The Center for States provides resources to support the implementation of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (P.L. 113–183) provisions. Signed into law on September 29, 2014, P.L. 113–183 amends the title IV-E foster care program and includes child welfare requirements on several provisions, including identifying, reporting, and determining appropriate services for child and youth victims of sex trafficking and youth at risk, and implementing a reasonable and prudent parent standard (RPPS) for foster parents and child care providers to promote developmentally appropriate activities and normalcy for children and youth in foster care.

Learning Experiences

(Available on CapLEARN; registration required)

• Building Organizational Capacity in the Implementation of the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard in Accordance with P.L. 113–183 provides an overview of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative’s dimensions of organizational capacity and explores how the dimensions can support agencies in implementing the reasonable and prudent parent standard (RPPS) for children and youth in foster care.
• Child Welfare Response to Child and Youth Sex Trafficking – Parts 1, Part 2, and Part 3 offers best practices information on responding to sex trafficking of children and youth in child welfare, and building knowledge on the special needs of trafficking victims and youth at risk of becoming victims.
• 2016 Child Welfare Virtual Expo: Building Capacity to Address Sex Trafficking and Normalcy supports child welfare agencies, courts, and tribes in meeting the mandates of P.L. 113–183.
• Child Welfare Response to Sex Trafficking: An Introductory Webinar (Part I) provides a broad overview of the Child Welfare Response to Child and Youth Sex Trafficking learning curriculum and explores how the curriculum could be integrated into agency training programs.
• Child Welfare Response to Sex Trafficking: Training of Trainers (Part II) helps participants identify, report, and address the needs of children and youth who are victims of sex trafficking.

Videos and Recorded Webinars With Discussion Guides

• Authentic Voices Video Series: Sharing Our Perspective shares stories of foster and adoptive parents, children, youth, and professionals—focusing on themes of belonging, connection, development, and normalcy for children and youth in out-of-home care.

Publications

• Summary: National Convening on Trafficking and Child Welfare addresses prevention of sex trafficking of children and youth and identifies best practices for federal support of states and territories in implementing P.L. 113–183 provisions.
• At Risk for Sex Trafficking: Youth Who Run Away From Foster Care explores what agencies can learn from data in their child welfare case management systems and in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) related to youth who run away from foster care. It is designed to prompt conversations about youth who run away from state custody, how data can be used to learn more about this high-risk population, and how this knowledge can inform interventions.
• Collaborating With Youth-Serving Agencies to Respond to and Prevent Sex Trafficking of Youth provides child welfare agencies with information about partnering with other agencies to address sex trafficking to advance effective identification, reporting, and services for youth who are victims or are at risk of becoming sex trafficking victims.
• Identifying Minors and Young People Exploited Through Sex Trafficking: A Resource for Child Welfare Agencies presents background information on sex trafficking and identification of sex trafficking victims and provides guidance on identifying, selecting, and implementing different types of tools that support child welfare agencies in identifying and serving sex trafficking victims and meeting the requirements of P.L. 113–183.
• Having the Normalcy Conversation series describes the importance of normalcy for children and youth in foster care and provides guidance for facilitating a normalcy conversation.
• White House Convening on Developmentally Appropriate Services for Children, Youth, and Young Adults in Foster Care addresses developmentally appropriate services for youth in foster care and identifies best practices for federal support of agencies in implementing P.L.113–183 provisions.

Peer Groups

Center peer groups can help connect child welfare professionals working on preventing sex trafficking, providing normalcy for children in foster care, and implementing other provisions of P.L. 113–183. Visit the Center’s Current Peer Groups page for more information or to sign up for a peer group.

The Center also offers jurisdiction-specific tailored services to states and jurisdictions to help build agency capacity for implementing the provisions of P.L. 113–183. For more information, contact your State Liaison.