Project title:

Building a specialized model of care for youth involved in sex trafficking in child welfare

About this project:

Sex trafficking is an insidious global crime that calls for specialized interventions to support victims. Wraparound services like trauma therapy, behavioural interventions, and substance use treatment offer personalized models of care for sex trafficking victims. Although youth in child welfare are overrepresented in sex trafficking cases, few specialized models of care exist to address the unique needs of this population. The lab developed the START with the YOUTH (STAR-Y) program specifically for youth in child welfare who are at risk of sex trafficking. We collaborated with child welfare agencies in Ontario to enroll youth in foster care who were at risk of trafficking into the STAR-Y program. This study evaluated the effectiveness of this exploratory model by using a case study approach.

Data collection:

Three youth in foster care and four foster parents participated in the program between September 2019 and June 2022.

Publications and Presentations:

McDonald, K. P., Fisher, R., & Connolly, J. (2024). An exploratory evaluation of a model of care for youth who are at risk of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Child & Family Social Work, 29(3), 648–656. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.13124

McDonald, K. P., Fisher, R., & Connolly, J. (2023). Building a specialized model of care for youth involved in sex trafficking in child welfare: A systematic review and interviews with experts-by-experience. Child Abuse & Neglect, 135, Article 105987. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105987