Engaging Victims of Child Sex Trafficking: Training for Child Welfare Workers

Child sex trafficking (CST) is the exploitation through commercial sex of a minor under 18. Federal law requires state child welfare agencies to respond and provide services to victims of CST. Social workers report lacking an understanding of state and federal law related to human trafficking, as well as resources for victims, and are often inadequately trained for identifying and serving survivors. As part of a CST awareness training including lecture, discussion, and game-based learning, child welfare workers were surveyed on their knowledge about CST and their self-efficacy in serving and engaging with survivors. Regression analyses showed that the training was associated with a positive change from pre- to posttest, on both knowledge (R2 = .472) and self-efficacy (R2 =.381), even when controlling for gender, race, experience, pretest knowledge, and position. Interactive trainings for child welfare workers on child trafficking survivor engagement that use a victim-centered, strengths-based lens are a promising practice.