IOFA Releases Building Child Welfare Response to Child Trafficking Handbook

The International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA) and the Center for the Human Rights of Children (CHRC)at Loyola University Chicago are excited to announce the publication of the Building Child Welfare Response to Child Trafficking Handbook. The handbook is a critical=piece of a project to mobilize child welfare agencies to address widespread and systemic gaps in efforts to combat the human rights abuses suffered by the thousands of children and youth throughout the United States who are trafficked for labor or sexual exploitation each year.

The handbook is the result of a project with our implementing partner, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS), to build capacity and enhance protections and services for child trafficking victims. The Illinois Safe Children Act, which was signed into law in 2010, gave IDCFS the dual responsibility of identifying and serving trafficking victims, but IDCFS lacked designated funding for training and capacity building around this issue. Public and private child welfare agencies around the country face similar challenges, as they are often on the front lines of working with possible trafficking victims, but do not always have the capacity and expertise to identify them. The Building Child Welfare Response to Child Trafficking Handbook is an important resource for child protection and child welfare agencies around the country that are seeking to increase their capacity and expertise in child trafficking.

Highlights of the handbook include:

• A clear explanation of the history and scope of the problem
• Screening tools for victim identification
• Case management tools and guidelines
• Information on legal protections for child trafficking victims
• A comprehensive guide to the resources available to trafficking victims
• Recommendations for integrating child trafficking best practices within public and private child welfare agencies

The Building Child Welfare Response to Child Trafficking Handbook is a critical piece of the effort by IOFA and CHRC to build agencies’ capacity to serve child trafficking victims.

We welcome your feedback on the handbook, and encourage you to contact us to learn more about how we can support your efforts to develop effective responses to child trafficking.

Please click here to download a copy of the handbook.