Human Trafficking of Children

• Provide human trafficking prevention education to educators and other school staff
• Deliver human trafficking prevention education to 7th and 9th grade students
• Train qualified individuals employed by the local educational agency (Project SaFE Liaisons - PSLs) to implement and replicate project activities throughout the school district or identified target area(s); and
• Develop and implement the HTSSPs in consultation with local law enforcement that facilitates reporting trafficking concerns to the appropriate authorities (e.g. child welfare, law enforcement); notifying parents, guardians, and caregivers, when appropriate; and referring students to supportive, person-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and linguistically appropriate services.

This leadership team consists of SDCOE staff, PCI Coordinator, Survivor Leader, District Attorney’s (DA) Office, and Human Trafficking Task Force representative. This team provides oversight and guidance for the overall grant operations.

The PSAC will serve as the Project SaFE multi-disciplinary leadership team. It will provide direction, share current trends in the area and make recommendations to Project SaFE staff to help meet the goals of the grant. PSAC is scheduled to meet (12) times throughout the life of the grant. Partners support the creation or enhancement of HTSSPs and ensure districts have the resources available to ensure the protocols include necessary supports for students at risk or identified as victims of human trafficking.

PSAC partners: Project SaFE Leadership Team, educational leaders, law enforcement, child welfare services, juvenile justice, subject matter experts, foster and homeless youth advocates, service providers, community members, parents and survivors.

The following two school districts and 11 charter schools are participating in the three-year grant initiative. All Project SaFE Liaisons (PSLs) receive all PROTECT staff training modules to prepare for the support and guidance they will provide among other school staff members. PSLs are trained trainers to implement human trafficking prevention education for educators, other staff, students and parents.

• Work closely with SDCOE Project SaFE Leadership Team to implement the program.
• Coordinate staff and student training schedules and distribute resources.
• Provide additional trainings and support to staff, students and parents, as needed.
• Collect related data for evaluation and grant monitoring.
• Serve as site-based leaders and subject matter experts at school site by providing consultations and technical assistance to school community.
• Assist in the training and implementation of the HTSSPs.
• Participate and complete the Project SaFE Training of Trainers (TOT) program.
• Receive additional professional development in the area of human trafficking prevention.
• Participate in the PSAC and attend monthly meetings.
• Complete training in all PROTECT 101-103 modules/curriculum review.

SDCOE staff, in partnership with PCI and experts from the district attorney’s office, will develop a TOT and deliver it to all PSLs. Topics will include but are not limited to:

• An extensive labor trafficking module in collaboration with the DA’s office;
• Facilitation skills training, including strengthening virtual trainings;
• Promote learner engagement, critical thinking, and skill acquisition;
• Use active listening skills, including reflecting and reframing, during facilitation;
• Apply adult learning principles;
• Respond to participant questions knowledgably;
• Lead activities that reinforce learning objectives;
• Assist participants in applying content to their job or personal lives;
• Manage difficult training situations, including disruptive learner behaviors; and
• Identify and direct participants to additional information and resources.

HTSSPs align with state mandated reporting laws and ensure that at risk or actual victims are referred to services or programs intended to reduce further victimization. The PSAC will ensure that all required procedures as mentioned in the HTYPE Program Description will be addressed in the HTSSPs including procedures to:

• Respond to suspected/confirmed cases of human trafficking and other forms of violence;
• Address direct student disclosures and reports from others that are culturally and linguistically responsive, person-centered, and trauma informed;
• Protect and maintaining confidentiality of students and staff;
• Coordinate with the appropriate authorities (e.g. child welfare, law enforcement) when potential victims are identified;
• Communicate with parents, guardians, and caregivers regarding concerns that their child has experienced human trafficking;
• Identify referring and vetting referral services and maintaining and updating victim referrals;
• Engage or re-engaging students who have experienced human trafficking and have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing chronic truancy or falling behind;
• Collect and reporting data on the number of victims identified through training of students, educators, and other staff; and
• Monitor school community compliance with the HTSSPs.

Members of the PSAC will ensure that the HTSSPs include the identification of various service providers and programs that have the capacity and expertise to receive a multitude of student referrals with various needs to address a continuum of issues beyond victimization of human trafficking, but also students experiencing dating and sexual violence, runaway and homelessness issues, substance use, and mental health challenges. Additionally, part of the HTSSP’s development process will include the identification of student LGBTQ+ programs, safe spaces, youth development organizations, and mentoring programs.

SDCOE has created this HTSSP template for districts to use. 

SDCOE staff will receive a TOT in the Commercial Sexual Exploitation - Identification Tool (CSE-IT) developed by the WestCoast Children’s Clinic (WCC). SDCOE staff will then train PSLs to administer the tool appropriately at their respective school sites. The CSE-IT is an evidence-based screening tool for children 10 and older and young adults up to 21 years old and does not rely solely on youth self-disclosure. It is designed to improve early identification of children who are commercially sexually exploited (CSE). Although the CSE-IT was originally designed to detect CSE, it also has the potential to screen for other forms of violence such as interpersonal relationship violence or other potentially harmful, coercive or survival situations that may be associated with trafficking.

Project SaFE is supported by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,321,983 with 100 percent funded by ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website, Administrative and National Policy Requirements.

The Education Subcommittee represents one of the distinct groups involved in addressing human trafficking and CSEC at a countywide and cross-discipline systems level. The Education Subcommittee is dedicated to supporting Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in issues related to Human Trafficking and CSEC by providing multi-disciplinary training, technical assistance, and resources.

The Education Subcommittee meets ad hoc and is comprised of individuals that serve in the education field or a key partner that directly supports school communities.

• ​​​​​​The Education Subcommittee worked to create the Sample CSEC Recommended Protocols for Schools. The recommended protocols are provided as a tool to assist our school districts and should be adapted to accurately reflect district practice, as appropriate.

• Prior to the creation of the San Diego Regional Human Trafficking & Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Advisory Council Education Subcommittee, key stakeholders from the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE), the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, Child Welfare Services, community partners, and a law enforcement representative from the San Diego Human Trafficking Taskforce have provided multidisciplinary professional development training for San Diego County Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to increase their awareness and learn how to engage students involved in CSEC. This partnership has been existence since 2008.

• SDCOE created this webpage dedicated to the Human Trafficking of Children under the Student Support Services department. This webpage provides information on Community-Based Student Referrals for Services, School-Based Prevention Education Programs, and Additional Resources for schools and parents.

On Jan. 9, 2019, the San Diego County Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution declaring January 2019, Human Trafficking Prevention Awareness Month.

Human Trafficking Multi-Disciplinary Training

Jan. 18, 2024
Jan. 23, 2024

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Awareness Training for Educators (May 2019) by SDCOE, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, the Child and Family Well-Being department (formerly Child Welfare Services), law enforcement partner, and service provider. This training provided participants with information on awareness and education to identify and support students who can be at-risk or victims of CSEC.

Human Trafficking Prevention Education Programs

​​​​​​The Education Subcommittee worked to create the Sample CSEC Recommended Protocols for Schools. The recommended protocols are provided as a tool to assist our school districts and should be adapted to accurately reflect district practice, as appropriate. This document provides information on:

• Risk factors and recommended protocol for students who meet the criteria
• Recommended protocol for suspected CSEC recruitment or exploitation of students
• Recommended protocol for suspected victims of CSEC
• Recommended protocol for confirmed victims of CSEC
• Mandated reporting for CSEC (effective Jan. 1, 2016)
• School/district partner contacts
• Glossary of terms

This guide provides:

• Awareness of the current prevalence of child trafficking and the forms it takes;
• Information on risk factors and indicators of child trafficking;
• Details about three prevention tiers and the implications for schools’ role in addressing child trafficking;
• Information on how professional development of school staff and prevention education for students and families can reduce the likelihood of trafficking; and
• Details on how policies, protocols, and partnerships with other community sectors can help prevent trafficking.

• Polaris serves as a data hub for the anti-human trafficking field, providing key data to deepen knowledge and understanding. The Polaris-operated U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline receives an increasing number of calls from victims and survivors reaching out for help.

• I am Jasmine Strong for parents and caregivers
• KidSmartz is a child safety program that educates families about preventing abduction and empowers kids in grades K-5 to practice safe behaviors

• Polaris serves as a data hub for the anti-human trafficking field, providing key data to deepen knowledge and understanding. The Polaris-operated U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline receives an increasing number of calls from victims and survivors reaching out for help.

The Teen Dating Violence (TDV) Committee of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council is excited to share the following resources to our school communities:

• Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month 2022 Toolkit - This toolkit is intended to support schools in planning and implementing an awareness and prevention initiative.
• The TDV Committee’s newly developed Best Practices Guide for TDV Prevention and Intervention for Schools - This concise guide provides educators with the warning signs of TDV and how they may appear on a school campus, helpful tips on how to start the conversation and community resources for support

• Local Resource Guide for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) and HT Survivors (PDF)
• Guia De Recursos Locales Para Sobrevivientes de Trata de Personas y CSEC (PDF)