Q&A
Tracking long-term outcomes and safety measures for trafficked youth
0:51:37
ยท
3 min
Council Member Stevens inquires about systems in place to track long-term outcomes for trafficked youth and safety measures for foster care children. ACS representatives discuss their tracking mechanisms and safety protocols.
- ACS has implemented a quarterly check-in system to monitor the progress of identified youth
- The agency acknowledges the need to refine their tracking and develop more comprehensive outcome measures
- For foster care safety, ACS works closely with foster care agencies to ensure proper background checks and certifications
- The agency has implemented additional screening questions and assessments for foster homes in response to past concerns
- Council Member Stevens emphasizes the need for more rigorous safety measures, based on feedback from foster youth
Althea Stevens
0:51:37
What metrics or systems are in place to track the evaluation and long term outcomes and well-being of youth?
0:51:44
Because, you know, especially folks who are older and and, you know, it's interesting because sometimes I feel like we have dualities here where, obviously, we often talk about, like, sex work is work and all those things, but a lot of times it starts out because they were sex trafficking when they were young.
0:51:59
And so how are we tracking, like, keeping people out of that and the success of the work and and things that you guys have in police?
Yusef Salaam
0:52:07
So I
Ina Mendez
0:52:07
think I I think we're gonna have to continue to refine that tracking and develop outcomes in how we measure.
0:52:13
We do have a system in place and I'll have Sabine talk about that, more generally.
Sabine Chery
0:52:19
We proactively, created a tracking mechanism about 3 years ago, where we quarterly check-in to see how young people are doing.
0:52:28
So we are listing all our young people that we have come across, whether it's through screening, the mailbox, etcetera.
0:52:35
And our team, the residential care permanency planning meeting, unit, as well as office of child trafficking prevention and policy, quarterly, we go back and we look to see what's happening with the young people and even talking with those young people if they're still reachable, if we're able to talk to them.
0:52:51
So we do the do that follow-up and then see what additional services are required, and then we work with the planning agency.
0:52:58
Because as you know, forced to cure agencies that we contract with provide direct service to our young people.
Althea Stevens
0:53:06
How does ACS ensure the safety of foster care children from potential trafficking risk posed by individuals residing in or entering foster homes, particularly those who are not required to undergo background checks?
Ina Mendez
0:53:20
So we work very closely with our foster care agencies to make sure that as they're recruiting foster parents, they're following all of the state regulations as it pertains to certifications.
0:53:30
We are aware of a very public case a few years back, where there were concerns that while, you know, someone connected to the home was, involved in sex trafficking.
0:53:41
We have not heard of any other cases to that magnitude since then at all.
0:53:46
So but we do provide a lot of training and information on how to, how to do foster parent recruitment and certification.
0:53:54
We've talked to as a response to that particular case, we did have conversations with providers to make sure as they're doing the home assessment and the self assessment, they're asking additional questions.
0:54:04
If someone says they're divorced, can I see the divorce decree?
0:54:07
Those type of things to make sure that people that are, you know, connected to the home are safe as well.
0:54:14
And then, you know, obviously, through regular on-site case home casework contacts, doing home visits, speaking to the youth, getting a sense of how the home adjustment is going to make sure children are, remaining safe.
Althea Stevens
0:54:27
Yeah.
0:54:27
This was one of the things that came up when I had the foster care youth roundtable where they were saying that this is something that needs to be ramped because they had experience where they either didn't feel safe or there was a risk of being sex trafficked.
0:54:42
So I think that we do need to, like, kind of dig deep here around this issue around, like, other people who are in the home, who are staying there, you know, temporarily and all the things because this was something that you did bring up as a red flag of, like, they feel like this isn't being taken serious.
0:54:56
And so I know there's only one case that was public, but sometimes when you talk to young people, it's not just one case.
0:55:03
It's that usually is the light that's being shined of other things that's going on and this is something they did bring up.
Ina Mendez
0:55:09
Thank you for sharing.
0:55:10
We'll definitely take that back.