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As part of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has released new resources to help state agencies and community providers strengthen the child welfare response to human trafficking. The resources will equip diverse health and human service professionals, including child welfare workers, with tools to effectively prevent and respond to children and youth at risk for, currently experiencing, or who have experienced human trafficking, particularly those connected to the child welfare system, in foster care, and who have run away or are missing from care.
The Responding to Human Trafficking Through the Child Welfare System training is a new online module delivered through the ACF Office on Trafficking in Persons’ (OTIP) National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center. This free, accredited, and on-demand training prepares child welfare professionals and related providers to appropriately serve children, youth, and families who may be connected to child welfare systems and is responsive to priority actions outlined in the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.
The training is accompanied by an information memorandum (IM) that elevates resources available to assist states in meeting legal requirements intended to protect children and youth from negative outcomes associated with human trafficking. The IM, published jointly by the Administration on Children, Youth and Families; Children’s Bureau; Family and Youth Services Bureau; and OTIP, will help child welfare agencies develop client-centered, trauma-informed screening and reporting protocols to ensure children and youth who have experienced or at increased risk of human trafficking, particularly those returning to foster care after going missing, are appropriately screened and connected to supportive and culturally competent services.
“It takes all of us working across systems to end human trafficking. We know that children connected to the child welfare system are at a heightened risk of being trafficked so it’s important to fortify our lines of defense,” said ACF Assistant Secretary January Contreras. “Our actions here further ACF’s commitment to strengthen the health and well-being of children and youth by equipping frontline child welfare professionals with more tools to address the complex and unique needs of those at high risk for or who have experienced human trafficking.”
Children and youth connected with the child welfare system are more at risk for human trafficking because of their potentially unstable living situations, disrupted support networks, prior abuse and neglect, and emotional vulnerability. A recent study analyzed administrative data on nearly 37,000 youth aged 10 or older with at least one foster care placement in Florida between 2011 and 2017. This study found approximately 7% of youth had a human trafficking allegation during a runaway episode. This study underlines how child welfare systems and other professionals working with children and youth play a crucial role in addressing human trafficking concerns among those in their care.
“States across the country have already taken steps to build prevention and protection measures to address human trafficking among children and youth, including by responding to recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children & Youth in the United States,” said Katherine Chon, Director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons. “These resources will help states strengthen local efforts and enhance services to promote the safety and well-being of children and youth.”
Human trafficking is a crime and public health issue that impacts individuals, families, and communities across generations. During and after National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, ACF encourages everyone to use these resources to actively plan and partner together to address human trafficking among children and youth. For additional resources, visit https://acf.hhs.gov/otip.
If you are aware of a child missing from care, please contact NCMEC at https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/missingfromcare.
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