On February 5, 2025, your UPE team met with the County regarding the updated Child Trafficking policy.
Prior to the meeting, your UPE team requested information from the department regarding Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) Social Workers (SW), such as the number of CSEC SWs, the weighting of cases/referrals, and the data grid. We wanted to make sure that should a non-CSEC SW receive a CSEC referral/case, it would be weighted the same as a CSEC SW. The department said this would be the case.
Per the new policy, there will now be investigative questions to be asked of the reporter and/or the youth by the SW. UPE requested to be able to review these questions prior to the publishing of the policy. The department had no issue with this, and a link to these investigative questions will be provided within the policy.
In the new policy, under the documentation portion for all programs, an ongoing task for the SW is “…case management responsibilities related to labor trafficking.” UPE asked if the SWs know what these responsibilities are, to which the department responded that they will be outlined in the linked policy, “How to Document a Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) and/or Labor Trafficking Allegation in CWS/CMS.” This policy is also lined in the Child Trafficking policy.
Other changes that your UPE team requested were minor language changes surrounding engaging with the youth and the ending of sexual exploitation.
UPE thanks our advocates, Eric Booker, Janine Garrett, and Sarah Singleton.
