Putting the pieces back together: a group intervention for sexually exploited adolescent girls

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is an emerging problem affecting adolescents, families, and communities throughout the United States. Despite a growing awareness of the problem, information regarding treatment is limited. This paper describes a pilot group intervention created for use with DMST victims, focusing specifically on areas that were critical to the development and life of the group: 1) providing education about DMST, 2) reducing shame and addressing stigma, 3) mutual aid, and 4) managing strong emotions through the development of new coping skills. Process examples are given to illustrate this pilot intervention, and recommendations for research and practice are discussed

Victim or whore: The similarities and differences between victim’s experiences of domestic violence and sex trafficking

This research review addresses the similarities and differences between domestic violence and sex trafficking victimization. While there is evidence that domestic violence and sex trafficking often cooccur, there is a large disparity in the understanding and interventions utilized by law enforcement as well as the services available for victims of each crime despite the considerable overlap of victimization. This article explores current research regarding domestic violence and sex trafficking with a focus towards identifying areas of overlap and areas distinct to sex trafficking

[Review] Margaret Malloch and Paul Rigby, ed. (2016) Human trafficking: the complexities of exploitation

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Trauma informed evaluation report

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The Islington ‘doing what counts: measuring what matters'

The report evaluates the success of the project which aimed to improve outcomes for children and families that involved a statutory assessment of need in the London Borough of Islington

Piloting and evaluating the ‘See Me, Hear Me’ Framework for working with Child Sexual Exploitation

The ‘See Me, Hear Me’ (SMHM) Framework sets out a child-centred multi-agency approach for preventing the sexual exploitation of children, which focuses on identifying, protecting and supporting the victims, disrupting and stopping perpetrators, securing justice for victims, and obtaining convictions. Developed following a two-year Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Gangs and Groups by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) (Berelowitz, et al., 2013), the Framework was envisioned as a model of ‘end to end’ prevention and support which links strategic leadership and co-ordination with multi-agency safeguarding arrangements on the ground in order to confront the risk and impact of sexual exploitation of children. The OCC sought to test the efficacy of the framework for practice by commissioning a pilot implementation and evaluation project, which was awarded to the University of Sussex in 2014. The project had three primary aims: 1. To support the implementation of the ‘See Me, Hear Me’ Framework in each locality (a set of rights-based/relationship-focused principles for practice across the multi-agency system as a whole); 2. To evaluate the efficacy of the service model developed in the three sites and the impact it achieves for children; 3. To recommend ways in which the diffusion of this approach might be achieved effectively, across similar local authority areas and in respect of safeguarding practice in general. In this brief, summative report we will focus on describing key findings and areas of learning identified in conducting the evaluation for this pilot project. We will discuss the contrasting approaches to multi-agency practice developed across the pilot sites to put the integration of children’s right to both a voice and to protection at the heart of the child protection process, and consider the implications of findings on the process of piloting the SMHM framework for current policy and practice development in child protection relevant to CSE and other vulnerabilities. These key findings may be briefly summarised as: 1. A core challenge in addressing CSE in a multi-agency context is the need to hold the tension between children’s right to safety and protection, and their right to participate in making decisions that affect them. Professionals felt able to hold this tension and effectively balance children’s rights to both protection and participation when they prioritized transparent, strengths and relationship-based practice, partnered effectively with parents and other agencies, and were provided with both time and space to do the work. 2. Practice systems can be effectively built around the child-centred SMHM principles; they are useful and practical for diverse professionals, and may provide consistency and unity in multi-agency work. Local practice systems can differ and still effectively apply SMHM principles, as no ideal practice system configuration emerged in this study. Instead, having the freedom to determine how a local practice system best meets the needs of children at risk of CSE enables the system to work more effectively, if careful attention is first given to the facilitating and constraining conditions present in the system

Building trust with children and young people at risk of child sexual exploitation: the professional challenge

Research with children and young people at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE) has highlighted that professionals need to engage children in relationships of trust if they are to be most successful in enabling children to explore and address risky behaviours, situations and relationships. More needs to be understood about professional approaches to building such trusting relationships, particularly when children feel (often with good cause) that professionals are not always able to balance their need for protection and guidance with their right to a voice and to make agentic choices about their own lives. This paper draws on interim findings from a two-year realist evaluation study funded by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner in England into the implementation and evaluation of a new child-centred framework for working with CSE , ‘See Me, Hear Me’, within three pilot local authority sites in different regions of England. A survey and qualitative interviews reveal how professionals from a range of disciplines draw on their knowledge, skills, personal qualities and values to develop trust. Key themes for effective practice were relationship-based practice, an ethically grounded approach, child-centred, and being skilled and knowledgeable in relation to working with CSE

Resiliency and women exiting sex trade industry work

Summary: A qualitative approach was used to explore the experience of exiting sex trade industry work from the perspective of 19 adults formerly involved in the sex trade industry. A narrative approach to data collection was used explore the participants’ experiences of successful exiting and phenomenological analysis was employed to identify themes that reflected the ways in which participants developed resiliency throughout the exiting process. Findings: Themes include: connection (including subthemes: survivor presence, children, and spirituality), resources (including subthemes: networks, structure and safety) and personal growth. Significance: These themes represent women with diverse experiences in the sex trade industry, including a majority who were victimized by (internal) sex trafficking. The findings demonstrate opportunities for social work practice to address the diverse needs of individuals exiting the sex trade industry, specifically for those who experienced sex trafficking and sexual exploitation