The following are the best available and promising practices for working with CSEC victims as identified in existing literature and by survivors themselves

Collaboration & Coordination

A multi-sectoral response based on partnerships, collaboration and frequent communication ensure that needs are addressed within a continuum of care model (immediate/emergent needs, stabilization/short-term needs, reintegration/medium-term needs, and transition to long-term needs). This includes service providers as well as peer supporters and the participant themselves.

As the change process is often lengthy, the best way to support an individual is to assign a primary participant contact who may provide 24-hour support. This helps builds trust and engages the client in their recovery.

 

Key Points of Practice

  • Multi-sectorial collaboration that includes Peer support and outreach

  • Establish collaborative relationships with other service providers and determine how your services will work together for the participant

  • Establish protocol that addresses the continuum of care of the participant

  • Identify a primary participant contact who will be responsible for case management and inter-agency communication

Holistic & Client-Centered

Consider the whole person – working with client to determine what they need and want, and then provide non-judgmental, comprehensive, wrap-around services - either on-site or through visiting service providers. Participants will be in need of concrete services, such as appropriate housing, health care, legal services, and necessities such as food and clothing; as well as services to address multiple layers of physical and psychological trauma.

When necessary, adapt services to better serve the needs of participants, such as providing services outside of regular business hours, assisting with transportation or providing childcare.

 

Key Points of Practice

  • Consider all participant needs and how these may be met – be creative when necessary

  • Adapt services to eliminate barriers

  • Provide wrap-around/comprehensive services that includes after hours support

  • Provide support to participants but allow them autonomy in decision-making and direction

  • Be flexible in practice and advocate for such with other service providers

  • Create individualized program plan for each participant

Trauma Specific

To accurately meet the needs of participants, service providers must be informed on CSEC, and the local context, particularly safety issues. Traffickers pose significant risk and therefore participants should have individualized safety plans that take into account response protocols and anonymity.

Consistency, patience and timely response are essential to trust-building, as well as respecting participant assessment of the situation and their needs. While some agencies employ a similar care model to that of intimate partner violence, the dynamics and issues that emerge for trafficking victims can be different. Victims rarely self-identify as such and therefore services must not have language-specific requirements.

Service providers must be trained in trauma-informed care and understand the physical, social, and emotional impact of trafficking on the individual. Trauma-informed practice encourages safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.

 

Key Points of Practice

  • Implement basics of trauma-informed care

  • Train all staff and volunteers on CSEC; including the indicators that someone may be trafficked, best available practices, trauma-informed care for this population and safety and response protocols

  • Do not require participants to identify as victims to access services

  • Gain informed consent to services & ensure confidentiality

  • Create individualized safety plans and protocols with participants and regularly update as necessary

  • Be available to accompany participants to appointments

  • Ensure housing and meeting spaces are secure (ex: locks, use of cameras, away from areas of concern for the client, identify address with local law enforcement, do not allow visitors, have two points of exit/entry)

  • Maintain participant anonymity (ex: do not identify them as trafficked to other participants, change phone number and address with non-care services, ensure all outside service providers understand importance of participant anonymity)

Culturally Informed

As marginalized populations are disproportionally affected by CSEC, service providers must be culturally informed to ensure that services are culturally appropriate, particularly in the trafficking context. When possible, participants should be able to access services from people who look like them, and have a shared experience of racial or cultural marginalization.

Service providers must also be aware of street culture and take the pariticpant’s lead in this regard. Services should meet the cultural, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of the participants, and make use of appropriate, reliable referrals.

As trafficked individuals have a specific set of experiences, it is essential to put experiential people at the centre – such individuals are the experts who must inform and sometimes lead the development, delivery and evaluation of services. The use of peer supporters can provide hope to clients and further develop trustworthiness, as someone who has had similar experiences and are therefore essential.

 

Key Points of Practice

  • Use of appropriate and reliable referrals to culturally-specific supports

  • Hire gender-diverse and culturally diverse staff that is representative of the people accessing services

  • Discuss holistic needs with participant and help identify how these can be met

  • Be informed on the effects of colonialism, oppression and intergenerational trauma

  • Before referring to a service, check-in with participant to confirm appropriateness

  • Involve the services of a peer supporter

  • Advocate for culturally-appropriate services and spaces (ex: prayer and smudging locations, service provider awareness, translation services, appropriate use of language)

Empowerment & Strengths-Based

To encourage participant empowerment, it is important that service providers promote their ability to make informed decisions and choices in their care, and be supported to do so.

In implementing a strengths-based perspective, service providers should assist participants in making the transition from victim and survivor to victor and thriver, and eventually to leader. Drawing on participant skills, service providers can create physical and ideological spaces for their contributions and assist in challenging systemic barriers.

Harm reduction policies, working with participant’s in all stages of change, and continuous reflection on practice are all examples of how empowerment and strengths-based practice may be employed.

 

Key Points of Practice

  • Be a mentor, not a saviour

  • Include participants in case management and direction

  • Centre participants as the expert of their experience

  • Advocate for participant when necessary and invited

  • Employ harm reduction policies when possible

  • Regularly check-in with participant in regard to provider-client relationship

  • Include programs and services that assist in the development of life skills, healing and personal growth