Preventing Child Sex Trafficking: Identifying the Risk Factors for Children and Youth in Child Welfare

Children and youth involved with the child welfare system due to abuse or neglect placed in foster care or group homes are at high risk of being victims of human trafficking, significantly increasing their vulnerability to teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, depression and suicidal ideation. Often, the lack of stability in their living situation, physical distance from friends and family, and emotional vulnerability put them at risk for traffickers who are actively seeking children and teens to exploit. The Child Sex Trafficking Victims Initiative (CSTVI) is one of nine projects funded by the Children’s Bureau to build internal capacity for addressing the issue of human trafficking within the child welfare population. The first step for CSTVI is screening and identifying youth at risk for sex trafficking. The current study is a secondary data analysis of Maryland’s child welfare system’s administrative data, specifically the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment. The CANS is a multipurpose tool used by many states to support care planning and level of care decision-making and to allow for the monitoring of outcomes of services for system-involved children and youth. CSTVI reviewed existing research on the use of CANS with trafficked youth and began identifying which indicators are most valuable in identifying this population.  Among these were exploitation experiences, childhood trauma and abuse, family dynamics, runaway history, and substance abuse.  CANS data for known trafficked and exploited youth were examined to provide data on how youth scored on certain indicators that could be used to identify youth at-risk for trafficking.  This presentation will discuss how these screening criteria were then piloted to establish thresholds for identification of youth at risk for sexual exploitation and trafficking.   These findings demonstrate how existing state administrative data can be used to identify those most at risk and develop interventions to prevent sex trafficking in this vulnerable population.  By knowing how to identify and respond to those most at risk, professionals can reduce the number of victims and help bring safety and healing to those traumatized by sex trafficking.