Screening for Sex Trafficking Within Child Welfare: Addressing the Challenges by Constructing a Child Welfare Specific Screening Tool

Abstract

Strong evidence suggests that children and youth in care of the child welfare system have a particularly high risk of being trafficked for sex. Accordingly, child welfare workers are likely to encounter individuals at a greater risk of sex trafficking and therefore have a greater responsibility in identifying and supporting these victims. While the literature suggests challenges and barriers to the identification of sex trafficking, little is known about the experience of child welfare workers when assessing youth in their care, especially compared to frontline workers in other human service sectors. Furthermore, few validated screening tools comprehensively assess risk, and none are specifically targeted for youth in the child welfare system. The present dissertation sought to address challenges related to the screening of sex trafficking in partnership with child welfare experts. Chapter 1 introduces the issue of sex trafficking amongst youth in child welfare through a brief review of the relevant literature. Chapter 2 draws on interviews with child welfare experts to uncover challenges experienced during their assessment of sex trafficking risk and involvement. Findings revealed challenges unique to the child welfare context highlighting the transactional nature of the Social Ecological Model. Chapter 3 focuses on the construction of a sex trafficking screening tool in partnership with child welfare experts. This study also explores preliminary validation of the items included using interviews with survivors of sex trafficking as minors. Based on feedback obtained from child welfare experts, items were deleted, added, and modified. Child welfare experts were supportive of the screener. Survivors endorsed 40 of the items included in the screening tool when describing their experience of being trafficked. The interim version of the York Sex Trafficking Screening Tool used for this study includes 52 indicators of sex trafficking that are relevant to the child welfare context. Chapter 4 concludes the dissertation through a review of the study findings, integrative summary, review of the theoretical models, and clinical implications. In summary, this dissertation contributes to clinical research and current practice by investigating ways to support child welfare workers, and youth involved in the system, when screening for sex trafficking.