STATE OF FLORIDA

Human Trafficking
2016

Response in Florida

Services and Resources Committee

A committee of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking

2016 Report to the Council

 Contents
4 INTRODUCTION
5 SCOPE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN FLORIDA
6 National Human Trafficking Resource Center Data
7 Limitations in Capturing Human Trafficking Data in Florida
8 Florida Abuse Hotline Data
9 Victims with DCF Involvement
12 Victims in the Juvenile Justice System

16 FUNDING FOR HUMAN

TRAFFICKING IN FLORIDA
17 Agency Funding
20 Provider Specific Appropriations

23 FLORIDAS IDEAL SYSTEM

24 Statewide Coordinated Care
27 Multidisciplinary Response
30 Specialized Victim Advocates
31 Risk Reduction and Prevention Education
34 Drop-In Centers
37 Reception Centers and Emergency Placement Options
 38 Variety of Residential Placement Options
48 Screening and Assessment
50 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
51 Survivor-Mentor
52 Services for LGBTQ and Male Survivors
55 Modified Existing Shelters
56 Staff Self-Care Programs
56 Medical Services
57 Services for Children with Disabilities
58 Legal Services
59 Accommodations for Survivors with Children
59 Stringent Service Delivery Standards
61 Data Collection and Sharing
63 Evaluate the Impact of Interventions
63 Training
66 Comprehensive Resource Guide
67 Public Awareness Campaign
68 Demand Reduction

70 WRAPPING IT UP
71 NEXT STEPS FOR FLORIDA
71 FY 2016-2017
73 Implementation Plan
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

INTRODUCTION
In 2014, the Florida Legislature created the Statewide Human Trafficking
Council.1 Upon commencement of the Council in October 2014, the Services
and Resources Committee was developed to address the specific response
mechanisms available in Florida for victims of sex trafficking. Committee
members include:2
Chair Mike Carroll, Secretary, Department of Children and Families
(DCF)
Co-Chair Christy Daly, Secretary, Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)
Elizabeth Dudek, Secretary, Agency for Health Care Administration
(AHCA)
Pam Stewart, Commissioner, Department of Education (DOE)
Dr. Celeste Philip, State Surgeon General and Secretary, Department of
Health (DOH)
This report will address the prevalence of sex trafficking in Florida. It will
identify the existing continuum of care for survivors of sex trafficking in Florida,
addressing both strengths of the system and gaps in services requiring response.
It will also provide information on specific funding streams in addressing the
placement and service needs of sex trafficking victims, as well as details on
how monies have been spent over the last several years. Finally, this report will
provide concrete recommendations to the statutorily created Statewide Human
Trafficking Council for next steps to improve the continuum of care available to
victims and survivors of sex trafficking in Florida.

Both the terms victim and survivor are used throughout this report. While
the Committee recognizes that survivors of human trafficking are survivors at
every point of their exploitation on through to recovery, the terms are used
interchangeably throughout the report, often distinguishing those who have
been identified and have initiated services versus those who have not yet been
identified.

Additionally, the intention of this report is to address the continuum for both
minors and adults. As a result, both the terms Commercial Sexual Exploitation
of Children (CSEC) and Sex Trafficking are used throughout the report to
refer to the offense of sex trafficking; CSEC is only used when referring to a
system, program or sub-population of survivors that involves only those under 18
years of age.

1 House Bill 7141 created s. 16.617, Florida Statutes

2 Id.

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 2016 Report to the Council

SCOPE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

IN FLORIDA
Establishing prevalence is a critical component in the conversation of human
trafficking. Prevalence drives all aspects of response from funding to policy,
resources, direct service needs and breadth of the continuum of care. Currently
there is no recognized methodology for capturing human trafficking rates
within the U.S. As Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), Human Smuggling and
Trafficking Center (HSTC) Acting Section Chief Ramona Carey has noted, the
complexity in capturing prevalence has many factors.3 There is no consistent
pattern in how statistics are collected nationally. Data sets do not match state
to state. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) do not have commonality
regarding how data is captured, nor do the specific data components,
minimizing the ability to collect and aggregate data. Prosecutorial entities and
law enforcement agencies reporting on human trafficking cases also lack data
consistency nationally.4 The HSTC is funding research at several universities to
explore the development of a methodology, but the issue is so complex that each
step in the development process is just one small piece
of the larger analytical piece.5 Ms. Carey feels it will be
The International Labour
years before a realistic methodology is developed. As of
Organization estimates that
today, there is no recognized methodology for capturing
there are 20.9 million victims
accurate human trafficking rates within the U.S.
of human trafficking in the
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates world.
that there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking in
the world. They believe that the global human trafficking
market is a $150 billion a year industry.6 There are no national estimates on the
number of human trafficking victims, but Polaris, an international anti-slavery
organization based in Washington, D.C., does suggest that victims might reach
into the hundreds of thousands nationally based on aggregated numbers of adult
and minor victims of sex and labor trafficking.7

3 Oral presentation at the 2015 Southern Region Fusion Center Conference by Homeland
Security Investigation (HSI), Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center (HSTC) Acting
Section Chief Ramona Carey, February 15, 2016, Montgomery, Al.
4 d.
5 Oral presentation at the 2015 Southern Region Fusion Center Conference by Homeland
Security Investigation (HSI), Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center (HSTC) Acting
Section Chief Ramona Carey, February 15, 2016, Montgomery, Al.
6 Polaris 2015 Hotline Statistics. More information at https://polarisproject.org/
resources/2015-hotline-statistics/.
7 Polaris 2015 Hotline Statistics. More information at https://polarisproject.org/
resources/2015-hotline-statistics/.

5
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

National Human Trafficking Resource Center Data8

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC), run by Polaris,
operates a 24-hour national hotline that receives tips, provides service referrals,
and offers technical assistance pertaining to all forms of human trafficking. This
includes the commercial sexual exploitation of both children and adults, the labor
trafficking of children and adults, and domestic servitude. DCF and DJJ regularly
analyze NHTRC trends regarding all forms of trafficking
as it is critical to their missions to protect Floridas
DCF and DJJ regularly analyze vulnerable children. The discussion of this data here is
NHTRC trends regarding all intended to provide an overview of the prevalence of sex
forms of trafficking as it is trafficking, among all forms of human trafficking, in Florida.
critical to their missions to The NHTRC has collected data from the hotline since
protect Floridas vulnerable December of 2007. The following data was gathered from
children. calls placed to the hotline between December 7, 2007,
and December 31, 2015.

During this period, Florida residents placed 6,819 calls to the National Human
Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) Hotline. This represents the third
highest call volume in the United States. Of these calls, 1,510 (22 percent)
were classified by the NHTRC to have moderate or high potential of being a
legitimate report of human trafficking. Florida data collected between 2013 and
2015 show 1,136 reports, with 367 (32 percent) involving minor victims. Within
this population, 83.6 percent were female and 16.4 percent were male. They did
note that these findings are not cumulative and not all victims identify gender.
Of the 1,136 potential cases reported to the NHTRC from 2013 to 2015, 802
(71 percent) were classified as sex trafficking, 207 (18 percent) were classified
as labor trafficking, 44 (4 percent) were classified as both, and 83 (7 percent)
were not specified. The reports of trafficking spanned from Pensacola to the Keys.
From 2013 2015, there was a shift in the form of sex trafficking reported
to the NHTRC. In 2013, the most common venue for sex trafficking was the
commercial-front brothel. In 2014, this shifted to the Online ad, venue unknown
category with the most reported cases. This again changed in 2015, with the
hotel/motel based sex trafficking as the most reported venue.9

8 All data in this section were collected from the National Human Trafficking Resource
Center Data Breakdown: Florida State Report 12/07/2013 12/31/2015. More information
on the NHTRC is available at http://traffickingresourcecenter.org/.
9 National Human Trafficking Resource Center. More information can be obtained at
traffickingresourcecenter.org.

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 2016 Report to the Council

Limitations in Capturing Human Trafficking Data in Florida10

There are some major limitations in regards to collecting and analyzing human
trafficking statistics in the State of Florida, especially with regard to adult victims.
Using tips and calls to hotlines as a proxy for human
trafficking prevalence may not correlate to the actual The only way to truly know
number of human trafficking cases. Better campaigns on the prevalence of human
awareness of human trafficking will translate to more trafficking within the state
phone calls regarding possible cases of human trafficking, is by a standardized data
not necessarily a higher prevalence of human trafficking collection method, which does
cases itself. The only way to truly know the prevalence not currently exist.
of human trafficking within the state is by a standardized
data collection method, which does not currently exist.

Second, open source and news outlets may initially identify the crime as a human
trafficking case, but once the criminal justice process begins, there may not
be enough evidence to charge, prosecute, or convict the individual of human
trafficking. Outcomes have varied from dismissed, dropped, adjudication withheld,
and other charges being issued by the prosecution in lieu of human trafficking
such as kidnapping, procure for prostitution, and exploitation of a minor.

The Miami-Dade (Circuit 11) State Attorneys Office has made some promising
efforts in collecting data on human trafficking cases. They have formed a
specialized unit including detectives, victim advocates and prosecutors that
focus specifically on human trafficking cases. Each case referred to this unit (and
determined to likely be human trafficking) is tracked from initiation through
conviction by recording all pertinent information in a spreadsheet. Regardless
of what the defendant is ultimately convicted of or pleads to, these cases are
counted as human trafficking cases for the purposes of data collection in an
effort to obtain a more accurate count of human trafficking cases while using a
spreadsheet is labor intensive, this is a promising practice for obtaining a more
accurate count of perpetrators of human trafficking.11

Lastly, in regard to arrest records, the State of Florida has specific statutes for
human trafficking, but no offense code. This means that we can only observe
those individuals that who successfully been charged with human trafficking
under statute 787.06. If the offender committed human trafficking but no victim
would testify against them, it is possible the offender would be charged with a
different crime or no crime at all. An offense code for human trafficking would

10 All information within this section was provided by Criminal Intelligence Analyst, Florida
Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)
11 All information within this section was provided via phone on 3/30/2016 by Sandra
Lawrence, Circuit 11 State Attorneys Office

7
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

create a location in which law enforcement could categorize what type of crime
had occurred, regardless of whether it was charged under statute 787.06.12

Florida Abuse Hotline Data

All reports alleging the human trafficking of children should go through the
Florida Abuse Hotline. The hotline has coded reports of suspected human
trafficking since May 2009. The hotline accepts calls related to minor victims only.
Initially, all reports to the hotline were coded human trafficking, regardless of
whether they were reports of CSEC, labor trafficking, or domestic servitude.
Over the past few years, DCF has adjusted human trafficking maltreatment
coding in response to what they have learned through data and case analysis.13

From January 2013 through June 2015 reports to the hotline were coded
as labor trafficking or CSEC-non caregiver. In addition to those two
maltreatment codes, the hotline continued to have the ability to code for
human trafficking as a general maltreatment indicating the allegation of human
trafficking, but without a determination of type. Any allegation of CSEC in which
the alleged perpetrator was believed to be a parent of caregiver was coded as
sexual exploitation. The sexual exploitation maltreatment included abuse or
neglect components outside of the human trafficking allegation. Therefore, there
was no ability to pull clean numbers from the sexual exploitation maltreatment
code.14

In an attempt to gain better data on the prevalence of

Since July 2015, there are only
human trafficking, DCF again amended its maltreatment
two maltreatments which
coding. Since July 2015, there are only two maltreatments
may be utilized for a human
which may be utilized for a human trafficking allegation:
trafficking allegation: labor and
labor and CSEC. CSEC maltreatment may be an
CSEC.
in-home report, indicating a parent or a caregiver
as the alleged perpetrator; it may be an other
report, indicating a non-caregiver as the alleged perpetrator; or it may be an
institutional report, indicating the alleged perpetrator is an institution.15

A June 2015 report from the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
Accountability (OPPAGA) highlighted the difficulties with measuring CSEC rates,
specifically noting that often the only CSEC cases that can be measured are those
in which the victim has come into contact with a formalized system, such as

12 All information within this section was provided by Criminal Intelligence Analyst, Florida
Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
13 All information was provided 2/24/2016 by Kimberly Grabert, Statewide Human Trafficking
Prevention Director for the Florida Department of Children and Families.
14 Id.
15 Id.

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 2016 Report to the Council

DCF or DJJ.16 The low self-disclosure rate of victims equally hampers efforts to
identify and serve victims.17 OPPAGA reported that an analysis of maltreatment
coding found the hotline accepted 826 reports on sex trafficking between July
2013 and December 2014.18 Of those 826 investigations, DCF verified CSEC
for 170 victims, with 40 percent of the reports with a CSEC maltreatment
originating in three counties: Broward (16 percent), Miami-Dade (15 percent)
and Orange (10 percent), and 21 percent of the reports were verified for CSEC
with 10 youth verified for
CSEC in more than one
investigation. Fifty-five
percent of the identified
victims in the verified
cases located in Broward,
Miami-Dade, and Orange
counties. Of these verified
victims, demographical
information indicated 95
percent of the youth were
female, 72 percent were
age 15 or older, 55 percent
were African-American,
and 56 percent were living
with a biological parent or
adoptive parent when the
report was received.19

Victims with DCF Involvement20

Risk Pool
The information that is used to identify a potential CSEC victim in DCF care
includes all children (under the age of 18) in out-of-home care or in a living
arrangement who meet one of the following criteria: a) have eight (8) or more
runaway episodes in the past year; b) have ever had a runaway episode with
16 Office or Program and Policy Analysis & Government Accountability report, State and
Local Agencies Are in Initial Stages of Addressing Needs of Child Victims of Commercial
Sexual Exploitation, Report No. 15-06, June 2015.
17 JAC Human Trafficking Pilot Briefing Report, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice,
January 23, 2014.
18 Office or Program and Policy Analysis & Government Accountability report, State and
Local Agencies Are in Initial Stages of Addressing Needs of Child Victims of Commercial
Sexual Exploitation, Report No. 15-06, June 2015.
19 Id.
20 All data in this section was provided in November 2014 by Kimberly Grabert, Statewide
Director for Human Trafficking Prevention at the Florida Department of Children and
Families.

9
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

possible involvement in prostitution; c) have ever had a verified allegation of

human trafficking (sex trafficking); d) have ever had a verified allegation of sexual
abuse; and/or, e) have ever had a verified finding of sexual exploitation. This count
fluctuates from day to day. The numbers used in this report are based on data
from February 23, 2016. On that particular day, 814 children met the criteria
detailed above. By region, the Suncoast had 185 youth (23 percent), Southeast
had 171 youth (21 percent), Central had 164 youth (20 percent), Southern
had 117 youth (14 percent), Northwest had 110 youth (14 percent), and the
Northeast had 63 youth (8 percent) of the total risk pool. 21

From that risk pool, 214 children were able to be verified as CSEC victims based
only on the components of a) have ever had a runaway episode with possible
involvement in prostitution; b) have ever had a verified allegation of human
trafficking (CSEC). 22

RTI International has initiated a research project with

The goal of this analysis is to
DCF entitled, Addressing the Underreporting of Minor
better understand the number
Victims of Sex Trafficking. This study results from
and characteristics of victims
a Department of Justice grant, National Institute of
of human trafficking among
Justice Grant 2012-IJ-CX-0025. The study will run for a
children served by DCF.
12-month period, concluding December 2016. The study
will review children for whom allegations of a human
trafficking and/or child maltreatment were made between January 1, 2011, and
June 30, 2015. The goal of this analysis is to better understand the number and
characteristics of victims of human trafficking among children served by DCF
and to estimate the extent of unidentified trafficking within this population. RTI
analysts will use administrative data to describe the number and characteristics
of victims of sex and labor trafficking identified from new allegations and among
current DCF youth. RTI will then use statistical models to assess: the potential
for underreporting of trafficking within DCF, based on risk profiles of those
identified as trafficked; distinctions between subpopulations of trafficked children
(e.g., those exploited by caregivers or other adults); the relationships between
county- or region-level factors and the number and characteristics of trafficked
minors identified. Factors may include economic, demographic and social
characteristics, or system characteristics such as investigational processes and
service availability.23

21 Florida DCF Report, Human Trafficking Risk Pool Listing Report #1010, dated February
24, 2016
22 Id.
23 RTI International memo, Proposed Project Summary Format for Internal DCF Review,
Titled Addressing the Underreporting of Minor Victim Sex Trafficking.

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 2016 Report to the Council

Findings from this study can support policy and practice to improve identification
of minor trafficking victims. Additionally, better information about the extent
of minor victims of trafficking will support advocacy for resources needed to
provide needed services.

Missing Youth (under 18 years old)

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) estimates
that in 2014, 1 out of 6 of the reported endangered children were likely victims
of sex trafficking.24 In 2015, this number increased to 1 out of 5.25 More than 70
percent of the reported endangered children were in the care of social services
or foster care at the time they were reported missing.26 These statistics require
some clarification. NCMEC identifies all missing children as endangered, this is
not a specialized criterion. NCMEC does not receive reports on every child
and teenager who runs away so this figure only reflects runaways who are
reported to NCMEC by a parent, legal guardian, or law enforcement. NCMEC
prefers that the statistics not be taken as a prevalence indicator, but rather
a trend. Also, although NCMEC uses the phrase likely a child sex trafficking
victim, they have very high internal criteria for identifying a case as child sex
trafficking; therefore, these are not youth at risk but rather there has been
some form of confirmation of commercial sexual exploitation. Although these
cases of child sex traffickingare confirmed, NCMEC utilizes the word likely to
provide some room for the possibility that information
could evolve in the case after NCMECs involvement ends
Florida is the only state that
that would negate this label. NCMEC doesnt have any
has an automatic feed to
documented cases of a child being identified as a victim
NCMEC on missing children.
of trafficking and that identification later changing. While
It is one of few that even has
the enactment of Public Law No. 113-183, Preventing
a state law that requires child
Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act, and its
welfare to report to NCMEC.
requirements are drastically changing the volume of
reporting coming into NCMEC from child welfare, Florida
is the only state that has an automatic feed to NCMEC on missing children. It
is one of few that even has a state law that requires child welfare to report to
NCMEC. So, while the majority of NCMEC CSEC victims have been identified
as missing from care, when NCMEC looks at who is reporting runaways to
NCMEC, child welfare makes up one of the lowest numbers of runaway reports,
again with Florida being the exception.27

24 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. More information at http://www.
missingkids.org/1in5
25 Id.
26 Id.
27 Email from Melissa Snow, Program Specialist, Child Sex Trafficking, NCMEC dated February
25, 2016

11
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Since 2003, the DCF has been reporting children who go missing from the care
and supervision of the state to local and state law enforcement. Currently, DCF
rules and policies require that a youth whose whereabouts are unknown be
reported as missing with local law enforcement no later than four hours from
when it is learned that the youth is thought to be missing.28 All missing child
episodes must be entered into the Florida Statewide Automated Child Welfare
Information System no later than one working day from when when it has been
learned by the service provider that a youth is/was considered to be missing.29

All active missing child episodes within FSFN are reviewed each workday against
the Florida Crime Information Center/National Crime Information Center
(FCIC/NCIC) to ensure that the youth are still classified as missing with local law
enforcement. All validated active missing child episodes with an associated active/
removed missing child entry in FCIC/NCIC have their missing child opening and
recovery information electronically transferred to the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement/Missing and Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse (FDLE/
MEPIC) for case opening/closing with state law enforcement and posting/removal
from the FDLE/MEPIC website. FDLE/MEPIC then electronically transmits all
of this case opening and case closing information to the National Center for
Missing and Endangered Children (NCMEC) each workday.30 For the 2014-2015
state fiscal year (SFY), 9,136 Missing Child Reports were entered into FSFN, and
5,241 of those (57 percent) were resolved within one day from the date that the
youth went missing, 6,223 (68 percent) were resolved within two days, and 6,859
or 75 percent were resolved within three days from the date that the minor
went missing. The majority of these entries were generated by youth between
the ages of 15-17, and 21 percent were generated by youth between the ages of
12-14. A youth with eight or more missing child entries during SFY 2014-2015
numbered 315, the same number that accounted for 5,178 of the 9,136 entries
(57 percent).31

Victims in the Juvenile Justice System32

Through a data sharing agreement with DCF, DJJ is able to cross-reference
delinquency information with information on cases called into the Florida Abuse
Hotline for human trafficking. The following information is based on human
trafficking reports made between May 2009 and December 2015. During that
28 Chapter 65C-30.019, Florida Administrative Code, Missing Children: for more information
go to https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=65C-30.019
29 Chapter 65C-30.019, Florida Administrative Code, Missing Children: for more information
go to https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=65C-30.019
30 Id.
31 Florida DCF Memo No. PL 113-185 Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families
Act Implementation. July 15, 2015
32 All data in this section was gathered from Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and
Department of Children and Families data analysts. Internal communications, March 2016.

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 2016 Report to the Council

Human Trafficking - Crossover Youth Dashboard

time period, human trafficking (7/1/2009 - 3/31/2015)
reports were called into the Florida
Abuse Hotline for 3,524 different
youth. Of those 3,524 victims,
1,999 (56.7 percent) had some
level of DJJ involvement. Of all of
the cases coded as CSEC, 63.3
percent had DJJ involvement. Of
the 1,999 victims in the juvenile
justice system, 224 (11.3 percent)
were male. It is interesting to note
that only 111 (5.6 percent) were
arrested for an offense that would
be considered prostitution-related.
While there are 16 different
offenses in total that fall under
this category, 88 (79 percent) of
the arrests were for the following
four offenses: Prostitution/Offer
to Commit/Engage (1st and 2nd
offenses), Sex Offense/Engage/Commit to
Offer Lewdness, Procure for Prostitution/
Offer/Agree to Secure for Lewd Act and
Procure for Prostitution/Solicit Another
for Lewdness. Pursuant to House Bill 545,
which was signed into law in March 2016,
youth under the age of 18 can no longer be
arrested for prostitution or related offenses,
including lewdness and assignation under
section 796.07, F.S.33

33 Florida House Bill 545, effective October 1, 2016

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

The most commonly charged offenses for this population were felony aggravated
battery, misdemeanor battery and petit theft. This differs from the general
delinquency pool in that misdemeanor battery, burglary and petit theft are the
most common offenses; felony aggravated battery falls outside of the most
common offenses for all DJJ-involved youth. As of January 2016, 166 verified
victims of human trafficking (as determined by DCF investigation) were currently
under some form of DJJ supervision: 78 (47 percent) were on probation, eight (5
percent) were diverted,19 (17 percent) were committed to a residential program
or on residential aftercare, five (3 percent) were placed in adult jail, and 46 (28
percent) were still in the intake process (pre-disposition). Of these 166 youth,
32 (19 percent) were verified victims under the Human Trafficking maltreatment
type, 115 (69 percent) under the Human Trafficking-CSEC maltreatment type
and 19 (11 percent) under the Human Trafficking- Labor maltreatment type.
Of those 166 youth, 142 (86 percent) of the victims were female and 24 (14
percent) were male.

Pursuant to House Bill 7141,34 in Spring 2015 DJJ began implementing a newly
created screening tool, Floridas Human Trafficking Screening Tool, targeting the
identification of both male and female victims of sex and labor trafficking. This
instrument is comprised of primarily forced response questions as opposed to
open-ended questions and can be utilized by non-clinical staff for the purpose
of determining whether a youth is a victim of sex and/or labor trafficking. The
Human Trafficking Screening Tool is currently being utilized throughout the state
in all of the DJJ juvenile assessment and intake centers on youth with certain risk
factors.

In the first full year of implementation (March 2015-March 2016), a total of

3,500 screenings were completed on nearly 2,500 youth.Youth may be screened
more than once to obtain further information on potential exploitation, and
1,289 (37 percent) screens resulted in calls to the Florida Abuse Hotline, with
an acceptance rate for these calls of 52 percent. Calls have been accepted for a
total of 576 unique youth. For the calls placed to the Florida Abuse Hotline, the
acceptance rate for males was 41 percent and the acceptance rate for females
was 60 percent. The top five counties that generated the greatest number of
youth with an accepted call were: Broward (69), Miami-Dade (44), Duval (41),
Pinellas (40) and Hillsborough (30).35

DJJs Office of Research and Data Integrity is in the process of conducting

validation studies on the instrument; however, significantly more data will need to

34 Florida House Bill 7141, effective July 1, 2014

35 All data in this section was gathered from Florida Department of Juvenile Justices Data
Analysts and provided by Bethany Gilot, Human Trafficking Director, DJJ in March 2016

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 2016 Report to the Council

be collected in order to conduct a defensible study utilizing generally accepted

validation methods. DCF and DJJ staff have done presentations on Floridas
Human Trafficking Screening Tool at multiple state and national conferences. As
many as 18 states have personally requested a copy of the HTST for further
review and some, such as Kansas, are currently utilizing slightly modified versions
of the HTST in their juvenile justice settings.

15
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

FUNDING FOR HUMAN

TRAFFICKING IN FLORIDA
It has been well noted in studies on state responses to human trafficking that
continued funding streams are needed to implement and sustain effective
statewide responses.36 Because each victim has individual stabilization and
treatment needs, a broad range of services must be made available to victims
throughout the state to effectively serve this population. Due to high levels of
complex trauma often experienced by these victims, high intensity services may
be required over a long period of time, which requires
a long-term commitment on the part of involved state
A fully funded approach to
agencies and service providers. A comprehensive service
serving this population should
approach must go beyond emergency placements and
include a blend of state, local,
include extended therapeutic services and aftercare.
federal and private funding
Therefore, in order to provide an effective response to
streams.
human trafficking within our state, funding is not only
needed for the initial development of specialized services
or specialized training for existing services, but sustainable funding is needed to
continually maintain the services needed to serve this population. A fully funded
approach to serving this population should include a blend of state, local, federal
and private funding streams.

One of the most notable examples of a states effort to use a braided funding
approach to fund services for commercial sexually exploited youth is Minnesotas
funding for their No Wrong Door model. Minnesotas Safe Harbor Law was
initially passed in 2011, noting that implementation of their statewide service
model, No Wrong Door, would not be effective until August 1, 2014, to account
for the necessity of raising funds prior to implementation.37

According to the first year evaluation report on Safe Harbor implementation in

Minnesota, in 2013 Minnesota made the largest state investment in the nation
to date, at just over $8 million, in the provision of services for CSEC victims,
which funded a portion of the No Wrong Door model. Using a private-public
partnership approach, the Womens Foundation of Minnesota has also played a
role in funding the No Wrong Door framework. A survey of key informants and
Safe Harbor grantees revealed that 29 percent believed that having funding and

36 Just Response System Map: A review of current statutes, systems and service responses to
juvenile child sex trafficking. Shared Hope International.2015. http://sharedhope.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/09/JuST-Response-Mapping-Report-Final-web.pdf
37 Florida Department of Children and Families and Department of Juvenile Justice site visit
to Minnesota to review their No Wrong Door Model. September 23, 2016.

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 2016 Report to the Council

resources available to implement No Wrong Door was a key to its success thus
far. Some of the successes reported in the First Year Evaluation were: increased
awareness of CSEC among professionals, increased conversation about effective
services for this population and attempts to improve services, the creation of
new housing and services for CSEC victims, and increased collaboration among
agencies. However, it is also worthwhile to note that 67 percent of those
participating in the evaluation also stated that the need for additional funding
inhibited full implementation of the model, with gaps remaining in housing,
services and training. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed noted that the
$13.3 million that was initially requested of the Minnesota Legislature is needed
in order to fully implement the necessary services and other components of the
model.38 Accounting for population differences between Minnesota and Florida,
this would equate to Florida investing around $49 million in the provision of
services for human trafficking victims.

While in Florida, we see braided funding approaches at the individual program

level, we do not currently have this approach at the state level. To date, funding
to address the provision of services for human trafficking victims throughout the
state has come through expenditure authorizations by the Florida Legislature
beginning in the SFY 2013-2014.

Agency Funding
Agency with
Fiscal Year Receiving Entity Source Amount Narrative
oversight
Community Non recurring Initial Safe Harbor
2013 - 2014 Based Care Lead DCF $1,468,601
General funds Appropriation
Agency

These funds were the result of the passage of the Safe Harbor bill. These
nonrecurring funds were designed to support Community-Based Care lead
agency efforts in acquiring an estimated 50 additional safe house beds within
those areas of the state experiencing the highest verification rates of juvenile
commercial sexual exploitation.39 These placements were expected to:
Provide security, crisis intervention services, general counseling, and
victim-witness counseling;
Have the capability to conduct comprehensive assessments that can
identify a victims service needs;
Provide residential care;
Ensure that victims have access to and are receiving appropriate health
and dental care;

38 Minnesota Safe Harbor Report: First Year Evaluation Report. Sept. 2015. http://www.wilder.
org/Search/pages/results-reportssearch.aspx?k=Safe percent20Harbor
39 Floridas Safe Harbor Act, HB 99, effective January 1, 2013

17
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Have access to behavioral health services, recreational activities, food,

clothing, supplies, infant care, and miscellaneous expenses associated
with caring for these child victims;
Arrange for educational services, including life skills services and
planning services for the successful transition of residents back to the
community;
Provide transportation for youth as needed.40

2013-14 SFY Nonrecurring Safe House Allocation by FDCF Region and Circuit 41
Region Circuit 2013-14 SFY Nonrecurring Safe House Bed Goal
Amount Received
Central Circuit 09 $234,977 8
Southeast Circuit 17 $352,464 12
Southern Circuit 11 $528,696 12
SunCoast Circuit 13 $352,464 18
Statewide Total $1,468,601 50

Following the initial Safe Harbor non-recurring appropriation from SFY 2013-
2014, the Legislature identified annual recurring appropriation funds to respond
to child sexual exploitation.

Agency with
Fiscal Year Receiving Entity Source Amount Narrative
oversight

For placement and

Community Based Recurring
2014-2015 DCF $3,000,000 services of the CSEC
Care Lead Agency General Funds survivor.

For placement and

Community Based Recurring
2015-2016 DCF $3,000,000 services of the CSEC
Care Lead Agency General Funds survivor.

For placement and

2016 - 2017 Community Based DCF Recurring $3,000,000 services of the CSEC
Care Lead Agency General Funds survivor.

Initially, legislative proviso language directed DCF to develop an allocation

methodology based on determination of the areas of greatest need. In order
to track all expenses for services and placement of sexually exploited youth,
DCF asked the community-based care lead agencies to use a specified Other

40 Fla. Stat. 409.1678-Safe harbor for children who are victims of sexual exploitation,
effective January 1, 2013
41 Florida DCF 2012 2013 Human Trafficking Annual Report, January 2014, report can
be accessed from http://www.mynews13.com/content/dam/news/static/cfnews13/
documents/2014/09/dcf-human-trafficking-report.pdf

18
 2016 Report to the Council

Cost Accumulator (OCA). Tracking should continue even after the lead agencys
portion of the $3 million appropriation had been spent.42

In SFY 2014 2015 community-based care lead agency expenditures equaled

$3.99 million total spent on CSEC services and placement for 191 youth. The
number of days a child remained in a CSEC placement ranged from 1 to 390.
Individual client expenses ranged from $48 to $122,688, with 81 percent of the
expenditures going to eight providers, detailed in the chart below.

SFY 2014 2015 Sex Trafficking Provider Expenditures43

Provider Amount Received Number Served Rate per day
Devereux $1,303,703.00 27 $432
Citrus Health Network $695,251.62 90 $137.50
Redefining Refuge $226,825.00 17 $300 - 325
Wings of Shelter Int. $224,755.00 5 $225 - 245
Chrysalis Center Lilac $166,050.24 3 $247.68 - 283.20
Aspire Health Partners $114,284.00 4 $223 - 250

Vision Quest Sanctuary $114,366.56 13 $308

Ranch

Florida Baptist Childrens $102,837.00 12 $240 - 300

Home

The human trafficking funding of $3 million became a part of the core funding
to community-based care lead agencies for SFY 2015-2016 and continues to
be tracked in order to gain a true picture of the total cost of services and
placements for sexually exploited youth.

42 Florida DCF 2013 2014 Human Trafficking Annual Report, November 2014, report can
be accessed from https://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/childwelfare/docs/2014LMRs/2013-
14HumanTraffickingAnnualReport.pdf
43 Florida DCF, FY14-15 Victims of Sexual Exploitation Budget and Expenditures Final Spread
Sheet

19
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Provider Specific Appropriations

These appropriation dollars may flow through individual state agencies, but
they are for specific providers as identified by the legislature through the
appropriations process. The individual agencies are responsible to execute the
contracts and disburse the funds but are not involved in the identification of
which providers to fund.

Agency with
Fiscal Year Receiving Entity Source Amount Narrative
oversight
Placement and
Aspire Health DCF -Central Non recurring
2013-2014 $300,000 services adolescent
Partners Region General funds CSEC survivor
For expansion
DCF Southeast Non recurring of services to
2014-2015 Devereux $825,027
Region General Funds adolescent CSEC
survivors
DCF Southern Non recurring To serve CSEC
Kristi House $300,000
Region General funds adolescent girls.
To serve sexually
DCF Southern Non recurring
2015-2016 Kristi house $250,000 exploited adolescent
Region General Funds girls
To serve sexually
Attorney Federal Grant
Kristi house $300,000 exploited adolescent
General (AG) Trusts Fund girls
Florida Childrens DCF Central To serve sexually
Non recurring
Baptist Home, $50,000 exploited adolescent
Region General Funds
Inc. girls
Bridging DCF Suncoast Non recurring $1,000,000 Prepare property for
Freedom Region General funds building safe house
Recruitment and
training of foster
parents Serve a
minimum of 25
DCF Central Non recurring
Devereux $359,000 children in a foster
Region General funds care setting Provide
outpatient treatment
to a minimum of 72
CSEC youth
To serve adult
DCF Southern Non recurring woman who are
Agape Network $100,000
Region General funds survivors of sexual
exploitation
To serve adult
DCF Southern Non recurring woman who are
Camillus House $500,000
Region General funds survivors of sexual
exploitation
To provide safe
Bridging Recurring
2016-2017 AG $700,000 homes for adolescent
Freedom General Fund sex trafficking victims
to provide safe
Bridging Federal Grant
AG $500,000 homes for adolescent
Freedom Trusts Fund sex trafficking victims
Residential Housing
Non recurring $1,000,000 and programming
Selah Freedom AG General Fund for adult human
trafficking survivors

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 2016 Report to the Council

Agency with
Fiscal Year Receiving Entity Source Amount Narrative
oversight
Open Doors:
Federal Grant
Voice for Florida AG $2,567,306 Statewide Network
Trusts Fund of CSEC programs.
Open Doors:
Non recurring
Voice for Florida AG $50,000 Statewide Network
General Fund of CSEC programs.
To serve adult
DCF Southern Non recurring woman who are
2016-2017 Camillus House $500,000
Region General funds survivors of sexual
exploitation
To serve CSEC
DCF Central Non recurring youth in a variety
Devereux $359,000
Region General funds of settings. Provide
foster parent training.
To serve sexually
DCF Southern Non recurring
Kristi House $200,000 exploited adolescent
Region General Funds girls
To serve sexually
DCF Southeast Non recurring
Place of Hope $200,000 exploited adolescent
Region General Funds girls
To serve sexually
Florida Dream DCF Suncoast Non recurring $250,000 exploited adolescent
Center Region General Funds boys.

Over the course of the last several years, funding to DCF has remained static,
and therefore the community-based care lead agencies providing direct service
delivery. This limits the community-based care lead agencies ability to serve
the full population of youth. This has created barriers to the expansion of
service delivery across the state, continuity of treatment as only limited areas
have service and placement options, and the ability to create strategic planning
opportunities. It also limits the ability to provide services to children who are
not in the formal child welfare system. In contrast, funding has increased for
special projects through individual provider appropriation line items. There
is no evidence that this has resulted in increased accessibility to services for
children not in the formal child welfare system. Growth and expansion are
limited to those areas in which legislative support has the ability to obtain special
appropriation funds. It is due to these factors that a comprehensive exploration
of scope and scalability is needed to fully inform the conversation on what an
adequately funded continuum of care is for Florida. Specific funding should be
made available to contract with a state university to explore this question.

21
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Additionally, as mentioned previously, sustainable funding is needed to continually

maintain the services required to serve this population. While providers at the
local level serving this population in Florida have received various combinations
of funding from state, local, federal and private funding streams, in absence of a
comprehensive evaluation, there is no consensus on the average cost of services
per sex trafficking survivor and, therefore, it is difficult to estimate total cost of
care for the population as a whole. Moving forward, understanding the cost of
services per survivor, to include non-residential services, will be vital in making
funding recommendations to the state and in developing a more comprehensive,
systemic funding approach for serving this population. Additional evaluations
should be completed on funding needs for sex trafficking prevention, training, and
awareness initiatives.

22
 2016 Report to the Council

FLORIDAS IDEAL SYSTEM

Components of a Robust Continuum of Care
To build a strong foundation for a continuum of care, policymakers and service
providers must understand the connection between the survivors background
of violence, abuse, rape, isolation or other traumas and the lasting impact these
traumatic experiences have throughout ones life. Additionally, policymakers and
service providers must specifically understand the acute and complex effects
of the trauma of being trafficked.44 To be successful, Florida must create a
continuum of services that addresses all aspects of a survivors life and involves
survivors in the creation of programming whenever possible. The service
spectrum should be capable of improving physical, social, emotional, and spiritual
health as well as family functioning when appropriate. We must address the
acute and chronic trauma, but also facilitate increased functional ability and skills
development in order to help the survivor integrate into mainstream society.

A primary goal of a comprehensive care system is to shift from a system

based on blame, shame, discrimination, isolation, and re-traumatization of
the victim toward a model that offers validation, support, unconditional
acceptance, skill building, self-empowerment, and relational safety. The following
recommendations are guideposts for building a robust
continuum of care that takes into account the voice and Before discussing what
experience of the survivor. services should be provided,
Before discussing what services should be provided, it is important to clarify the
it is important to clarify the desired outcomes we desired outcomes we should
should seek. Working from a triage perspective, desired seek.
outcomes for survivors begin with the fulfillment of basic
needs for food and shelter, medical treatment, and safety. Once a relationship is
formed and trust is established between survivors and caregivers, advocates can
work directly with the survivor to develop short-term goals such as addressing
immediate legal issues or substance abuse support, and long-term goals such as
completing their education, obtaining permanent housing and building a network
of support.

The proposed system is designed to be flexible in order to meet the varying

individual needs of local communities in Florida. The Committee understands
that every community may not need or be able to support every system
component locally. However, the statewide system of care should ensure

44 Epstein, R. & Edelman, P. (2013). Blueprint: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Domestic

Sex Trafficking of Girls. Center on Poverty and Inequity, Georgetown Law.

23
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

that victims in need can access those services in other regions of the
state when necessary. Listed below are critical components of a robust
continuum of care.

Statewide Coordinated Care

Georgia, Minnesota, and Texas have state-based efforts to increase care
coordination for CSEC survivors. Priorities of these initiatives include
emergency response and assistance, screening and research-based assessment,
safety planning, individual care plan creation, coordination and monitoring of
services, mentoring, victim support and restoration, training and awareness,
and collaboration. Staff from Floridas DCF and DJJ travelled to Minnesota and
Georgia to explore the strengths and limitations of their existing systems.

Georgia Care Connection was established by the Georgia Governors Office

for Children and Families in 2009 to serve as a central hub for victims of
exploitation. Currently operating as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
capable of utilizing state dollars and accepting private funds through a public-
private partnership, Care Connection is the single care coordination entity for
commercially sexually exploited youth.45 Care Connection staff assess the types
of services the youth needs and lead a multi-disciplinary team in developing a
comprehensive care plan to address those needs. Once the plan is developed,
staff locates the appropriate services and assists the family in accessing funding
for those services.46 While all victims are served through the Georgia Cares
Connection Office, some are funded through the foster care system and those
in the care of their parents utilize privately donated funds.47 Since its inception in
2009, Georgia Care has received over 1,380 referrals from more than 91 of the
159 counties in Georgia of youth suspected to be victims of sexual exploitation.
The average age of youth identified was just under 15. According to their
research, 78 percent of youth completing Georgia Cares services do not return
to an exploiter or trafficker.48

As a part of their previously mentioned No Wrong Door Model, Minnesota

funds eight regional navigators who serve as care managers for all CSEC
survivors in the state. The navigators are contracted through Minnesotas
Department of Health and manage multidisciplinary staffings and care plan
development for the survivors in their respective regions. DOH maintains
45 Georgia Governors Office for Children and Families Press Release: Unprecedented
Private-Public Collaboration to Support Adolescent Victims of Commercial Sexual
Exploitation in Georgia (2009). Available at http://children.georgia.gov/press-
releases/2009-12-29/unprecedented-private-public-collaboration-support-adolescent-
victims
46 Id.
47 Id.
48 More information is available at georgiacareconnection.com.

24
 2016 Report to the Council

funding for all outpatient services while the Department of Human Services
provides funding for residential placements.

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill No. 10, which served as a
comprehensive bill addressing human trafficking in Texas. One component of
the bill was the creation of a Child Sex Trafficking Prevention unit within the
Governors Office. This structure includes a director, two deputy directors, and
eight professional staff. The goals of the unit are to assist other state agencies
in leveraging and coordinating state resources directed toward sex trafficking
services. The unit will facilitate cooperative efforts among the state agencies to
address prevention, recovery of victims and placement of victims, in short- and
long-term care. They will collect and analyze data and research and share their
collected information with others serving the population. They will refer victims
to appropriate services and work to provide support for child sex prosecutions,
and help the State develop further recommendations. Texas will be developing
their program over the next year.49

The Open Doors model was funded this year in Florida. This private-public
partnership model will initially target five identified areas: Northeast (Jacksonville
area), Big Bend (Tallahassee area), Central (Orlando area), Suncoast / Tampa Bay
(Tampa area), and Southwest Florida (Ft. Myers / Naples area). The goals of the
Open Doors model will be to develop and implement emergency response and
assistance;,victim support, survivor mentors, screening;
access to clinical services, research-based assessments,
safety planning, individual care plans, coordination of To date, there are no known
mentoring services, training; public awareness, and statewide coordinated care
collaboration. Coordinated care models across the systems that address the sex
nation have been evaluated in the development of this trafficking of adults.
model.

All of the above mentioned models serve only minor victims of sex trafficking. To
date, there are no known statewide coordinated care systems that address the
sex trafficking of adults.

Implications for Florida:

First, as Floridas system is fragmented and our ability to strategically
manage care of survivors is weak, the state should adopt a coordinated
care approach that, preferably, serves both minors and adults. In
such a system, care management and funding for services would be overseen
by a singular entity. This entity could be located in the Governors Office or

49 Texas HB 10 http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=84R&Bill=HB10

25
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

contracted through it. Alternatively, it could be an entity under the Governor

and Cabinet to enhance the connection to the Office of the Attorney General.
The entity would provide centralized leadership and
coordination to ensure survivors are assisted and
All victims and suspected
funded, regardless of what system they are in. Survivors
victims should be provided
eligiblility or care management should not be limited to
services regardless of the
those cases verified by DCF or law enforcement; the
system or provider that
entity should serve suspected victims as well. All victims
identifies them.
and suspected victims should be provided services
regardless of the system or provider that identifies them.
Community members who identify a suspected victim could report them to DCF,
DJJ, law enforcement or the coordinated care entity to determine whether the
person reported is actually a suspected victim.

A centralized, coordinated system would facilitate the continuity that has created
improved outcomes for survivors in Georgia and Minnesota. The Texas model
partnered with the Open Door model provides an excellent structure for
consideration. Texas Office of Child Sex Trafficking falls under the Governors
Office and is the overarching response for all CSEC victims. It consolidates all of
the concerns as to centralized funding, comprehensive response, continuum of
care expansion, and education and awareness. Such and office, expanding from a
focus only on minors to include adult victims, would centralize activities, funding,
and policy initiatives, while allowing the Open Doors Model to provide the direct
service delivery. The recommendation would be to provide the Open Doors
facilitators time to operationalize the model, establish partnerships across the
identified regions, and initiate service delivery. Outcomes will be dependent on
the population served over an identified period of time. In addition, the time to
complete these tasks would allow engagement with Texas regarding impact and
limitations to their structure.

Second, Florida should allocate funding that follows the survivor.

Regardless of the system that identifies the victim, access to the services that
best meet the assessed needs of the survivor should be predicated not on the
funding stream but on the best interest of the survivor. All survivors must receive
the services that are clinically, medically, and socially indicated, regardless of
whether they are in the care of a formalized system.

This legislative cycle, funding for programs and services that serve both minor
and adult victims of commercial sexual exploitation went to multiple agencies.
State funds designated to serve victims of human trafficking are best managed
through shared direction, oversight, and accountability targets. Victims are best
served by a seamless transition across systems. Cooperative management of

26
 2016 Report to the Council

resources will reduce the transition time for victims to

Cooperative management
receive the services they need, wherever they may be
of resources will reduce the
in our systems of care. For youth, this oversight model
transition time for victims to
will also allow certain essential services and supports
receive the services they need,
to continue as the individual moves from community
wherever they may be in our
to dependency placement, or if they discharge from
systems of care.
residential services entirely.

Multidisciplinary Response
Multidisciplinary Teams
Use of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to address child abuse cases has become
a nationally recognized best practice. According to the U.S. Department of
Justice, It is now well accepted that the best response to the challenge of child
abuse and neglect investigations is the formation of MDT.50 Child victims of
sexual exploitation benefit from a similar approach. Furthermore, the Office for
Victims of Crime, Training and Technical Assistance Center, has written that this
collaborative model is beneficial for all victims of human trafficking (international,
domestic, adult, minor, etc.), noting that working with multiple systems can be
overwhelming for victimsand in order to coordinate victim-centered service
delivery, collaboration is essential.51

Currently most local communities regularly convene a multidisciplinary team

that focus on CSEC.52 In 2014, House Bill 7141, placed the responsibility of the
multi-disciplinary team staffings under DCF and the Community-Based Care
(CBC) lead agencies mandating that these entities conduct regular MDT staffings
relating to services provided for CSEC victims [therefore] services are
coordinated across systems. In addition to DCF and CBC staff, these staffings
should include individuals involved in the childs care, including, but not limited
to, the childs guardian ad litem, juvenile justice system staff, school district staff,
service providers, and victim advocates.53

It may be worthwhile to explore a similar model where transitional age

survivors and adult survivors actively participate as a central component of MDT
staffings regarding their case. Formal memoranda of understanding (MOUs),
confidentiality and information-sharing protocols and a common understanding
of protocols to follow when serving a victim could be developed among service
providers and law enforcement serving adult victims of trafficking. Involved

50 http://www.ncdsv.org/images/OVCTTAC_HumanTraffickingResourcePaper_2012.pdf
51 http://www.ncdsv.org/images/OVCTTAC_HumanTraffickingResourcePaper_2012.pdf
52 Information provided by DCF Office of Child Welfare resulting from survey of regional
compliance with 2014 HB 7141
53 2014 HB 7141

27
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

parties might be law enforcement, victim advocates, case managers, housing

providers, attorneys and any others involved in the case and/or that the survivor
wishes to have at these staffings.

Multidisciplinary Task Forces

While multidisciplinary team staffings focus on service provision and case
planning for individual victims, equally crucial to each community or region is the
existence of a task force or coalition to focus on strengthening the communitys
response to human trafficking. Representation in these
Together, these groups local and regional task forces or coalitions requires,
can better understand the at a minimum, participation from the following: law
tapestry of resources available enforcement, child welfare, juvenile justice, the courts,
within their community and school system personnel, jental health and substance
connect to specialized services abuse professionals, survivors, medical providers, public
outside of their communities. health officials, non-profit communitybased agencies
such as child advocacy centers, runaway and homeless
youth service providers, behavioral health companies,
domestic violence shelters, sexual assault providers, private sector stakeholders,
philanthropic service organizations, state and local government representatives,
and policy Makers.54 Together, these groups can better understand the tapestry of
resources available within their community and connect to specialized services
outside of their communities.

House Bill 7141 (2014) required DCF to initiate task forces in areas where one
does not currently exist. Convening a local multidisciplinary taskforce includes
clarifying a mission, reaching consensus on the various roles of members,
establishing protocols for training all members, developing information-sharing
protocols including privacy and confidentiality rules, and developing a formalized
protocol to respond when victims are identified. The responsibilities of key
participants must be clearly defined so that a chain of response can be easily
activated when a victim is identified. A formal memorandum of understanding
signed by all members creates a solid foundation for long-term sustainability.55
Establishing a plan to resolve conflict is an essential task for the initial meetings.

Statewide Council on Human Trafficking

In addition to local MDTs and multidisciplinary task forces, in 2014 Section
16.617, Florida Statutes created the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking
within the Department of Legal Affairs. The Council was created for the
purpose of enhancing the development and coordination of state and local

54 2014 HB 7141
55 U.S. Department of State (2014).

28
 2016 Report to the Council

law enforcement and social services responses to fight commercial sexual

exploitation as a form of human trafficking and to support victims. For more
information on the Statewide Council, including membership and duties, see
section 16.617, F.S.

Implications for Florida:

Currently, there are MDTs located in every area of the state that meet as
needed. MDT staffings for investigations of a human trafficking maltreatment
index are scheduled based on individual staffing schedules by county. The
expectation to hold timely MDT staffings on DCF child trafficking cases is
detailed in DCF agency operating procedure, CFOP 170-14 titled, Response
to Human Trafficking of Children.56 The structure of MDTs may differ from
area to area, possibly led by DCF, Community Based Care lead Agency staff, or
Childrens Advocacy Center staff, but when there is confirmation or suspicion of
human trafficking, a multidisciplinary staffing must be initiated no later than two
weeks from the abuse report intake date. Responses represent local needs and
resources and the written protocols have been collected by the DCF Human
Trafficking Regional Coordinators statewide. As mentioned previously, we may
need to explore developing a similar option for adult victims, perhaps structured
through the statewide coordinated-care approach.

There are also multiple local task forces active across Florida. These organic, grass
roots task forces may cover a county or multiple counties based on the specific
needs of that area. These task forces are in a variety of stages of growth, some
are just beginning, while others are well established with complex responses
and dedicated staff. The most recently formed task force is the Panama City
Human Trafficking Coalition which includes the additional counties in the 14th
judicial circuit. There are currently plans to initiate task forces in the 1st and 3rd
judicial circuits as well. In an effort to unify task force response, particularly with
regards to servicing adult victims, as well as to link task forces throughout the
state, a collective impact model has been proposed in a paper written by Dotti
Grover-Skipper, in conjunction with Dr. Leslie Gavin Dewitt and Tomas Lares.
The paper titled, Developing the Florida Anti-Trafficking Alliance: A Statewide
Response to Human Trafficking, indicates, this is a powerful approach to cross-
sector collaboration used to achieve measurable and positive effects. Successful
collective impact initiatives typically have five conditions that together produce
alignment and lead to powerful results: a common agenda, shared measurement
systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone

56 http://eww.dcf.state.fl.us/asg/Publications.shtml

29
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

support organizations.57 This structure would work with the centralized,

coordinated system for continuity in expectations and practices.

Specialized Victim Advocates

In the past, victims in Florida have bounced among many agencies in our system
of care. At different points in their path they may be in a domestic violence
shelter, DOC or DJJ facility, or in foster care. With
the exception of information from the shared Human
It is clear that lasting change in Trafficking Screening Tool, they are often interviewed and
a survivors life is facilitated by re-interviewed about their victimization. Survivors may
the creation of relationships start to develop relationships that are then ruptured
with trusted individuals. by changes in placement, elopement, or multiple other
factors. It is clear that lasting change in a survivors life
is facilitated by the creation of relationships with trusted individuals. Specialized
victim advocates that work with a survivor over time and across placements on
the continuum of care would provide a relationship that could be the point of
stability for the survivor. The specialized victim advocate, independent of the
child welfare, juvenile justice, corrections or other systems, should be an expert
in all aspects of the healing process and available community resources. The
advocate would be present from the initial assessment and would aid in the
creation and execution of the comprehensive care plan, empowering the survivor
to assist in the creation of the plan. The advocate would represent the survivors
interests and needs, and assist them in advocating for their aspirations and
concerns. The advocate would accompany the survivor to appointments, keep
the survivor informed of the progress of any legal cases, and ensure appropriate
information sharing among the multiple organizations and systems working with
the survivor.

One concern is that many human trafficking victim advocates lack the protections
afforded to sexual assault victim advocates, making it possible for them to be
subpoenaed to testify in court or turn over case notes to the court. This could
have a negative impact on their relationship with the survivor. Because they are
often a crucial part of the healing process for a survivor, consideration should be
given to drafting similar protections for human trafficking victim advocates.

Implications for Florida:

For Minors: While agencies such as Kristi House in Miami currently offer
this service, it is important that victims throughout the state have access to
specialized advocates. One option that is being explored by the Guardian Ad

57 Developing the Florida Anti-Trafficking Alliance: A Statewide Response to Human

Trafficking. Presented at 2016 Q2 Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.

30
 2016 Report to the Council

Litem (GAL) program is to train GALs throughout the state to serve the role of
a specialized victim advocate for this population. Because the Guardian Ad Litem
Program already operates throughout the state and across multiple systems,
they may be an ideal solution for specialized victim advocates for minor victims
of trafficking. A consideration may be to have the Statewide Council on Human
Traffickings Services and Resources Committee continually follow-up on the
implementation of this effort.

For Adults: Currently the State Attorneys Offices in Circuit 9 (Orange/

Osceola Counties) and Circuit 11 (Miami-Dade County) have victim advocates
that are specialized to work with this population. In addition to that, Statewide
Prosecutors Offices in Tampa and Orlando are working towards having
specialized victim advocates. While it is important for victims across the state
to have access to a specialized victim advocate within their State Attorneys, U.S.
Attorneys and Statewide Prosecutors offices, priority consideration should be
placed on remaining areas with the highest need such as Broward, Duval and
Hillsborough counties. In developing a comprehensive system of care for adults.
Service providers that serve adult survivors may also consider including victim
advocates, or roles that function in a similar manner, as a part of their staff and
services offered.

Risk Reduction and Prevention Education

For a continuum of care to be robust, community education must move beyond
general awareness efforts and begin implementing specialized curricula for at-risk
youth, potential johns, and professionals working with children.

The literature on services for sex trafficking consistently points to the need
for prevention education among youth most at risk. Individual-level risk factors
include children who have experience abuse or neglect, runaway and homeless
youth, history of being involved in the system as well as LGBTQ youth.58 The
impact of sex trafficking on the community at large necessitates investment in
early intervention and prevention efforts. Floridas children will continue to be
victimized at the same rate unless we fund efforts to prevent commercial sexual
exploitation. One study done by Minnesota showed that early intervention to
prevent sex trading and trafficking of Minnesotas female youth passed a rigorous
cost-benefit analysis with a return on investment of $34 in benefit for each $1 in
cost.59

58 Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the US. 2013.
Located at http://www.nap.edu/read/18358/chapter/6#78
59 Minnesota Indian Womens Resource Center. Early Intervention to Avoid Sex Trading and
Trafficking of Minnesotas Female Youth: A Benefit-Cost Analysis (2012).

31
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Risk reduction programming should be integrated

Youth within the foster into classrooms in our school systems. These sessions
care system are at high risk should focus on helping students understand the tactics
for recruitment into sex traffickers use to recruit children, how to find a safe
trafficking. person if one is being targeted, building resiliency and
strong daily living skills, and ensuring access to resources
if they are involved in sex trafficking. Youth within the foster care system are at
high risk for recruitment into sex trafficking. As such, intensive risk reduction
education sessions should be incorporated for all foster care youth.

One example of a community risk reduction model is the My Life My Choice

(MLMC) Project in Massachusetts. MLMC is designed to offer primary, secondary,
and tertiary risk reduction interventions to particularly vulnerable girls. Pre- and
post-surveys are utilized to evaluate the participants progress over the course
of 10 weeks.60 The states of Massachusetts and New Jersey and some service
providers in Florida are currently implementing this program with at risk teen
girls and have demonstrated shifts in attitude in these girls that will aid them in
resisting exploitation. This is not an evidence-based program.

One other example is LOVE146s five-module curriculum Not A #Number,

which was designed for schools and other youth-serving entities and can be
used with both males and females. Love146 is an international human rights
organization that has piloted this curriculum, which is based on best practices
in prevention education in cities throughout the nation. Not A # Number offers
not only traditional awareness information, but it also provides youth with
information and skills in a manner that inspires them to make safe choices and
utilize healthier support systems to decrease vulnerabilities. LOVE146 partnered
with the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New
Hampshire to evaluate the curriculum. According to a pilot report, early findings
show overall improvement as tracked by a pre- and post-test in three areas:
knowledge, attitudes and intent to change behavior.61

Created in Connecticut, the I AM Empowerment Project is a 10 session

curriculum designed to retrain the ways adolescent boys view women that make
them more prone to tolerate or perpetrate the exploitation of girls.62 By meeting
once a week in juvenile detention settings, the program helps boys see the reality
of pimping and humanizes prostitution to reduce the appeal of the lifestyle. The
project also has a curriculum for girls aimed at empowerment and risk reduction.

60 More information on My Life My Choice is available at www.fightingexploitation.com.

61 https://love146.org/programs/u-s-prevention-education/
62 The I AM Empowerment Project provides youth programming, consultation, and training.
For more information, contact [email protected].

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 2016 Report to the Council

While these curricula have not been evaluated to be evidenced based, they
are considered promising practices in various reports.63 Florida should further
investigate these education programs for at-risk girls, potential johns, and
professionals working with children to determine whether they should be
implemented in Floridas communities. Education and prevention programs
delivered by appropriately trained and credentialed facilitators should be
implemented, particularly in areas identified as having the highest numbers of at-
risk populations.

Implications for Florida:

The prevention efforts in several Florida school districts have been limited to
the responsive efforts of a few districts through awareness campaigns and pilot
curriculum programs. Orange County Public Schools partnered with DCF and
Appleton Creative, Inc. to create posters that were distributed to all secondary
schools in the winter of 2015. The posters are informational and include the
www.speakouthotline.org tip line. Currently, Duval County Public Schools is
partnering with Shared Hope International and Her Song to embed sex/human
trafficking curriculum into their curriculum guides. Brevard Public Schools Health
Education and School Health Services Department are working with local anti-
trafficking organizations to provide assembly programs at the middle school
level. They are creating language to add to the Human Growth and Development
curricula. Brevards goal is to have K-12 assembly programs during human
trafficking month (January) in 2017. Miami-Dade Public Schools is working
with a local organization and an NGO to create a secondary human trafficking
curriculum to be introduced in 2017.

Select Orange and Seminole County public schools along with some community
programs in those counties are currently piloting the Not A #Number
Curriculum with their students. The Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task
Forces School Awareness Subcommittee is pursuing efforts to expand this pilot
to all Orange County public schools. The local school systems participating
in the pilot should continue to track the outcomes from utilization of this
curriculum to determine future expansion.

In 2009, DOE created the Florida Sexual Health Community Outreach Toolkit
to provide community members with information, ideas and strategies that
will assist them with reducing the number of teen pregnancies and sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs), improve the health and academic success of

63 Human Trafficking Into and Within the United States, A review of the Literature (August
2009), OJJDP SEX TRAFFICKING Literature Review (2014), Southern Area Consortium
of Human Services Literature Review: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
(February 2014)

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

students, policy adoption and community engagement.

In 2013, the Florida DOE
In 2013, the Florida DOE was awarded a five-year
was awarded a five-year
Cooperative Agreement by the Centers for Disease
Cooperative Agreement
Control and Prevention (CDC). The first undertaking was
by the Centers for Disease
the development of the child human trafficking chapter
Control and Prevention
to add to the existing toolkit. Through a corporative
(CDC).
agreement, DOE initially worked with 15 priority
districts to introduce human trafficking awareness and
education in 2013.

Partner Districts
Bay Brevard
Columbia Collier
Flagler Lee
Leon Liberty
Manatee Orange
Pasco Pinellas
Putnam Volusia
Washington
Since then, approximately 33 districts have requested technical assistance and
received specific anti-trafficking training and/or professional development.

The partner districts listed above will include the DOEs human trafficking fact
sheet for schools in their back-to-school packets for parents beginning in the
2016-2017 school year.

In 2015, DOE created the human trafficking web page and all training and
webinar transcripts are available at: http://fldoe.org/schools/safe-healthy-
schools/human-trafficking.stml. The human trafficking fact sheet for schools was
developed and two additional fact sheets (for parents and for students) will be
unveiled during back-to-school activities in Florida. DOEs Office of Healthy
Schools is collaborating with the YES Institute of South Florida to develop the
LGBTQ fact sheet. The document will be available and will be disseminated
statewide during human trafficking awareness month in January 2017. DOE
Healthy Schools and DOE Transportation Services is developing a school bus
operator guide to help drivers identify trafficking.

Drop-In Centers
The term drop-in center is currently used to describe various kinds of centers
that address the needs of individuals who are being trafficked or are at risk to
be trafficked.Those who are at risk may include but are not limited to: runaway,
homeless men and women, those with limited English proficiency, those from
diverse cultures, and those identifying as LGBTQ. Nationally, some drop-in

34
 2016 Report to the Council

centers are used as places where exploited individuals can voluntarily drop in
to receive voluntary services and begin redefining healthy trusting relationships.
Others are more similar to day treatment centers that provide programming for
individuals coming out of the life that provide group therapy or life skills training.
Services may include meeting basic needs such as clothing, food, showers, laundry,
and email and phone access; crisis stabilization with 24-hour access to a survivor-
mentor; safety planning; support groups; legal services; individual substance abuse
or mental health counseling; and an onsite nurse practitioner with a relationship
with the local emergency room and other medical services. Some drop-in centers
are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In order to successfully develop and sustain a drop-in The drop-in center must focus
center, it is important to understand this population. Sex on the development of trust,
trafficking victims have lost trust with nearly everyone interpersonal connection and
and have lost their connection to the larger society. The unconditional positive regard.
drop-in center must focus on the development of trust,
interpersonal connection and unconditional positive
regard. To provide effective care management and crisis stabilization services,
survivor mentors must play a key role in providing support.64

Due to the prevalence of individuals on the streets who have experienced some
form of trafficking, these programs are typically trained to screen for and identify
evidence of exploitation, and make referrals to advanced services when and
where services are available. They are excellent identification points.

Street Outreach Programs, funded in part by the Family and Youth Services
Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families, offer services and
connection to those youth who are most averse to traditional services. These
programs are frequently run out of drop-in centers. For many youth living on
the streets or outside the margins of traditional services, these programs are the
only point of contact offering alternatives to youth at-risk of exploitation, or who
are actively being exploited due to their vulnerable position in society.65

These programs utilize non-traditional approaches to engage youth and build

relationships. Ideally these youth will eventually agree to traditional therapeutic
services, and many do. For those who choose not to, the harm reduction
education and services offered by street outreach advocates can be the only
barrier between these youth and further addictions, health risks, and victimization
by traffickers. Traditional services offered by drop-in centers are laundry, food,
64 Slesnick N, Glassman M, Garren R, Toviessi P, Bantchevska D, Dashora P. How to open
and sustain a drop-in center for homeless youth. Children and youth services review.
2008;30(7):727-734. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.12.004. located http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.
gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440711/
65 John Robertson, Program Services Director, Florida Network, May 5, 2016.

35
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

internet access, supplies for basic needs such as socks, feminine hygiene items,
underwear, toothbrushes, etc. These services are generally offered in exchange
for the individual following program rules and contributing back to the program
through acts of service and participation.

Implications for Florida:

There are currently three drop-in centers with specialized programming for
CSEC and sex trafficking victims. These centers include: Kristi House Project
GOLD in Miami; More Too Life in Sarasota; and The Wayne Foundation in
Charlotte County. The role of survivor-led or survivor-informed programming
is particularly evident within these programs, which provide strong survivor
mentorship for victims of CSEC and/or sex trafficking.66 Kristi House and The
Wayne Foundation are focused on interventions for girls under the age of 18.
More Too Life serves both adult and minor females. The length of experience
working with this population as well as the breadth of services are unique
to the individual programs. The Wayne Foundation has been in operation for
approximately one year and has built a strong working relationship with law
enforcement, creating a location where the Charlotte County Sheriffs Office
can immediately bring potential victims. More Too Life has been in operation
for multiple years and provides a broad range of services from mentoring,
transitional housing, case management, education, and advocacy services. In
addition, More Too Life and Kristi House have been instrumental in the passage of
Florida legislation to address the issues of CSEC and sex trafficking.

Florida also offers at least 9 drop-in centers funded by the federal Runaway
and Homeless Youth Act, who also serve sex trafficking victims, but do not have
specialized programming for them. The runaway and homeless youth centers
have demonstrated stronger cultural competency in working with the LGBTQ
community67 than is seen within the CSEC and sex trafficking drop in centers.

Drop-in centers with specialized programming should be created throughout the

state, starting in the other five counties with the highest incidence of trafficking:
Broward, Hillsborough, Orange, Palm Beach, and Duval. A provider in Seminole
County is in talks with a funder about the potential development of a drop-in
program. Volunteers, staff, survivors, mentors and anyone assisting survivors in
these settings should be trained in trauma-informed care. There is a need to
further explore street outreach programs for broader replication across the
state.

66 http://www.gems-girls.org/WhitePaper.pdf
67 Interviews with John Robertson, Florida Network, and site visits to drop in centers.

36
 2016 Report to the Council

Reception Centers and Emergency Placement Options

Ideally, every community should provide a location where victims can be received
upon identification. A reception center may be housed in an existing childrens
advocacy center, runaway shelter, social services agency, community-based youth
services center, or drop-in center. The location should be known and trusted
by at-risk individuals, advocates, law enforcement and community members,
yet not fully disclosed to the public in order to protect the victims and staff.
These centers should be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and have
the capacity to respond quickly with qualified on-call staff. The culture of the
reception center should be welcoming, comfortable, and staffed by professionals
including survivor-mentors that are specifically trained to provide services to this
population. The reception center should also have the capacity to provide basic
services including advocacy, crisis intervention, trauma counseling, limited medical
attention, food, clothing, and a place to stay until shelter or housing is available.

In addition to the reception centers, there is a need for emergency placement

options for both adult and youth victims once recovered. Immediate options for
victim placement should include options for community youth, dependent youth,
and adult victims of all genders. The programs should have the capacity to assess
ongoing level of care needs, as well as any immediate intervention requirements
for legal, medical, mental health, or substance abuse issues. These programs
should be victim-centered, trauma-informed and focused on meeting the urgent
needs of safety and well-being for the victim.68 Individual programs should access
their allowable length of stay and establish strong transitional protocols with
long-term residential placements for continuity of care.

Implications for Florida:

Currently, only one area has a defined reception center, although they do not
offer all of the services outlined above. While not necessarily ideal, Miami-Dade
County utilizes their Juvenile Assessment Centers as a meeting point where
law enforcement, upon identifying a victim, can deliver that victim to DCF, who
can initiate service referrals and begin a child abuse investigation. This is not
recommended as the best option, as they are known to the general public, can
be unwelcoming to youth (especially those with juvenile justice involvement),
and may further traumatize victims. Reception centers should be created across
Florida, starting in the five counties with the highest incidence of trafficking.
Communities should start by considering providers who already offer around the
clock services such as their local Childrens Advocacy Center or runaway shelters

68 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/orr/traffickingservices_0.pdf

37
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

with under-utilized facilities. The state should add the training and resources to
equip these already existing facilities.

There is an urgent need for emergency placement for both adults and minors
of sex trafficking.69 Currently, the specialized housing programs available for
victims of CSEC or sex trafficking all require individual intake assessment prior
to placement.70 This results in a delay in victims being able to access necessary
services immediately and may be a factor in the high absconding rate of youth
from initial placements as well as adult victims who
disappear prior to location of a program bed.71 This is
Additional attention needs equally problematic for male victims and transgender
to be given to formalizing victims, who have more limited options for immediate or
a relationship between long-term placement.
child welfare, community
engagement, and the Florida The Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, Inc.
Network structure to respond is a not for profit statewide association consisting of 29
to the varied and unique agencies serving runaway, homeless and troubled youth
needs of the sex trafficking across the state. The Florida Network is a resource that
survivor. has been underutilized as an obvious component of a
comprehensive continuum of care. Additional attention
needs to be given to formalizing a relationship between
child welfare, community engagement, and the Florida Network structure to
respond to the varied and unique needs of the sex trafficking survivor.

Variety of Residential Placement Options

As the treatment needs for survivors vary on an individualized basis, a wide
array of placement options is necessary to administer an effective system of
care. Outpatient services, foster care, therapeutic and community group homes,
transitional housing, and both locked and unlocked residential treatment centers
should be accessible to victims depending on their individual needs. A diverse
continuum of care provides options that vary geographically and range in levels
of intensity and restriction. This variety of placement options provides the ability
to respond to an individuals need to step up or down the continuum of care
and provides options to engage in services closer or further from the home
community. It is not enough for services to be available. They should be effective

69 Interviews with service providers, law enforcement, and child welfare staff throughout
2014 2016.
70 Interviews with residential providers for adult and minor victims of sex trafficking.
71 Interviews with Providers,Victim Advocates, Law Enforcement and Community Based
Care lead agency placement staff.

38
 2016 Report to the Council

and geared toward the victims needs. Services should be victim-centered,

trauma-informed, culturally appropriate, and gender appropriate.72

There are many factors that must be considered to determine the most
appropriate service option at any given time.
Such factors include: the victims desire to
Providers must understand that this
participate in services, imminent risk, access
population may not embrace services at
to supportive caregivers, quality of formal and
the outset and may run. Policies should
informal support for the victim, proximity to
take into account the stages of change
other survivors, and evaluation of the risk of
survivors go through and allow for
recruitment. In addition, consideration must
these reactions.
be made to prioritize the services the victim
requires. This might include immediate safety
threats, urgent medical needs, active substance or alcohol abuse, immediate
mental health needs, and/or risk to self or others. Service level decisions are a
fluid process that often require adjustments throughout the course of treatment.
Additionally, placements at all levels should be tolerant of expected relapsing
behaviors. Survey respondents cited a lack of understanding and willingness to
persevere with a survivor as some of their biggest challenges in obtaining quality
services for survivors.73 Providers must understand that this population may not
embrace services at the outset and may run. Policies should take into account the
stages of change survivors go through and allow for these reactions.

Below are placement options that should be provided by a comprehensive

continuum of care:

Caregiver Placement
Based on the survivors individual circumstances, placement with family members
may be an appropriate option. If this is determined to be safe, support services
should assist the family in addressing the multiple needs of the youth. These
services should include a survivor-mentor that is paired with a trained clinician.
When a survivor-mentor is not available, a trained clinician should still provide
these services. The support services must address the survivors emotional and
behavioral issues in the school, home, and community environments. Generally,
a comprehensive support team, specially trained in sex trafficking, should have
the ability to offer a range of services, depending on the specific needs of the
survivor. Examples include:

72 Office for Victims of Crime, Discussion Guide. https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/humantrafficking/

Public_Awareness_Folder/DGV/Faces_of_Human_Trafficking_Discussion_Guide-508.pdf
73 Interviews with Providers,Victim Advocates, Law Enforcement and Community Based
Care lead agency placement staff.

39
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Targeted Case Manager - Targeted Case Managers are essential, as

they facilitate linkage to all appropriate support services.
Individual Therapist - Individual therapy should be provided by a
Master or Doctoral level therapist trained in Trauma Focused-Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. Sessions are two to
five times a week based on clinical necessity.
Family Therapist - Family therapy should be available when necessary
and should be initiated when deemed appropriate to address family
conflict, poor communication, and dysfunctional family systems.
Certified Behavioral Analyst - CBA services are important in order
to address the behavioral needs of the survivor, as clinically indicated.
Additional members of the support team should include a
One model providing
Survivor-Mentor and, when possible, a peer mentor.74 While
these intensive clinical
the survivor-mentor was explained above, a Peer Mentor is
and support services and
not necessarily a survivor but helps provide peer support
showing signs of positive
and encouragement. One model providing these intensive
outcomes is Citrus Health
clinical and support services and showing signs of positive
Networks CHANCE
outcomes is Citrus Health Networks CHANCE program
program in Miami.
in Miami. In this program, youth have the opportunity
to develop their leadership skills and become peers as
they progress in their recovery. Through the CHANCE Community Response
Team, clients and their caregivers needs are evaluated through a variety of
screening and assessment tools, which may include psychiatric evaluation,
psychosocial assessment, and behavioral health screening. The treatment and
service plan is developed based on the results of the assessment and addresses
the needs identified. To this end, services are highly individualized, tailored, and
comprehensive to meet the survivors needs.

The treatment team ensures that the service and treatment plans goals and
objectives are appropriate, consistently pursued, and achieved in a timely
manner. This is accomplished through a range of monitoring activities including
telephone calls, home visits, case and treatment program reviews, interviews, and
site visits. When monitoring reveals that adjustments are necessary in order to
better accomplish the goals and objectives of the service and treatment plans,
the treatment team updates the plan accordingly and takes action to implement
these adjustments.

Implications for Florida:

Between October 1, 2014, and September 30, 2015, the CHANCE Community
Response Team served 75 youth within their community. CHANCE served

74 Lloyd, Rachel. From Victim to Survivor, Survivor to Leader. GEMS. http://issuu.com/gems/

docs/from_victim_to_survivor__from_survivor_to_leader/6?e=0

40
 2016 Report to the Council

27 youth through their Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care model, and 18

youth through their specialized CSEC locked residential treatment program.75
All genders were represented in the treatment sample and both dependent
and community youth received treatment. The CHANCE model provides a
continuum of care within a community, providing flexibility for a youth to receive
multiple levels of care, depending on their need at a given time, with treatment
continuity.

When it is necessary for a survivor to obtain specialized services in another

area of the state, they will need support services upon their return to their
community. The issue of scope and scalability needs across the state should be
explored to determine how existing community resources can be leveraged
with new CSEC response models to build a continuum of care. If Florida
adopts a statewide coordinated care approach, it should be
determined whether the targeted case manager, life coach, One issue that has arisen
and peer mentor are duplicative of the services provided by in Florida and in other
the statewide coordinated care entity. states with survivor-mentor
The University of South Florida (USF) is conducting an models is the issue of
independent, academic evaluation of the CHANCE program background screening.
and is showing promising outcomes with their practice
model.76 One issue that has arisen in Florida and in other states with survivor-
mentor models is the issue of background screening. Examples were provided
of survivor-mentors who could not obtain clearance to work with youth based
on their criminal history. While Florida has established the ability to expunge
criminal history associated with human trafficking exploitation, this process can
be lengthy and there are limited attorneys who are providing this service pro
bono.

Safe Foster Care Homes

The creation of specialized foster homes for survivors
All foster care parents should
requires careful planning and ongoing support. Foster
be trained in trauma, as every
care parents need specialized training and 24-hour
sexually trafficked youth has
support to address the multiple needs of exploited youth.
been traumatized.
An on-call, specially trained survivor-mentor, paired with a
trained clinician, should be provided to support the youth
and foster parent. Members of the response team discussed above should also

75 Information obtained from Dr. Kimberly McGrath, email dated 4/5/2016.

76 Armstrong, M., Johnson, M., Landers, M., Dollard, N. & Anderson, R. (2016). Citrus Helping
Adolescents Negatively Impacted by Commercial Exploitation (CHANCE) Pilot Study:
Progress Report. Tampa, FL: Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute. University of
South Florida.

41
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

be provided. All foster care parents should be trained in trauma, as every sexually
trafficked youth has been traumatized.

Implications for Florida:

House Bill 7141 defines a safe foster home as a home that will provide a safe,
separate, and therapeutic environment tailored to the needs of sexually exploited
children who have endured significant trauma that will use a model of treatment
that includes strength-based and trauma-informed approaches.77 These homes
will be certified by DCF, based on certification language that was adopted January
12, 2016, and must include the following services: victim-witness counseling,
family counseling, behavioral healthcare, treatment and intervention for sexual
assault, education tailored to the childs individual needs, life skills training,
mentoring if available and appropriate, substance abuse screening and access to
treatment if needed, structured activities, and transition planning.78

As previously noted, Citrus Health Networks CHANCE safe foster home

program in Miami has shown promising outcomes.79 USFs evaluation of their
program states, Youth have also shown significant improvements in both life
functioning and educational outcomes. In particular, significant gains have been
made in family functioning, living situation, and use of recreational time. Although
improvements in educational attainment and school achievement have been slow,
youth have attained significant improvements in school behavior, attendance, and
time spent in school, which are important first steps towards greater academic
success.80 This program should continue to be monitored for reproduction.
During the 2016 legislative session, DCF requested, but did not receive, funding
to expand the CHANCE program into Palm Beach County, Duval County and
the Suncoast Region. Funding should be provided to expand the safe foster care
model throughout the state.

Devereux Florida also offers a safe foster care program called DELTA. For SFY
2015-2016, DELTA established a Specialized Foster Care Program and began
recruiting and training families in both the Central and Northeast regions. That
year, they received a legislative appropriation for the treatment and placement
of CSEC youth. Devereux DELTA committed to have a minimum of 25 CSEC
specialized foster home beds for verified victims of CSEC established by June 30,
2015 (with capacity established in at least four of the six DCF regions throughout

77 Florida House Bill 7141 (2014).

78 Id.
79 Armstrong, M., Johnson, M., Landers, M., Dollard, N. & Anderson, R. (2016). Citrus Helping
Adolescents Negatively Impacted by Commercial Exploitation (CHANCE) Pilot Study:
Progress Report. Tampa, FL: Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute. University of
South Florida.
80 Id.

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 2016 Report to the Council

Florida). Devereux currently has one safe foster bed located in the Central
region. It would be beneficial for the Committee to gain a better understanding
of the barriers with recruitment of safe foster homes.

DELTA programming served 46 individuals through residential services at

Devereuxs Viera Campus, Brevard Therapeutic Group Home, and Titusville
Residential Group Care and served 18 individuals through Devereuxs Orange,
Volusia, Brevard and Polk Outpatient Program with CSEC (commercial sexual
exploitation of children) specific services. Devereux provided outpatient services
directly impacting 18 individuals. In terms of the number of CSEC outpatient
individuals, Devereux served more than double in the SFY 2015-2016 than they
did in the previous fiscal year.81 The Committee has not received treatment
outcome measures regarding Devereuxs program and they are not currently
partnered with a state university for program evaluation.

CHANCE and Devereux are the only two providers offering safe foster homes
in Florida. Both Devereux and Citrus Health Networks have DCF approved
curriculums for training and recruitment of foster families to serve as safe foster
homes. Through their 2015 2016 legislative appropriation, Devereux committed
to providing a minimum of 20 related HT101 training sessions, in a minimum
of four of the six regions of the state. Devereux exceeded the expectation by
providing 34 separate general foster parent training sessions titled Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children: What ALL Foster Parents Need to Know in all
Florida Regions.82

Safe Homes
Safe homes are traditionally 4-8 beds and should provide a comprehensive
array of services including mental health, family support, education support,
career planning, trauma-informed treatment, life skills, recreational programming,
survivor-led mentoring and individual counseling. They offer higher levels of
supervision and more intense security measures for the protection of clients.

Implications for Florida:

Currently, approximately 19 beds exist in four CSEC safe homes: Porch Light,
Redefining Refuge, Wings of Shelter, and Hope House. These homes are located
in the Central, Suncoast and Southeast regions. While not dedicated solely to
CSEC, Chrysalis Health provides unlocked specialized therapeutic group care
for girls with sexual trauma at their six bed ACHA licensed home in West Palm
Beach. These beds serve females under the age of 18.
81 Devereux Floridas Executive Office of the Governor Office of Policy and Budget Report,
dated January 2016
82 Id.

43
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

There are approximately 25 beds for adult survivors of sex trafficking through
More Too Life, Samaritan Village, and Selah Freedom. These programs are
located in the Central and Suncoast regions. There has been an expansion of
adult survivor sex trafficking services through programs at Camillus House and
Agape in Miami, as well as Salvation Army in Tampa. These programs are part of
larger entities that provide a broader array of services than just sex trafficking
programming and are not stand-alone safe houses. Bed rates vary, but are
approximately 20 in these shared settings.

Capacity varies as safe houses make individual assessments for intake based on
the needs of their existing clients and the potential new placements. The unique
needs of the individuals can impact the level of clients
Capacity varies as safe houses the home or program is able to take in if more intense
make individual assessments supervision is required.
for intake based on the needs At this time, several programs have received funding in
of their existing clients and the most recent and prior legislative sessions to open
the potential new placements. safe houses for CSEC survivors, including Bridging
Freedom and the Dream Center. These programs have
not yet opened and are not currently serving survivors. It is estimated that they
will begin taking youth under 18 in the last quarter of 2016 or the first quarter of
2017.

When Safe Harbor passed in 2013, there was a national perspective that safe
houses were the appropriate model for commercially sexually exploited youth
and sex trafficked adults. Through implementation of services over the course
of the last several years, it has become apparent that a wide array of services is
required. It has also become evident that a safe house is not a universal phrase.
Because programs make their own intake criteria and may have varying degrees
of intensive clinical interventions, they each provide differing levels of care. While
safe homes were originally seen as a higher level of intervention, they can in fact
serve a range from low risk to high-risk individuals based on the level of clinical
care they are able to provide and the types of behavior they are able to manage
within their homes.

Currently, state funding for these placements is available to victims in foster care
or those with a DCF child protective investigation into their possible human
trafficking. Limitations on funding often result in the community-based care lead
agencies exhausting their fiscal allocations on dependent youth. As we see from
the SFY 2014-2015 accounting analysis, it was found that community-based care
lead agencies exceeded the $3 million CSEC appropriation by almost $1 million.
This has resulted in a gap in funding and services for community youth. There

44
 2016 Report to the Council

is hope that the Open Doors model will begin to

The fragmentation of funding
address this gap, but until implementation begins
and its impact on program
and outcomes can be measured, this is speculative.
sustainability supports the idea
Funding for adult safe homes is even more limited,
that funding must follow the
as detailed in the funding section of the report,
victim.
with adult service providers having to obtain their
funding almost solely through private fund raising
and/or individual grants. The fragmentation of funding and its impact on program
sustainability supports the idea that funding must follow the victim. He or she
should be able to obtain the services they need without having to enter the
dependency system and without having to relocate to access specialized services.

Residential Treatment Centers

The unique nature of trauma experienced by victims and the complex recovery
process often supports the need for specialized congregate care facilities to meet
their intensive needs, prior to placement in a home or foster care setting.83

House Bill 7141 requires any treatment center or hospital that provides
residential mental health treatment to provide specialized services for survivors
in the custody of DCF who are there.84 It also requires that children be served in
single-sex groups. Additionally, staff working with survivors must be trained in the
effects of trauma and sexual exploitation and be equipped to address their needs
using strength-based and trauma-informed approaches.

Implications for Florida:

Devereux currently offers this level of placement for CSEC survivors at the
Devereux Viera Campus Intensive Resident Treatment Center (secure) and
Devereux Viera Campus Residential Group Care program (non-secure). Citrus
Health Network offers this level of placement through their SIPP program in
Miami and Aspire Health Partners offers comprehensive residential services for
both male and female victims of sex trafficking.

83 Shared Hopes National Colloquium Report (2012).

84 Florida House Bill 7141 (2014).

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Youth who enter these programs receive gender and culturally appropriate,
trauma informed recovery services in a safe and supportive environment.
Services include: mental health, substance use and co-occurring disorder
treatment services. The programs are specifically designed to address the
physical, emotional and sexual trauma experienced by these youth. Residents are
also enrolled in educational and vocational services, including credit retrieval and
remedial tutoring.

Concerns have been raised by CSEC providers,

Future legislation should contemplate
Community-based lead agencies, and community
allowing mixed populations when staff
advocates that there are unnecessary barriers
has received specialized training so as
to accessing residential treatment centers for
to not lose capacity and experienced
youth who are need of deep-end mental health
providers by causing programs to shut
interventions. Concerns raised include the
down.
need for a suitability assessment for youth in
dependent care before they can access long term
residential mental health programs. It has been stated that there are a limited
number of individuals who can conduct suitability assessments, which delays
access to services. In addition, often the assessments come back focused on the
childs behavior and not the impact of their trauma on their mental health. This
focus limits the ability to provide the child the quality and intensity of mental
health interventions required. Finally, these groups have articulated concerns that
some assessors lack adequate levels of training on human trafficking. As the state
continues to build the continuum of care for victims of sexual exploitation, this
topic should be closely evaluated.

Again, these programs should have independent evaluation of measurable

outcomes to determine the efficacy of the programs and to work toward
evidence-based programming.

One unintended consequence of House Bill 7141 is that it may prove cost
prohibitive for residential programs to maintain CSEC programming if survivors
have to be separated from other youth, potentially requiring twice the resources.
Future legislation should contemplate allowing mixed populations when staff has
received specialized training so as to not lose capacity and experienced providers
by causing programs to shut down.

Adult survivors may find themselves in need of similar deep end mental health
and substance abuse services. Specialized programs for adults in this setting
are limited. Attention must be given to training mental health and substance
abuse clinicians across the state so that existing community infrastructure can
be utilized to provide services to the sex trafficking survivor. DCF has launched

46
 2016 Report to the Council

clinical work groups this year to identify mental health training curriculums for
clinicians as well as to evaluate how to leverage the existing infrastructure of
community mental health and substance abuse providers. DCFs central region,
through their Substance Abuse and Mental Health office, is piloting human
trafficking training for clinicians. The training will include human trafficking 101
and a clinical intervention piece. Both Devereux and Citrus Health Network are
involved in this training endeavor. Follow up with the clinicians will be needed to
determine the impact on their knowledge and ability to identify the unique needs
of the population.

Transitional & Reintegration Services

Professionals experienced in working with survivors know that a survivors need
for services often does not end when they turn 18. In fact, many survivors are
not identified until close to their 18th birthday. It is unreasonable to think that
age dictates the level of support a survivor needs. Further, if the state has been
unsuccessful in identifying the survivor earlier, the survivor should not suffer by
having access to services for a shorter time. Transition and reintegration should
be deliverable services at any age. Needs for the survivor include, but are not
limited to, education, employment, transitional housing, and ongoing support
services.

Implications for Florida:

Transitional services such as transitional living, education,
Florida needs to determine
and job skill development should be funded for verified
how to roll out uniform
victims of human trafficking. Continuity of treatment
training for mental health
is an issue that needs to be a focus. The clinical work
professionals statewide.
groups detailed earlier include a deliverable to explore
how to leverage the existing community mental health
and substance abuse infrastructure to provide continuity of care as individuals
return to their communities from more restrictive or intensive levels of care.
Florida needs to determine how to roll out uniform training for mental health
professionals statewide. Funding should be provided to support that endeavor.

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Screening and Assessment

Currently, no validated tools exist to screen victims to determine victimization
or assess their needs specifically for specialized services to address the sex
trafficking victimization. States such as California, Florida and Maryland have all
created and implemented different tools to identify CSEC victims, and many
other states have used Shared Hopes INTERVENE tool for identification of
victims; however, as of January 2016, none of these tools were considered
validated. As mentioned previously, one obstacle to the validation of these
instruments is that a significant amount of data needs to be collected in order
to conduct a defensible study utilizing generally accepted validation methods.
There is also no presence of a control group with which to compare to potential
victims that are screened using these human trafficking screening tools.

With no validated tools available to utilize in Florida, in 2014, a 23-person

workgroup developed the Human Trafficking Screening Tool, which was to be
used as an identification tool. Pursuant to House Bill 7141,85 DJJ and DCF have
both implemented Floridas Human Trafficking Screening Tool (HTST) statewide.
Juvenile assessment center and intake facility staff, DJJ Probation Officers and
DCF Child Protective Investigators statewide have been trained to utilize the
HTST. Additional entities such as delinquency prevention providers, the Florida
Network of Youth and Family Services, and Community-Based Care staff are in
the process of being trained as of Summer 2016.

85 Florida House Bill 7141 (2014).

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 2016 Report to the Council

A placement tool, called the Level of Placement tool, was created by Dr. Leslie
Gavin Dewitt and is currently being implemented statewide. Implementation of
the HTST and Level of Placement Tool by child welfare staff is detailed in both
rule and operating procedure.

The final step, in terms of screening and assessment,

As with other areas of need,
in complying with House Bill 7141, is to determine or
there are no comparable
create an assessment tool to be used across settings
tools available to utilize with
in Florida. This tool will be used to assess current
adult survivors of trafficking. If
psychological functioning and prioritize treatment and
validated, the HTST will only
interventions for individual needs in order to create a
be considered valid for use
treatment plan. In line with the uniform use of the HTST
with youth 18 years of age and
across various agencies, ideally a uniform assessment
younger.
tool will be implemented across systems to benefit data
collection and information gathering to study the needs
and characteristics of this often misunderstood population. As with tools to
screen for human trafficking victimization, there are currently no validated human
trafficking assessment tools; however, there are derivations of valid and reliable
trauma screening tools, such as the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths
(CANS) Assessment that are intended to assess CSEC victims.

As with other areas of need, there are no comparable tools available to utilize
with adult survivors of trafficking. If validated, the HTST will only be considered
valid for use with youth 18 years of age and younger. First responders should
be trained on indicators of sex trafficking in an effort to better identify this
population in the absence of a targeted screening effort.

Implications for Florida:

In the fall of 2015, a statewide clinical workgroup was created to identify or
create an assessment tool to be used for services planning with CSEC victims.
This workgroup will research current CSEC assessment instruments and
determine which assessment instrument should be used uniformly in Florida. The
clinical workgroup will continue to meet to identify a clinical assessment tool and
develop a recommendation regarding an assessment instrument for DCF.

In terms of validating Floridas HTST, one option that Florida has explored is a
cross-validation study the tool with another states identification tool, such as
Californias Commercial Sexual Exploitation- Identification Tool (CSE-IT). The
validation of CSE-IT is currently ongoing as well.86 DJJs Data and Research Team
will continue to collect the data necessary for validation and explore potential

86 All information was provided via phone on 12/10/2015 by Hannah Haley, Policy and
Communications Associate, WestCoast Childrens Clinic, California

49
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

opportunities to conduct cross-validation studies with other states. Florida

should also continuously track the validation efforts being conducted on other
human trafficking identification tools.

An additional effort to consider in enhancing our identification and assessment

efforts of this population is the creation of statutory language around a 72-
hour assessment period, similar to a Baker Act or Marchman Act, but specific
to commercially sexually exploited children and adults. Existing structures,
such as the Baker and Marchman Acts, are currently not equipped to handle
the identification and assessment of needs for this population and there are
concerns around the stigma that can arise from utilizing these two options.
Research should be conducted on other states efforts to address the immediate
assessment of victims to determine if there are any existing practices that could
be incorporated into[GK3] Floridas efforts.

In addition to trauma and social-emotional screening and assessment, physical

health screening is also especially pertinent for victims of sex trafficking, who
have high susceptibility to STIs and other health-related concerns. DOH can
provide technical support toward developing a clinical protocol to address the
most common medical concerns of victims.

Sex trafficking survivors require specialized attention by

Currently, there are no behavioral healthcare providers. These are highly complex
screenings efforts being victims whose trauma generally began long before their
conducted in Florida schools, commercial exploitation. In order to be prepared to
so the current awareness work effectively with this population, treatment providers
education campaign is require specialized training to address their multiple
still necessary to build a needs.
foundation for anti-trafficking
in schools. Currently, there are no screenings being conducted in
Florida schools, so the current awareness education
campaign is still necessary to build a foundation for anti-
trafficking in schools. This may be something that DOE can consider as a future
initiative. Additionally, the DOH will evaluate opportunities to utilize the HTST
tool and other screening options while monitoring potential victim identification
in DOH clinical settings.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

Victims of sex trafficking generally present with multiple co-occurring
psychological symptoms. These include, but are not limited to, substance-
related disorders, dissociative disorders, impulse control disorders, conduct
disorders, attachment disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders, affective

50
 2016 Report to the Council

disorders as well as traits of personality disorders. Most victims present with

post-traumatic stress disorder. While victims may have been introduced to
substances by their exploiters, many continue using order to self-medicate
these psychological disorders and manage stress and distress.

There is limited research on effective treatment approaches to address the

unique needs of this population. Because this is still a relatively new field, no
models have been fully tested for their efficacy with respect to sex trafficking.
Some evidence supports the effectiveness of trauma-specific services for
survivors including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT),
Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST), Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach
(A-CRA), and Motivational Interviewing. Promising models of care include
individual therapy, family, and group therapy. Substance-related disorders are
often found to be co-occurring in victims of human trafficking. While a few
victims of trafficking reported prior substance addictions, the majority of victims
who reported alcohol and drug use said they began using after they were in
their trafficking situations. Some victims reported using alcohol and drugs to
help them deal with their situations; however, others reported being forced
or coerced to use drugs or alcohol by traffickers. Overall, the complexity of
the needs experienced by this population indicates the need for a treatment
approach that is holistic, individualized, trauma-informed, and tailored to
the unique experiences and needs of youth who have experienced sexual
exploitation.

Implications for Florida:

As mentioned previously, in the fall of 2015, a statewide clinical workgroup
was created. In addition to recommendations on assessment instruments, this
workgroup has also been tasked to: identify the accepted treatment modalities
for sex trafficking victims, identify or create a mental health training curriculum
for providers and identify or create a training curriculum for staff of residential
providers. Once the workgroup has identified their recommendations, targeted
training should be developed for substance abuse and mental health service
providers.

Survivor-Mentor
An important component of a truly robust system of care is access to a trained
survivor-mentor as quickly as possible upon a victims identification. A survivor-
mentor is a survivor of sexual exploitation who has experienced significant
healing and is mentally, emotionally, and physically stable enough to serve recently
identified victims. The survivor-mentor should be well trained and paired with a
highly trained clinician. He or she would work to establish a rapport with the

51
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

young person. Ideally, the survivor-mentor should be on call 24 hours a day, 7

days a week, and manage a small caseload ranging from seven to 12 survivors
based on their assessed needs and the survivors capacity; this survivor-mentor
would be available to support and intervene with both the victim and the
caregivers. The survivor-mentor should be affiliated with, or funded by, the
coordinated care system, not one particular program or agency, so they can stay
with the survivor as they move in and out of various systems.

Potential survivor-mentors must be carefully screened to ascertain the status

of their own recovery. It is vital that programs not utilize survivors in this role
before they are ready. Survivor-mentors must have a working knowledge of
their own emotional functioning and be able to identify situations that trigger
negative memories or emotional responses. Additionally, survivor-mentors should
continue treatment or support services while working with this population.

Implications for Florida:

Florida has a rapidly expanding system of survivor-led programming. This includes
specific programs such as More Too Life and The Wayne Foundation, which are
specifically survivor led, and programs such as Selah
DCF and DJJ have put Freedom and the Open Door model, which are survivor
together an informal Adult informed. Survivors are engaged in mentor roles with the
Survivor Advisory Group to court system in both Sarasota and Miami-Dade counties,
assist in evaluating policies and through diversion programs and human trafficking court
programs and provide insight programs. DCF and DJJ have put together an informal
to specific issues brought to Adult Survivor Advisory Group to assist in evaluating
the group for discussion. policies and programs and provide insight to specific
issues brought to the group for discussion. This group
consists of all genders, and a first face-to-face meeting
is scheduled for the fall of 2016. DCF and DJJ are also in the design phase for a
similar group for transitional age survivors.

Florida needs to establish opportunities for survivor engagement in formalized

systems, to include institutional settings and throughout child welfare and juvenile
justice programming. It is important to establish roles and detail boundaries of
information sharing, determine confidentiality limitations, and identify support
structures to prevent re-victimization of survivors.

Services for LGBTQ and Male Survivors

A robust system of care includes programs housing options that are
sensitive to the LGBTQ community. A comprehensive study published by
the Urban Institute in 2015 identified several critical considerations in serving

52
 2016 Report to the Council

the LGBTQ population, as defined in the study, victimized through sex trafficking.
They reported that LGBTQ youth lack access to services, including short- and
long-term housing, shelter options, livable-wage employment opportunities,
and gender-affirming health care. Many of the youth who are able to access
these services reported institutional barriers through service denial, violence
from breach of confidentiality, and unsafe and discriminatory treatment by staff
and other recipients of these services, on the basis of their sexual orientation,
gender identity, gender expression, and age. In addition, many youth reported
disappointing or frustrating experiences with social service systems and
providers, that fail to meet their need for safe housing, reliable income, and
adequate mental and physical health care, as well as their need for freedom,
independence, and self-expression.87

For youth in a juvenile justice setting identifying as LGBTQ, there are significant
differences in arrest rates for prostitution. One study found that lesbian, bisexual,
and questioning girls are twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to be held
for prostitution, while only 1 percent of heterosexual boys are detained for
prostitution compared with 10 percent of their gay, bisexual, or questioning
peers.88

Additionally, there is a common misconception

International studies found
that boys are not sex trafficking victims. Floridas
that boys and young men are
own Abuse Hotline statistics prove this is not the case.
far less visible than girls and
Additionally, DJJ intake data indicates that males and
young women. This presents
females share several risk factors for involvement in
multiple challenges as there
sex trafficking and as many as 26 percent of the 576
are some indications that
calls accepted by the Florida Abuse Hotline for human
males are less likely to be
trafficking as a result of the HTST were for boys.89
identified.
These risks include a history of child maltreatment,
family violence, and out of home residential placements.
International studies found that boys and young men are far less visible than
girls and young women. This presents multiple challenges as there are some
indications that males are less likely to be identified.90 Additionally, there is a
common misconception that boys are not exploited through pimps. This calls for
the development of targeted initiatives to raise public awareness and to develop
87 Dank, M. Surviving the Streets of New York. http://www.urban.org/research/publication/
surviving-streets-new-york-experiences-lgbtq-youth-ymsm-and-ywsw-engaged-survival-
sex/view/media-mentions
88 Brown. B.,The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of LGBTQ Youth. http://www.nccdglobal.
org/blog/the-commercial-sexual-exploitation-of-lgbtq-youth
89 DJJ internal communication (March 2016).
90 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2013).

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

gender responsive services tailored to meet the specific needs of boys who are
victims of sex trafficking. Curricula that build self-esteem addresses self-worth as
well as positive relationships are integral in working with male victims. Moreover,
male mentor survivor programs should be part of the advocacy and healing
process.

Implications for Florida:

Florida has identified nine programs in Central, Suncoast, Northeast, Southern
and South Florida that serve LGBTQ youth. The Panhandle lacks any identified
services.91 Services such as those below should be replicated around the state
and staff should be trained to provide specialized services for sex trafficking
survivors.

Orlandos Zebra Coalition, a network which represents over 22 public and

private organizations, works collaboratively to address the needs of LGBTQ
youth during their transition from childhood to adulthood.92 Zebra Coalition
works with the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force to provide rapid
response and placement for male victims, thus ensuring safety. With a drop-
in house where the youth can seek safety, food, showers, counseling services,
medical, dental, vocation and educational development, and living placement, the
Zebra Coalition has built a model for one of the most vulnerable populations.

Family Resources, a Florida Network of Youth and Family Services program in

St. Petersburg, operates two LGBTQ Transitional Living Programs that currently
serves community youth. One program is for youth under the age of 18, and the
second is for those over the age of 18. The program is designed for individuals
who want active assistance transitioning to adulthood and a level of support
following that transition.

JASMYN, located in Jacksonville, supports and empowers LGBTQyoung people

by creating safe space, providing health and wholeness services, and offering
youth development opportunities, whilebringing peopleand resourcestogether
to promote equality and human rights. They run a drop-in center, which is open
two Fridays a month. JASMYN is a youth-centric organization, which means that
youth voices are brought into everything they do. Services they offer include
support groups, youth council, safe sex curriculum, a Gay-Straight Alliance
network within the school system, and case management.

Efforts of these organizations should be replicated in other parts of Florida. It

is critical that service providers collaborate with existing programs that serve
91 https://www.lambdalegal.org/sites/default/files/publications/downloads/fs_resources-for-
lgbtq-youth-by-state_1.pdf
92 Zebra Coalition, Federal Drug-Free Communities Grant (2013).

54
 2016 Report to the Council

LGBTQ youth to develop effective victim-centered, culturally competent

programmatic strategies for serving this population.

In regards to commercially sexually exploited males, both those who identify as

LGBTQ and those that do not, there is currently limited sex trafficking-specific
services available. While some of the organizations named above have staff
trained to work with CSEC victims, and some of the specialized CSEC programs,
such as the CHANCE program in Miami, have the capability of working with
males and those who identify as male, there is a need for additional housing
and services options that specifically meet the needs of commercially sexually
exploited males.

Modified Existing Shelters

In communities where it is unrealistic or cost prohibitive to create a facility
devoted to serving sex trafficking survivors, existing shelters or housing
programs that traditionally service runaway and homeless youth or victims of
domestic violence and sexual assault should receive extensive specialized training
and consider modifying their programs to serve this population. Adjustments for
considerations include, but are not limited to:
Assessment of staff capacity
Extending the length of stay
Curriculum that addresses the special needs of sexually exploited youth
Utilizing services from the statewide coordinated care entity, especially
survivor-mentors, to support staff and to provide specialized services to
the survivor
Providing more intensive and specialized care management services
Interacting with federal and local law enforcement, within parameters of
confidentiality laws

Implications for Florida:

DJJ and DCF have begun to meet with the Florida Network for Youth and Family
Services staff to determine whether they should seek funding for the creation of
sex trafficking programming within shelters in underserved locations. In addition,
the three entities are in discussions regarding how to streamline practices
among the agencies based on cross-over populations currently being served.
The Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force (GOHTTF) is working with
Orange County government and several service providers to repurpose a former
county building into an emergency placement for adult female sex trafficking
victims. Citrus Health Network has obtained a former state building that was
vacant to repurpose it for a locked residential treatment program for adolescent
sex trafficking survivors. There continues to be partnership opportunities

55
Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

among community task force providers to leverage existing infrastructures for

specialized service response to adolescent and adult sex trafficking survivors.

Staff Self-Care Programs

Research indicates that providing trauma-focused treatment is emotionally
complex and can result in many professionals
Self-care is a dual experiencing distress, sometimes severe in nature. This
responsibility that should be distress can result in burnout, secondary traumatic stress,
practiced by the caregiver and vicarious traumatization and compassion fatigue. Self-
supported through thoughtful care is a dual responsibility that should be practiced
organizational support, by the caregiver and supported through thoughtful
training, and policy. organizational support, training, and policy.

Implications for Florida:

All programs funded or certified by the State of Florida should include a staff
self-care component. The Compassionate Fatigue Workbook by Francoise
Mathieu provides tools for therapists and other service providers that allow for
transforming compassionate fatigue and vicarious traumatization.93 This should
be facilitated by a trained trauma therapist who is not participating in service
delivery and whose sole purpose is to work with those who are providing the
services.

Medical Services
Survivors often have multiple health issues upon identification. Needs range from
treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, untreated latent physical injuries, and
neglected dental and eyesight problems. Local task forces should be proactive
in ensuring they have providers in place to meet these needs, regardless of
the survivors insurance status. Incidents sex trafficking victims have had with
medical personnel, in which the provider failed to recognize the signs of sexual
exploitation,94 indicates the need to identify a comprehensive training curriculum
for medical personnel.

Implications for Florida:

In 2014, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a partnership that
equips emergency medicine personnel with key information about human
trafficking. Attorney General Bondi was joined by members of the Florida

93 Mathieu, F. The Compassion Fatigue Workbook: Creative Tools for Transforming

Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Traumatization (Psychosocial Stress Series) 1st Edition.
Routledge; 1 edition (December 22, 2011)
94 Interviews with survivors, Florida Abuse Hotline personnel, services providers, victim
advocates, and law enforcement personnel between 2014 2016.

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 2016 Report to the Council

Association of EMS Medical Directors, the Florida College of Emergency

Physicians, the Emergency Medicine Learning and Resource Center, the
Medical Director of the Orange County EMS System, and the Orange County
Undersheriff to share the Human Trafficking Overview for Emergency Medicine
Personnel specifically designed for personnel responding to or assisting during
an emergency, so that victims of human trafficking can be better identified and
assisted in the early stages of receiving emergency medical care. According to the
Family Violence Prevention Fund, 28 percent of trafficking survivors in one study
said they came into contact with a healthcare provider during the trafficking
situation, and were not recognized.95

Task forces and service providers should create formal MOUs with their health
department, federally qualified health centers, local emergency rooms, and other
medical services in their local communities. DOH is evaluating opportunities to
promote expanded training among licensed health care professionals. The local
task force should also consult with the Volunteer Health Services program of
DOH to identify opportunities to work with health care professionals who are
volunteering their services in the community.

In 2016, St.Vincents Medical Center in Jacksonville became a part of a nationwide

human trafficking pilot project focused on enhancing human trafficking initiatives
within their facility. If successful, this initiative should be replicated elsewhere
throughout the state.

Services for Children with Disabilities

Little is known about the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adults
with disabilities. This population, perhaps the most vulnerable of all our citizens,
need particular consideration due to their increased
inability to defend themselves. Studies indicate that the This population, perhaps
rate of sexual abuse among mentally disabled individuals the most vulnerable of all
is higher than the general population, and disability is our citizens, need particular
considered a risk factor for exploitation in commercial consideration due to their
sexual exploitation and juvenile sex trafficking.96 increased inability to defend
Individuals with intellectual disability may have increased themselves.
risk and lower opportunity for identification as they may
not recognize what is occurring, they may not be believed due to their disability,
they may not recognize the illegal behavior being perpetrated on them, and they
may be susceptible to threats preventing disclosure. 97

95 See press release at http://bit.ly/2aWGT6K for details.

96 Reid, J. Sex Trafficking of Girls with Intellectual Disabilities. 5/20/2015.
97 Id.

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Implications for Florida:

Currently, few sex trafficking programs in Florida are equipped to treat victims
with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The Devereux Viera campus is the
only known program that has the specialization to serve both CSEC victims and
youth with developmental delays. Dr. Joan Reid presented on a study of Florida
female sex trafficking victims in which she found 30 percent of the cases in her
study sample had identified intellectual disabilities.98 The Agency for Persons with
Disabilities (APD) should continue researching the extent of commercial sexual
exploitation that is occurring with both the adolescent and adult populations
they serve. Such research should inform the extent of Floridas need to create
services for this subpopulation.

Though there is little data to guide us, it is clearly important to work with
agencies that serve the needs of those with intellectual disabilities, including the
Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Childrens Medical Services within DOH, as
well as non-profit organizations such as Goodwill Industries. It is important to
develop anti-trafficking education materials for individuals with disabilities and to
train those working with this population to be vigilant to sex trafficking issues.

Legal Services
Legal needs of victims may include defense in a criminal case, immigration
representation, petitioning for expunction of criminal record resulting from
exploitation, pursuit of a civil suit against trafficker and
Due to the complex legal more. Due to the complex legal needs of victims, task
needs of victims, task forces forces and case managers should ensure victims have
and case managers should access to quality legal services. Community attorneys and
ensure victims have access to legal aid organizations should be cultivated to provide
quality legal services. these services pro bono in their area of expertise.

A secondary area of attention has been within the

family court and dependency court arenas. Several cases have been highlighted
by victim advocates in which sex trafficking victims have lost custody of their
children to the childs father, who is also the victims trafficker.

Implications for Florida:

Currently in Florida, we do have some examples of entities that provide
specialized legal services to sex trafficking victims, often pro bono. The West
Florida Center for Trafficking Advocacy is an organization in the Tampa area
made up of attorneys who offer pro bono or reduced-cost legal assistance to
survivors,99 including expunction of criminal records related to the victimization.
98 Reid, J. Sex Trafficking of Girls with Intellectual Disabilities. 5/20/2015.
99 More information is available at www.traffickingadvocacy.org.

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 2016 Report to the Council

The Jacksonville Bar Association also has a group of Pro Bono attorneys
specialized to work with sex trafficking victims. Initiatives like these two, and the
services they provide, should exist across Florida. Additionally, legal aid initiatives
like those provided by the Gulf Coast Legal Services, Florida State University
Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, law school clinics, and several
immigration advocacy organizations should be replicated. Local task forces should
leverage legal aid organizations to represent survivors.

In order to assist those representing survivors of sex trafficking, The Florida Bar,
through a special committee regarding human trafficking response, created a
checklist.100 This checklist serves as a tool to be used by attorneys and advocates
to identify the common legal, medical, and social issues faced by human trafficking
survivors. Instruments such as this checklist should be made widely available as a
resource for any lawyer in Florida that may represent a sex trafficking victim.

Accommodations for Survivors with Children

Survivors who are parents require specialized services based on their childs
needs. A robust continuum of care will offer programming that accommodates
the demands on a mother survivor and equips her to successfully parent, if
possible. Developmental services for the child as well as childcare should be
offered to those mother survivors in order to engage her in services. Providers
must also coordinate with the child welfare system if the survivors children are
at risk of being removed, to ensure all services are made available in an attempt
to prevent removal.

Implications for Florida:

Florida needs specialized placements for pregnant/mother survivors and their
children. This is a significant gap in services in Florida. These services should be
developed within existing sex trafficking programs, or sex trafficking services
should be developed in placements designed to care for pregnant girls or girls
with children. Currently, Aspire Health Partners has a Women and Childrens
program in Orange County that serves pregnant survivors and their children
who have substance use or co-occurring disorders.

Stringent Service Delivery Standards

While Florida needs more specialized residential services for survivors of sex
trafficking, it is also clear that current residential care providers must attain a
minimum level of expertise and qualification should they wish to participate
effectively in a continuum of care. Only by establishing a minimum standard of

100 All information obtained on July 7, 2016 from Nilda Pedrosa, Deputy Chief of Staff, Florida
Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

care can Florida declare that it has a plan to accommodate the complex and
inherently transitory nature of these victims, especially early in treatment.

Service delivery standards must address the concerns unique to sex trafficking
victims. Therapeutic interventions must be designed in a way that is trauma-
informed and guided by an understanding of the volatile emotional and
psychological impact created by systemic abuse. Screenings and assessments
must be conducted according to demonstrated principles that unveil hidden
evidence of exploitation, while respecting the survivors unique culture and
experience. Providers must have a unified language and compassionate approach
in working with survivors, along with an understanding of
Consultation and coordination survivors need for safety and respect.
with local law enforcement, Safety for the survivor, staff, and others present in a
and contingency plans for program must be protected by an established standard
related emergencies must be for recognizing recruitment activity, minimizing
required and exercised under unsupervised contact, and accounting for the possible
close monitoring. presence of a criminal third party with a vested interest
in the victim or others in the facility. Consultation and
coordination with local law enforcement, and contingency plans for related
emergencies must be required and exercised under close monitoring.

Implications for Florida:

The 2014, HB 7141 established expectations regarding specialized training for
any child protective investigator or case manager working on an investigation
with allegations of human trafficking or providing ongoing services to a child
who is identified as CSEC involved. These staff must complete six hours of
class training and complete a minimum of one hour quarterly of ongoing human
trafficking training to be recognized as certified in human trafficking. Without
this certification they may not work human trafficking cases. In addition, DCF and
DJJ staff must have this certification to execute the HTST.101 The development
of certification for safe houses and safe foster homes established standards for
human trafficking training for all staff in those placements. Two foster parent
curriculums have also been approved for use in Florida. The curriculums are
designed by Devereux and Citrus Health Network.

The clinical workgroup will continue to work to identify desired outcomes that
will assist in the creation of service delivery and outcome standards for service
providers serving this population.

101 DCF CFOP 170-14

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 2016 Report to the Council

Data Collection and Sharing

Data collection is integral in planning, piloting, and
There is a need for a
developing programs. Research assists in the identification
significant increase in
of victims, impact of service delivery and placement
funding to increase funding
options, as well as highlighting promising practices to
potentials and provide a more
share around the nation. Finally, research is an integral
comprehensive picture of
part of the initial stages of creating a road map for
effective service delivery.
replication of services, strategic planning, and identifying
accurate levels of funding and effective distribution. There
is a need for a significant increase in funding to increase funding potentials and
provide a more comprehensive picture of effective service delivery.

Implications for Florida:

As previously discussed, the true prevalence of sex trafficking is not currently
known and there is not a uniform data collection and evaluation methodology
utilized statewide, but progress is being made. Data on CSEC collected in
the Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS) and DCFs information system,
FSFN, is now routinely shared to identify our cross over youth and to highlight
intersection options. DCF is currently working with RTI International on
a prevalence study exploring human trafficking prevalence in child welfare.
Outcomes are expected in early 2017. Pursuant to House Bill 7141, DCF and
DJJ are currently utilizing the same victim identification screening tool. Both
agencies are collecting data specific to the Human Trafficking Screening Tool and
will continue to do so and share this information with each other. This tool is
available to any other organizations who may encounter victims. Florida should
fund a statewide system for aggregate data collection for all entities utilizing the
tool.

Data collection within the DOE will begin in 2017 with the inclusion of human
trafficking questions on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS was
developed in 1990 to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute
markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among
youth and adults in the U.S. These behaviors, often established during childhood
and early adolescence, include:
Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence.
Sexual behaviors related to unintended pregnancy and sexually
transmitted infections.
Alcohol and other drug use.
Tobacco use.
Unhealthy dietary choices.
Inadequate physical activity.

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

The YRBS includes national, state, territorial, tribal government, and local school-
based surveys of representative samples of 9th through 12th grade students.
These surveys are conducted every two years. For the first time, two human
trafficking questions are being added. Florida is the only state funded through
the Centers for Disease Controls cooperative agreement to add trafficking
questions to the tool in 2017.102

To fully understand not only prevalence but also the efficacy of services provided
to this population, all entities involved in identifying and serving this population
should develop targeted data collection efforts. All other entities mentioned
in the Limitations in Capturing Human Trafficking Data in Florida as currently
collecting data should be looked to for potential replication throughout the state
or to add to and strengthen their efforts. This is a crucial part of determining the
scale and scope of the issue, determining funding needs, as well as determining
the efficacy of the services being provided.

Beyond data collection from the new tool, the YSRB and other data-collecting
entities, treatment providers, task forces, and academic institutions should
collaborate to design studies and choose research questions to inform the work
stakeholders are doing. To date very few studies on services being provided
have been conducted. In 2014, the Florida DJJ released a report entitled Briefing
Report: Prevalence of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC). That
report provided research on the screening tool pilot project that was conducted
using Shared Hope Internationals Intervene Tool.103 Efforts should be made to
collect research on human trafficking initiatives and pilots throughout the state.

In the Spring of 2016, the CHANCE Program out of Miami, Florida released
its second annual report regarding the youth they serve and the services they
provide, as well as the outcomes of those services. The independent evaluation
of their program is being conducted by researchers at the University of South
Florida.104 Currently, the CHANCE Program is the only sex trafficking-specific
service provider having an independent evaluation conducted on their program.

A clinical workgroup developed in 2015 by DCF has been tasked with developing
outcomes and metrics that could serve as measurables in determining the
efficacy of programs serving this population. Once completed, these should
serve to inform providers of the outcomes that the state is looking for in
determining success. Ultimately, it may be used as a determining factor in
continued state-sponsored funding.

102 Information received via email from Michelle Gaines, Florida Dept. of Education, July 2016.
103 DJJ Briefing Report: Prevalence of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC).
104 Armstrong, M., Johnson, M., Landers, M., Dollard, N. & Anderson, R. (2016). Citrus Helping
Adolescents Negatively Impacted by Commercial Exploitation (CHANCE) Pilot Study:
Progress Report. Tampa, FL: Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute. University of
South Florida.

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Evaluate the Impact of Interventions

There is an opportunity to document what our local communities are doing,
evaluate impact, and share lessons. The goals of evaluation are to increase
services for victims who are identified and evaluate the impact of interventions.
Sex trafficking programs must assess the appropriateness and effectiveness
of treatment interventions, fidelity to the program model, and evaluate youth
outcomes.

Implications for Florida:

Funding needs to be identified and allocated to support research on effective
interventions for adult and minor victims of sex trafficking. The CHANCE
evaluation by the University of South Florida is the only independent evaluation
of a program identifying themselves as a specialized provider for the CSEC
population. The outcomes from this research are being utilized for the
development of safe house and safe foster home metrics. The 2015 research
conducted by DJJ demonstrating significantly higher ACE scores among
commercially sexually exploited youth assists in developing comprehensive
intervention and response protocols. Finally, the research published by the
University of South Florida regarding the high rate of commercial sexual
exploitation targeting youth with low cognitive functioning also stresses the need
for DCF, DJJ, and APD engagement and collaboration, as well as identifies specific
needs in services and placements. These studies have directly impacted statewide
response and practice.

Training
Training is a universal need throughout the state. Each agency that is represented
on the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, as well as any other entity that
may identify or interact with human trafficking victims, should offer at least
introductory human trafficking training to their staff. Training should be ongoing
and should be updated regularly to reflect trends.

While many entities, from state agencies to individual service providers have
begun to include human trafficking training as required or optional training for
their staff, for the purposes of this report, efforts of the agencies participating in
the Services and Resources Committee will be addressed.

Over the past few years both DCF and DJJ have developed targeted training
efforts on human trafficking to ensure their employees are equipped to not
only identify but also serve CSEC victims. State law105 requires that all child
welfare case managers, child protective investigators, and DJJ intake staff receive
105 Florida House Bill 7141 (2014).

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

CSEC training with additional hours of training required

DCF developed a six-
on implementation of HTST. As a result, DCF developed
hour training required
a six-hour training required for any child protective
for any child protective
investigator investigating CSEC maltreatment reports
investigator investigatin CSEC
and utilizing the HTST. DJJ developed a similar four-
maltreatment reports and
hour training, required for intake and probation staff,
utilizing the HTST.
implementing the HTST. Staff of both agencies who
currently use the HTST have received training and both
departments have developed a plan for new staff to receive training on the HTST
as needed.

DJJ also requires all staff working with youth to complete a one-hour human
trafficking training every other year. Finally, DJJs Staff Development and Training
Division is incorporating Human Trafficking 101 trainings into new curricula for
both the Juvenile Probation Officer and Juvenile Detention Officers academies.
Therefore, all incoming probation and detention staff that go through the
academies will receive an introductory training on human trafficking.

The Florida DOE hosts an annual Healthy Schools Summer Academy. This
professional development is for teachers and administrators of health education
content, and session topics address important social topics that support a safe
and supportive school environment. The annual event invites 150 participants
including teachers, school nurses, guidance counselors, and school and district
administrators. Since 2014, human trafficking has been addressed in the keynote
address, general sessions, breakout sessions, and by exhibitors. In 2014, the
Lifeboat Project beta tested their anti-trafficking ACT app and received valuable
feedback for academy participants.106 The 2016 Summer Academy featured a
keynote message from Selah Freedom.

Since 2014, Duval County public schools has invited DOEs Healthy Schools to
present at their back-to-school Educating Healthy and Fit Students professional
development workshop for health and physical education teachers. In 2015, the
Duval County teachers previewed the DOE human trafficking fact sheet for
schools and provided feedback assisting in agency approval. Approximately 65
teachers attend each year. At the request of Duval County, the DOE will present
on human trafficking to their county in the fall of 2016.

Washington County District Schools requested a district-wide professional

development workshop for all personnel. DOE will be providing two sessions for
approximately 300 teachers, support staff, bus drivers, and administrators prior to
the start of the 2016-2017 school year. The Heartland Educational Consortium

106 http://www.lifeboat-act.com/#home

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 2016 Report to the Council

(HEC) requested and received training in 2015 and 2016. DOE is working closely
with HEC to develop a speakers bureau for the local secondary schools.

In addition, the Florida Parent Teacher Association (PTA) adopted child

trafficking as their advocacy platform in 2015. Interest from all regions has
gained momentum. Human trafficking topics have been featured at all meetings,
conferences, and the PTA summit. The DOE Healthy Schools team actively
engages with the Florida PTA on their anti-trafficking platform. On February 7,
2015, DOE served on a child abuse prevention panel discussion at the Healthy
Children, Healthy Future State Summit. DOE presented a child human trafficking
message at the Florida PTA State Leadership Summit on November 14, 2015.
DOE Healthy Schools contributes to the PTA newsletter by providing resources
for schools and parents bi-monthly. The collaboration is seeking pilot districts
for the child trafficking assembly program, in partnership with local advocacy
agencies, for Human Trafficking Month in 2017.

Basic Human Trafficking Awareness training has been made available to all
DOH employees via the online central training tool, TRAIN Florida. The
Human Trafficking Awareness Training produced as a part of the Department
of Homeland Securitys Blue Campaign was selected for this basic training. The
awareness training is being promoted internally via all-employee emails and
the intranet. A specialized level of training is being conducted with specific
department employees whose responsibilities may tend to bring them into
potential contact with human trafficking victims. The following programs provided
1,021 individuals with specialized human trafficking training in 2015: Medical
Quality Assurance, Family Planning Program and the Migrant Housing Program.

Implications for Florida:

While it shows great progress that each of these agencies has initiated training
efforts with their staff, many other professionals need training, too. Mandatory
training should be instituted for three additional key groups of professionals.
First, all active law enforcement officers should receive minimal training so
they can better identify risk factors. Currently, all new hires receive two hours
of training in the academy, but those hired before 2007 were not required to
receive any. Therefore, a large percentage of Floridas law enforcement officers
require training and education on the issue of human trafficking. Working with
the Office of the Attorney General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
(FDLE) recently updated an online Introduction to Human Trafficking Course
that provides an option for those hired before 2007 to receive training on

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

human trafficking.107 The Statewide Council on Human Traffickings Criminal

Justice Committee has also explored adding human trafficking to the mandatory
retraining requirements list and should continue to do so.

Second, it is important that other state agencies that may interact with victims
develop policy around human trafficking training to ensure that their agencys
staff are trained to identify and direct potential victims to assistance. It is critical
that Florida establish rigorous training protocols that include core competencies
based on the level of interaction with survivors. Florida has developed a clinical
work group to create or adopt a mental health curriculum for training mental
health professionals.

Finally, medical professionals in emergency departments and county health

departments should receive more training, as they are often in the best position
to identify victims.Victims often present with their traffickers, and healthcare
providers miss the signs of exploitation or do not know how to help. Medical
workers must be trained in what human trafficking is, the clinical presentation of
victims, their treatment needs, and how to help. Training initiatives by DOH and
Office of the Attorney General should be expanded.108

Comprehensive Resource Guide

Services currently available should be known to law enforcement, practitioners,
child welfare professionals, and juvenile justice professionals. Because every
component of the continuum of care cannot exist in each local community,
the state should post a database of services available statewide so neighboring
communities can utilize one anothers services.

Implications for Florida:

While House Bill 7141 mandates that DCF maintain a comprehensive database of
sex trafficking services, limited funding has affected the ability to accomplish this
in an easily updatable and distributable format. Local task forces have created
resource guides. DCF provides links to local task forces on their website. United
Way 211 and Northland Resource Point are both electronic systems which may
be easily updated by providers, as well as easily accessible to anyone seeking
specific services for human trafficking response.

107 All information obtained on 7/6/2016 from Nilda Pedrosa, Deputy Chief of Staff, florida
Attorney General Pam Bondi
108 Training information for healthcare providers is available at http://www.humantraffickinged.
com/ and http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/RMAS-9MCFVP/$file/
HumanTraffickingOverview.pdf.

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Public Awareness Campaign

Public awareness of the crimes related to sex trafficking and the dynamics of
coercion and trauma is essential for the success of anti-trafficking efforts. The
state should develop public awareness campaigns that target the public at large, as
well as survivors and those at-risk. Campaigns should address the misconceptions
associated with sex trafficking, signs of victimization, and
prevention strategies and should be inclusive of all types Efforts should be made to
of victims, including males and adults. It is important to include images of male victims
ensure images are not sensational or exploitive, and do and educate the public on
not promote stereotypes of survivors. Efforts should populations at heightened
be made to include images of male victims and educate risk, such as the homeless and
the public on populations at heightened risk, such as the LBGTQ communities.
homeless and LBGTQ communities. Additionally, public
awareness materials should address the intersections
and overlaps with other forms of violence, such as child abuse, intimate partner
violence, domestic violence, and sexual assaults, etc.109 Finally, funding should
be directed to public awareness campaigns aimed at reducing demand, with a
concerted effort on social media and widely attended athletic and community
events.110

Implications for Florida:

In 2015, House Bill 369 was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott mandating
that public awareness signs on human trafficking be displayed by the Department
of Transportation at the following locations throughout the state: rest areas,
turnpike service plazas, weigh stations, primary airports, passenger rail stations,
Florida welcome centers, emergency rooms, strip clubs, adult entertainment
establishments and massage parlors. Currently, you can see awareness signs in
many of these areas directing potential victims and concerned citizens to reach
out to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

Other significant efforts have been made by the Office of the Attorney General,
DCF, and many local organizations; however, Florida does not have cohesive
public messaging about sex trafficking or human trafficking as a whole. The
Statewide Council needs to identify a comprehensive public awareness campaign,
including print materials and various media platforms, incorporating the
components detailed above. The Abolish Campaign, the joint PSA by the Wayne
Foundation and DCF, and the newly developed PSA by the Florida Coalition
Against Human Trafficking can be looked to as great examples.111

109 APA Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls (2014).

110 Epstein, R. et. al (2013).
111 https://apps.facebook.com/htvmodels/

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Demand Reduction
Demand reduction policies focus on reduction of sex buying. Through demand
reduction strategies, state and local jurisdictions find ways to reduce prostitution
and sex trafficking. These measures include:
Web-based reverse stings, where those attempting to buy commercial
sex are arrested after making contact with a decoy prostitute who is
actually a police officer.
Brothel-based reverse stings, where police close a brothel, make it look
like it is still open, and then arrest those attempting to buy commercial
sex who arrive.
Seizing automobiles of those who solicit an individual for commercial
sex acts.
Suspending the drivers licenses of those who solicit an individual for
commercial sex acts.
Using surveillance cameras in anti-trafficking efforts.
John school education or treatment programs.A previous NIJ-
sponsored study found a 40 percent reduction in recidivism (8.8
percent down to 4.5 percent) in a john school program.112
Demand reduction strategies appear to be promising, but many have not been
rigorously assessed for effectiveness.

King County Washington is currently piloting a new demand reduction model

to reduce commercial sexual exploitation. Past attempts to address commercial
sex have focused on the arrest of prostituted people. The Buyer Beware Initiative
focuses on the buyers who drive demand. The municipalities participating in
Buyer Beware have committed to running stings on a monthly or bi-monthly
basis. In 2014, police agencies across King County collectively arrested more men
for patronizing a commercially sexually exploited individual than they arrested
women for prostitution.113 In previous years, women involved in prostitution
have been arrested at a rate 10 times higher than the men who paid for sex.
The initiative is coupled with a 10-week intervention program that is designed
to help sex buyers examine their attitudes about sexuality and their motivations
for paying commercially sexually exploited women and girls for sex. Seattle
police have been on the forefront of the demand reduction model since 2012,
when three women were arrested for prostitution compared to 89 men for
patronizing a prostitute.114

112 http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/human-trafficking/pages/reducing-demand.aspx
113 http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/buyer-beware-early-success-for-initiative-
targeting-johns-instead-of-prostitutes/
114 Id.

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Implications for Florida:

Law enforcement agencies in Florida have begun to use human trafficking charges
against sex buyers as a component of a demand reduction model. Jonathan
Marshal Taylor was indicted for his role as a buyer of commercial sex in a sex
trafficking of a minor/human trafficking case in August of 2015. This indictment
was presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Williams of the Gainesville/
Northern District of Florida. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) and FDLE. Taylor pleaded guilty to Federal charges 18 USC
1591 on January 20, 2016, and is pending sentencing.

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

WRAPPING IT UP
Floridas Current Continuum of Care
Florida offers a variety of services to victims of sex trafficking. From early
prevention in the community to intensive residential rehabilitation, public and
private agencies are working to identify and assist those at-risk, suspected, or
confirmed to be victims. Unfortunately, services are not available universally
throughout the state and much of the current services are directed toward
minor female victims. Prevention and early intervention services are better
represented statewide than intensive, therapeutic residential services.

Once victims are identified, they have many needs resulting from suffering
traumatic experiences. Sex trafficking victims may need substance abuse
treatment, mental health counseling, trauma therapy, legal assistance, and
support for their basic needs in addition to specialized services specific to the
victimization by their traffickers, or experiences they subjected themselves to in
order to survive on the streets.

While many of these general services are available through Floridas current
systems of care, accesses to specialized training, therapeutic expertise, and
ongoing support networks for survivors are far more limited geographically.
Voluntary short-term housing is available statewide through current service
providers targeting homeless individuals, but even these services may require a
survivor be removed from their home community, and the services are voluntary.
Depending on the individuals needs, this may represent a positive opportunity or
a hindrance to rehabilitation and a separation from positive support networks.
Long-term housing is more problematic. Specialized residential placements are
primarily available in urban areas and, even there, the number of victims far
surpasses the number of beds available.

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NEXT STEPS FOR FLORIDA

FY 2016-2017
Legislative
1. Statutorily create a statewide central coordinated care approach for funding
and care management. This approach would allow the funding to follow the youth
or adult victim regardless of the identifying system.

2. Work with the legislature to develop appropriate protections for Human

Trafficking Advocates. These should mirror the statutory protections for sexual
abuse victim advocates.

Funding
3. There is an increased need for funding the treatment and placement of juvenile
sex trafficking victims.

4. There is an increased need for funding to underserved populations such as

males, LGBTQ, intellectually disabled, pregnant, and young parents for placement
and services.

5. There is a need to seek funding for the comprehensive mapping of the system
of care specifically to identify prevention, community response, formal response,
transitional options, and adult interventions.

6. There is a need for funding for the ongoing evaluation of programs and tools
in Florida to transform promising programmatic practices into evidence-based
response.

7. There is a need to create a comprehensive awareness campaign that targets the

public, victims, and those at risk of victimization to be utilized uniformly across
state agencies.

Services
8. Equip each community or region in the state with a functioning task force.

9. Evaluate the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services (FNYFS) capacity
to house youth on an emergency basis, and identify a similar system for adult
victims.

10. Develop a statewide survivor-mentor program and create opportunities for

survivor engagement in formalized systems, to include institutional settings and
throughout child welfare and juvenile justice programming.

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Policy
11. Institute accountability standards for service providers working with this
population based on service outcome expectations.

12. Establish if there is a need to provide licensing and structural guidelines for
safe houses serving adult victims.

13. Evaluate the benefits of addressing human trafficking as a public health issue.

14. Require a staff self-care component for all programs funded or certified by
the State of Florida.

15. Develop a medical protocol for all children identified as human trafficking
victims that would be instituted by agencies and providers serving children.

16. Launch a campaign to recruit attorneys to represent victims pro bono in the
areas of criminal defense, immigration, expunction, and civil litigation.

Evaluation
17. Continuously track the validation efforts being conducted on other human
trafficking identification and assessment tools.

18. Contract with a state university to develop research and evaluation models
for sex trafficking programs, including identifying relevant metrics and measurable
outcomes.

19. Require any entity receiving state dollars to include program evaluation
through a state university. Internal evaluation by the entity should not serve to
meet this requirement. Outcomes should be detailed in requests for proposals.

Training/Education
20. Require that professionals working with children be trained to recognize signs
of sexual exploitation victimization.

21. Public schools statewide should adopt a curriculum to train staff and students
on the issue of sex trafficking.

22. Identify and require prevention education programs for at-risk youth.

23. Determine if john schools are beneficial and have an impact on demand rates
through na ational review of programs.

24. Require human trafficking as a mandatory retraining requirement through the

Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.

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 2016 Report to the Council

25. Mandate specialized human trafficking training for mental health and
substance abuse providers statewide.

Implementation Plan
The Services and Resources Committee respectfully requests, once the
recommendations have been submitted to the Statewide Council on Human
Trafficking, that committees draft implementation plans for their assigned
recommendations within 30 days. These plans should identify who is the lead for
the project and project participants, tasks/goals, deadlines and deliverables.

Consideration should be given to act expediently so that prioritized tasks can be

introduced for the FY 2017 2018 legislative session. Implementation plan status
reports should be expected at each quarterly meeting of the Statewide Council
on Human Trafficking, and recommendations should be adopted as agenda items
for the individual committees.

The Services and Resources Committee already has assigned leads for our
committee recommendations.

Services and Resources Committee Assignments

Statutorily create a statewide central coordinated care approach for funding and
care management. This approach would allow the funding to follow the youth or
adult victim regardless of the identifying system. DCF/DJJ/AG has lead

There is an increased need for funding the treatment and placement of juvenile
sex trafficking victims. DCF/DJJ has lead

There is an increased need for funding to underserved populations such as males,

LGBTQ, intellectually disabled, pregnant, and young parents for placement and
services. DCF/DJJ has lead

There is a need to seek funding for the comprehensive mapping of the system
of care specifically to identify prevention, community response, formal response,
transitional options, and adult interventions. DCF/DJJ has lead

Equip each community or region in the state with a functioning task force. DCF
has lead

Evaluate the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services (FNYFS) capacity
to house youth on an emergency basis, and identify a similar system for adult
victims. DJJ has lead

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Human Trafficking: Response in Florida

Develop a statewide survivor-mentor programming and create opportunities for

survivor engagement in formalized systems, to include institutional settings and
throughout child welfare and juvenile justice programming. DCF/DJJ has lead

Institute accountability standards for service providers working with this

population based on service outcome expectations. DCF/DJJ has lead

Evaluate the benefits of addressing human trafficking as a public health issue.

DOH has lead

Develop a medical protocol for all children identified as human trafficking victims
that would be instituted by agencies and providers serving children. DOH has
lead

Continuously track the validation efforts being conducted on other human

trafficking identification and assessment tools. DCF/DJJ has lead

Contract with a state university to develop research and evaluation models for
sex trafficking programs, including identifying relevant metrics and measurable
outcomes. DCF/DJJ has lead

Public schools statewide must adopt a curriculum to train staff and students on
the issue of sex trafficking. DOE has lead

Identify and require prevention education programs for at-risk youth. DOE has
lead

Identify specialized human trafficking training for mental health and substance
abuse providers statewide. ACHA has lead

Legislative and Special Initiatives Committee Assignments

Work with the Legislature to develop appropriate protections for human
trafficking advocates. These should mirror the statutory protections for sexual
abuse victim advocates.

Work with the Legislature to ensure continued funding for the on-going
evaluation of programs and tools in Florida, to transform promising programmatic
practices into evidence-based response.

Identify strategic partnership opportunities to develop and distribute a

comprehensive awareness campaign that targets the public, victims, and those at
risk of victimization that would be utilized uniformly across state agencies.

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 2016 Report to the Council

Work with the Legislature and appropriate state agencies to determine licensing
and structural guidelines for safe houses serving adult victims similar to DCF
certification guidelines.

Require a staff self-care component for all programs funded or certified by the
State of Florida.

Work with The Florida Bar to promote and expand their existing probono
human trafficking attorney network.

Work with the Legislature and appropriate state agencies to determine how to
require any entity receiving state dollars for the treatment or placement of CSEC
youth to include program evaluation through a state university. Internal evaluation
by the entity should not serve to meet this requirement.

Work with the Legislature and appropriate state agencies to determine how
employees of specific state agencies and their contractors can receive training to
recognize signs of sexual exploitation victimization.

Law Enforcement Committee Assignments

Require human trafficking as a mandatory retraining requirement through the
Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.

Determine if john schools are beneficial and have an impact on demand rates
through a national review of programs.

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