Program objective

Under the Services to Victims of a Severe Form of Trafficking, the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) has established the: - Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP) - Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program - Lighthouse: Services, Outreach, and Awareness for Labor Trafficking (Lighthouse) Demonstration Program - SOAR to Health and Wellness Training (SOAR) Demonstration Program - National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) The primary purpose of TVAP is to efficiently fund time-limited comprehensive case management services on a per capita basis to foreign national victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons and potential victims of trafficking seeking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) certification so they can reestablish their ability to live independently. Under TVAP, the following activities are required: 1) provision of comprehensive, culturally and linguistically responsive case management to foreign national adults who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking; 2) development and maintenance of a nationwide network of providers to conduct human trafficking outreach, and provide direct services and community referrals, and; 3) establishment of local presence within each of the 10 ACF geographic regions to coordinate project activities and support the delivery of services through the nationwide network of providers. The primary purpose of Aspire is to efficiently fund time-limited comprehensive case management services on a per capita basis to foreign national child and youth victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons and potential victims of trafficking seeking HHS certification so they can reestablish their ability to live independently. The following activities are required under Aspire funding to support foreign national children across the nation who have experienced severe forms of human trafficking: 1) provision of comprehensive, culturally and linguistically responsive case management to foreign national children who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking; 2) development and maintenance of a nationwide network of providers to conduct human trafficking outreach and provide direct services and community referrals; and 3) establishment of local presence within each of the 10 ACF geographic regions to coordinate project activities and support the delivery of services through the nationwide network of providers. The primary purpose of Lighthouse is to fund projects that will build, expand, and sustain organizational and local capacity to provide direct services, assistance, and referrals for foreign national adults who have experienced labor trafficking as defined by TVPA of 2000, as amended, and who are seeking or have received HHS certification. Under the Lighthouse Demonstration Program, the following activities are required throughout the project period: 1) Provide comprehensive, culturally responsive, and linguistically appropriate case management and victim assistance to foreign national adults who have experienced labor trafficking; 2) Conduct outreach to increase identification of foreign national adults who have experienced labor trafficking; and 3) Conduct public awareness activities for the local community and organizations that may encounter individuals who have experienced labor trafficking. The primary purpose of the SOAR to Health and Wellness Training (SOAR) Demonstration Program is to fund the implementation of SOAR trainings and capacity building to identify, treat, and respond to patients or clients who have experienced severe forms of human trafficking as defined by the TVPA of 2000, as amended, among their patient or client population. Under the SOAR Demonstration Program, the following activities are required: 1) Implement SOAR trainings, including SOAR Online and SOAR for Organizations, for staff at relevant levels and divisions, including at a minimum frontline and support staff most likely to encounter an individual who has experienced trafficking; mid-level and senior management who would need to approve changes in policies and protocols, and approve resources to support implementation; and staff who oversee procurement and external partners, across the prime’s organization; 2) Build the capacity of organizational staff to identify patients or clients who are experiencing human trafficking and provide them with coordinated, age-appropriate, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, patient-centered, and evidence-based care and/or services through ongoing training and engagement; 3) Serve patients or clients who are experiencing human trafficking in a coordinated, age-appropriate, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, person-centered, and evidence-based way and establish a continuum of care by entering into MOUs with local direct service providers and multidisciplinary stakeholders willing to receive referrals and provide aftercare services that are beyond scope of the prime’s capacity or mission to support patients or clients who are experiencing human trafficking; 4) Conduct an organizational audit and develop a strategic action plan that identifies internal resources, performance measures, a strategy for ensuring the organization is meaningfully integrating the expertise of those with lived experience, commitments to strengthen the institutional response to human trafficking, and other related actions; 5) Produce a situational analysis that demonstrates a thorough understanding of the local context, including state anti-trafficking laws, local economies with increased risk for human trafficking, existing service delivery gaps, risks and service needs of priority populations as determined by the prime recipients, and the quality and responsiveness of local partnerships; 6) Develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of HTRP and corresponding policies and procedures that include best practices for working with law enforcement and making referrals when serving patients or clients in service settings who have experienced human trafficking to further refine and enhance project implementation. HTRP must comply with federal, state, local, and tribal laws, including legal confidentiality requirements for patients and healthcare providers; 7) Participate in the external evaluation of the SOAR Demonstration Program (if applicable). The NHTH provides 24/7, yearlong, timely, person-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and linguistically appropriate emergency assistance and information to potential domestic and foreign victims of sex and labor trafficking. Under the NHTH, the following activities are required: operate the NHTH, a 24/7 U.S. national hotline that receives signals through telephone, text, chat, and website; promote NHTH services to increase the identification and protection of victims of severe forms of human trafficking; provide information and service referrals to victims of trafficking using a trauma-informed, person-centered, culturally responsive, and linguistically appropriate approach, and in a timely manner; and notify law enforcement agencies of potential cases of human trafficking, as well as instances when a trafficking victim is in imminent danger, and document emerging trafficking schemes to assist in the detection and investigation of trafficking cases. The NHTH must respond to and track calls and texts in a timely manner; operate website and respond to online signals; maintain national coverage to serve the U.S. and all U.S. territories; develop and maintain a referral database; and raise awareness about NHTH and resources.