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Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act

The Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (P.L. 113-183) was signed into law on September 29, 2014. The law includes provisions to improve:

  • Identification and assistance for children who are victims or at risk of trafficking
  • System responses for runaways from foster care
  • Normalcy in foster care—giving clearer authority for foster parents and caregivers to make parent-like decisions about things such as extracurricular, social, and cultural activities

Current Efforts

In 2015, the Center assisted in running a national meeting focusing on P.L. 113-183's trafficking provisions. Additional specific efforts in this area include: 

  • Working in concert with the Center for States and Center for Tribes to support  the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act Implementers constituency group 
  • Developing court-specific resources, such as what courts can do to assist in implementation
  • Convening a Community of Practice of court representatives to help develop and refine resources intended to assist courts in their responsibilities under P.L. 113-183