and youth involved with child welfare—particularly those who run away from foster homes and congregate care facilities—are at increased risk of sex trafficking (Latzman & Gibbs, 2020). In 2015, responding to growing concern over this issue, the White House and the Children's Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services hosted the National Convening on Trafficking in Child Welfare. This event brought together trafficking survivors, program innovators, and leaders from child welfare, the courts, and law enforcement to advance collaborative solutions and plan for implementing the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (Capacity Building Center for States, 2015). The convening pointed to critical action steps, highlighted below, that are as relevant today in responding to sex trafficking as they were in 2015.
Collaborate Through Cross-System Partnerships
Preventing, identifying, and responding to sex trafficking requires a collaborative approach that leverages diverse expertise and coordinates efforts among the following:
- Child welfare agencies
- System partners (e.g., law enforcement, juvenile justice systems, family courts, health-care and mental health service agencies, housing services, schools)
- Local service providers (e.g., runaway and homeless shelters, local businesses, recreation services, community groups, victim advocates)
- Youth and young adults who have lived experience in child welfare and sex trafficking
- Caregivers
Since 2015, many jurisdictions have formed or strengthened multidisciplinary task forces and work groups that facilitate information sharing, make recommendations for coordinated responses, align policies and practices, or share protocols for identifying and serving trafficking victims (Gibbs et al., 2019).
To advance collaborative partnerships in your state or community, explore the following resources:
- Collaborating With Youth Serving Agencies to Respond to and Prevent Sex Trafficking of Youth (Capacity Building Center [CBC] for States brief)
- "Interagency Collaboration to Address Human Trafficking" (Child Welfare Information Gateway podcast episode)
Engage Survivors Meaningfully in Planning
As with all planning efforts, involving those most familiar with the problem leads to the most insightful solutions. Survivors of sex trafficking offer vital perspectives to the development of effective approaches for preventing and responding to sex trafficking for other youth involved with child welfare.
To hear powerful firsthand accounts and insights from survivors of sex trafficking, listen to "Child Welfare Response to Child and Youth Sex Trafficking, Part 3" (CBC for States digital stories; free registration required). To learn more on approaches for meaningful engagement, read Strategies for Authentic Integration of Family and Youth Voice in Child Welfare (CBC for States brief).
Use Data to Inform Planning
States and counties can better understand the needs and characteristics of youth who are vulnerable to sex trafficking by examining administrative data on youth who run away and are reported to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System and on sex trafficking cases reported to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. Jurisdictions can delve further by analyzing data collected across systems and by holding conversations to better understand the stories behind the numbers.
For more information on using data to inform responses, see the following resources:
- At Risk for Sex Trafficking: Youth Who Run Away From Foster Care (CBC for States brief)
- "At Risk for Sex Trafficking: Collecting, Using, and Sharing Data to Inform Prevention and Intervention Strategies" (Video recorded at the Child Welfare Virtual Expo; free registration required)
Ensure Trauma-Informed Responses
Screening, assessment, and services should be trauma informed and promote individualized and culturally appropriate care. Policies and practices that reflect understanding of the experiences of youth who have been exposed to trafficking and the impact of trauma can help support survivors in taking steps toward healing.
Use the following resources to help build capacity for identifying sex trafficking victims and delivering trauma-informed services:
- "Child Welfare Response to Child and Youth Sex Trafficking - Part 1" (CBC for States training curriculum; free registration required)
- "Child Welfare Response to Child and Youth Sex Trafficking - Part 2" (CBC for States training curriculum; free registration required)
- Identify Minors and Young People Exploited Through Sex Trafficking: A Resource for Child Welfare Agencies (CBC for States brief)
Learn and Borrow From Others
States and localities can learn from and build on what's already been done elsewhere. Find out more below:
- Join a peer group of child welfare professionals responsible for preventing and addressing sex trafficking in child welfare. (Contact capacityinfo@icfi.com to request membership.)
- Explore lessons learned from grants to address trafficking within the child welfare population.
- Read publications that feature examples from the field, such as Human Trafficking in Child Welfare: A Guide for Child Welfare Agencies (Child Welfare Information Gateway bulletin for professionals).
- Contact the CBC for States at capacityinfo@icfi.com to request information on state and program examples.
References
Capacity Building Center for States. (2015). Summary: National Convening on Child Welfare. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau. https://capacity.childwelfare.gov/states/resources/national-convening-trafficking/
Gibbs, D. A., Feinberg, R. K., Dolan, M., Latzman, N. E., Misra, S., & Domanico, R. (2019). Report to Congress: The child welfare system response to sex trafficking of children. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/report/report-congress-child-welfare-system-response-sex-trafficking-children
Latzman, N. E., & Gibbs, D. (2020). Examining the link: Foster care runaway episodes and human trafficking (OPRE Report No. 2020–143). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/examining-link-foster-care-runaway-episodes-and-human-trafficking
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