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Training initiatives for staff and provider organizations to identify sex trafficking
0:38:46
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Council Member Stevens inquires about training provided to staff and organizations to help them identify signs of sex trafficking. ACS and DYCD representatives outline their training programs and approaches.
- ACS hosted 87 different trainings in 2024, with over 12,000 seats attended
- Trainings cover topics such as child trafficking indicators, red flags, and screening processes
- DYCD requires provider organizations to participate in trainings from various sources, including ACS and OCFS
- Both agencies emphasize the importance of recognizing subtle signs of trafficking, as victims may not self-identify
Althea Stevens
0:40:10
And what are some of those services look like?
0:40:54
you.
0:40:55
I I am and the I guess the same question to DYCD.
0:40:58
How are you, preparing staff to recognize, when there's trauma going on?
0:41:47
And so do do, ACS and DYCD, do you do joint training especially with, like, the homeless runaway youth staff and things like that because it's it's so connected especially around sex trafficking?
0:41:56
I know you said some of them go, but is is there times where there's cross collaboration, like, which is, like, more mandatory and not?
Ina Mendez
0:38:46
So thank you for that question.
0:38:47
The Office of Child Trafficking Prevention and Policy in 2024 hosted 87 different trainings for over 12,000 seats attended seats.
0:38:57
So sometimes people may go more than once, but those trainings talk about what is child trafficking, what are the red flags, how best to screen follow-up services.
0:39:09
We also have an eLearn and a training on the screening itself.
0:39:13
So the screening is mandatory, is expected to be done at the beginning of a case, every 6 months, and if the child is absent without consent.
0:39:21
And in that training, it talks about the red flags.
0:39:23
It talks about how, to uncover.
0:39:26
You're absolutely right.
0:39:27
Children are not or a young person is not necessarily gonna say they're being trafficked or even know they're being trafficked.
0:39:32
But based on the training and the information that the attendees get, they're more knowledgeable, and then they can pick up on those red flags.
0:39:39
And once a child if there's an indicator, there's an additional I won't bore you with all the details, but there's another training.
0:39:45
But from there, they can get information on appropriate services, how best to respond to those needs, and then we provide follow-up and tracking afterwards to make sure those services are being provided and just to kinda see how the child is doing.
0:39:58
So it's they could be traffic, which is the federal indicator, which means they have been trafficked, or we track people at risk.
0:40:05
Mhmm.
0:40:05
So that means maybe they weren't trafficked, they maybe haven't disclosed, but we continue to provide services and support.
0:40:12
So I'll have my associate commissioner speak about those.
0:40:54
Okay.
0:40:54
Thank
Dr. Amy Wilkerson
0:41:04
Our our provider organizations are expected to participate in trainings that help them to identify and support, youth that have been exposed or victims of trafficking.
0:41:18
And those trainings can be received from a variety of places.
0:41:20
Some of the trainings that they receive are through ACS as well as through OCFS.
0:41:25
Other providers may select, trainings through entities that are more, congruent to their organization's culture.
0:41:34
K.
0:41:34
But it's it's all the same identifying, supporting, working with youth, connecting them to resources and referrals is the, the foundation of the trainings that they receive.
0:42:03
Well, ACS offers the trainings widely and our staff are able to participate in them.
0:42:08
I wouldn't call it a a joint training, but ACS provides the trainings and they're able to participate.
Sabine Chery
0:40:16
Hello.
0:40:17
So some of those services are we have mitigating trauma through drama.
0:40:20
We do group work with our young people.
0:40:22
We have our licensed social workers also do those groups where we have the evidence based models.
0:40:28
We have another unit called the residential care permanency planning, meaning that does 1 on 1 engagement with some of the young people that we flag or have disclosed.
0:40:36
So we continue to do those engagements because we know, at first, they're not going to disclose.
0:40:41
So we have to build that trust.
0:40:43
So we have a team of lived experience staff that work at ACS that actually are working with some of our young people in these, settings as well.
0:40:51
So it's ongoing services as we identify them.