Service Providers’ Perspectives on Sex Trafficking of Male Minors: Comparing Background and Trafficking Situations of Male and Female Victims

Even though it is documented that sex trafficking of male minors occurs, limited research has focused on this type of commercial sexual exploitation. Data was collected via telephone interviews from 323 professionals who worked with at-risk youth and/or crime victims/offenders in all counties in a mostly rural state in the U.S. Half of the respondents had worked with at least one victim of child sex trafficking, and of these 161 respondents, 57.8% had worked with at least one male victim. To contextualize the data on male minor victims, quantitative analysis was conducted comparing the close-ended and themes identified in open-ended responses of professionals who reported they worked exclusively with male victims (n?=?26) versus professionals who worked exclusively with female victims (n?=?81) to examine how sex trafficking of male minors may differ or be similar to sex trafficking of female minors. Many similarities in victims’ vulnerability factors, the systems victims encountered, and their greatest needs were found by gender. Familial sex trafficking was one of the typical pathways into commercial sexual exploitation for minors. There were some differences in the pathways in sex trafficking by gender. There is a need for greater awareness, training, and resource-building for identifying and appropriately responding to male minors who are trafficked in commercial sex.     

“Right Here is the Gateway”: Mobility,Sex Work Entry and HIV Risk along the Mexico–US Border

Women comprise an increasing proportion of migrants. Many migrate voluntarily for sex work or practise survival sex; others are trafficked for sexual exploitation. To investigate how the context of mobility shapes sex work entry and HIV risk, during 2010 to 2011 we conducted in‐depth interviews with formerly trafficked women currently engaged in sex work (n = 31) in Tijuana and their service providers (n = 7) in Tijuana and San Diego. Women's experiences of coerced and deceptive migration, deportation as forced migration, voluntary mobility, and migration to a risk environment illustrate that circumstances resulting from migration shape vulnerability to sex trafficking, voluntary sex work entry, and HIV risk. Findings suggest an urgent need for public health and immigration policies providing integrated support for deported and/or recently arrived female migrants. Policies to prevent sex trafficking and assist trafficked females must consider the varying levels of personal agency involved in migration and sex work entry.

Policy Implications

• There is a need for coordination between public health and immigration policies to ensure that these are not at odds with one another
• Findings suggest the need for public health and immigration policies that provide integrated support for female migrants, especially trafficked women and girls
• Policy changes are urgently needed to protect deportees' health and promote their social integration
• Policies to prevent sex trafficking and assist trafficked females must consider the range of agencies involved in migration and sex work entry

     

A Multi-Method Evaluation of the Teen Pregnancy Hotline in Taiwan

The present study examines the outputs and qualities of the thirteen teen pregnancy service hotlines in Taiwan that were funded by the Children’s Bureau in 2004 and 2005. The evaluation was made through agency visits, focus groups, document reviews, call-in tests and the use of a management information system. The results show that the average number of calls was low, and one agency did not receive any calls during the time period examined. The quality of services varied, and the advice provided by the hotline staff was influenced by the value orientation of the agencies. Most callers were adult women, and the major services they received were information and emotional support. The service characteristics were heavily affected by the goals and routine tasks of the agencies as certain agencies applied their existing services to the program without assessing their fitness to the needs of the potential clients. Suggestions for service improvement are provided, including an islandwide hotline to be set up and operated by a single agency with high accountability. Implications for program monitoring and documentation, staff training and knowledge-sharing, and service advertisement and promotion are also discussed.     

Children with disabilities in out-of-home care: Perspectives on organisational collaborations

Many contemporary support services for children and young people (CYP) in out-of-home-care have adopted a collaborative approach to service provision in order to best meet the complex needs of clients. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of Evolve Behaviour Support Services (EBSS) frontline and managerial staff delivering services to CYP in out-of-home-care with disability and complex behaviours regarding interagency/stakeholder collaboration. Views about the number and nature of collaborative partnerships, factors which facilitate or hinder effective relationships and advantages (including unintended benefits) of collaboration were sought. Qualitative interviews with 21 participants highlighted issues around: (1) general and agency/stakeholder specific issues and barriers, and (2) benefits of collaboration. The collaborative approach to service provision was seen as greatly enhancing the effectiveness of EBSS' response and ability to meet the range of CYP's complex needs, as well as having benefits for carers and service providers. Nevertheless, difficulties with collaboration were also encountered. Frequently identified challenges included reduced stakeholder engagement, differences in professional backgrounds and practice frameworks, unequal initiation of contact and follow-up, organisational disparities, communication and information sharing problems, frequent stakeholder turnover and geographical barriers in rural/remote areas.     

Community responsibility for the self-neglectful client

Self-neglectful clients, including the elderly, are in jeopardy, partly through their refusal to accept community services that could help them; they require protection from the community. These people are alienated and isolated, and need to be integrated into the community. Their individual rights to control their own lives, however, must be protected. It is the responsibility of the community to structure services in a way that will engage these people. A comprehensive community service program appropriate to their needs would integrate formal and informal care systems by interweaving professional services, informal assistance, and mutual aid within structures that facilitate coordination of formal care programs.     

Qualitative accounts of young-people,parents and staff involved with a purpose-designed,pilot short-break service for 18–24 year olds with life-limiting conditions

PurposeTransition to adult health and social-care services is a time of great uncertainty for young adults with life-limiting conditions; due to improved management, many who would have previously died before they were 18 years old are now surviving into early adulthood. Nevertheless, few services exist to meet their specific needs for specialist short breaks away from home. The purpose of this research was to determine the views and perspectives of young adults' parents/carers and staff engaged with a purpose-designed, pilot short-break service for 18–24 year olds with life-limiting conditions. Data were gathered through qualitative individual or focus group interviews involving two young adults, four mothers and fifteen health or social-care staff associated with the service. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis.Principal resultsEmergent themes: (i) The need for a specialist short-break service; (ii) Decision making when using or delivering the service; (iii) Challenges of staffing and financing the service (iv) Meeting young adults' complex needs and preferences (v) Suggestions for how to improve the service.The young adults described how they benefitted from access to specialist, age-appropriate, on-site clinical skills facilities and opportunities to socialise with peers. Mothers said they benefitted from time alone or with other family members in the knowledge that the specialist short break service met the needs and preferences of their child as they made the transition to adult services. However, all participating mothers and staff expressed concern about the future well-being of young adults when they left the service at 24 years old.Major conclusionsThis study provides new information to inform ongoing development of short-break services for the increasing number of young adults with life-limiting conditions who are surviving longer than they would previously have done. This will help to ensure that UK services are responsive to users' needs and preferences.     

Community Responsibility for the Self-Neglectful Client

Self-neglectful clients, including the elderly, are in jeopardy, partly through their refusal to accept community services that could help them; they require protection from the community. These people are alienated and isolated, and need to be integrated into the community. Their individual rights to control their own lives, however, must be protected. It is the responsibility of the community to structure services in a way that will engage these people. A comprehensive community service program appropriate to their needs would integrate formal and in normal care systems by interweaving professional services, informal assistance, and mutual aid within structures that facilitate coordination of formal care programs.     

Living Room Assessment

Abstract

Community living room programs, initially developed as part of the settlement house movement, strive to maintain a safe and welcoming atmosphere for clients with basic needs who can then be linked to concrete services. These rare programs do not generally include formal intake and termination criteria and are thus difficult to assess by quantitative means. In this project, the authors used the Community Oriented Programs Environment Scale (COPES) to perform a social climate assessment of a living room program at an urban homeless shelter. The agency board and staff were concerned that expanding numbers of clientele might deter potential and current members from participation and thus defeat the program's major purpose. This paper reports the social climate perceptions of staff and members and recommends agency program adjustments. This type of evaluation has implications for macro practice in determining whether nontraditional programs can be shown to meet certain human needs that complement those addressed by the broader social service system.     

Young people with complex needs meet complex organizations: an interview study with Swedish professionals about sustainable work practices

ABSTRACT

This paper concerns preconditions for the well-being of young people with mental ill-health combined with social vulnerabilities, also referred to as youth with complex needs. Research questions are: What barriers to sustainable work practices for young people labelled as having complex needs do professionals encounter? What do professionals identify as possible ways to overcome these barriers? Sustainable work practices are reflected in three themes: empowerment, relationships and collaboration. The findings are based on semi-structured interviews with 24 professionals, 3 men and 21 women, working in psychiatric care and the social services in two Swedish municipalities in 2016 and 2017. Major barriers are lack of continuity and co-ordination in staff and support, and fragmentation of work practices. As a consequence of the increased specialization of human service organizations, young people have to interact with many different professionals which could cause disparate interventions. Possible ways mentioned to overcome these barriers are supported through good interactional skills, using keyworkers as well therapeutic alliances, wrap-around services and case management. Complexity is linked to organizations and work practices rather than to young people. An often dysfunctional service delivery system in organizations with rigid boundaries may also affect professionals’ aim for sustainable support.     

Transgender youth homelessness: Understanding programmatic barriers through the lens of cisgenderism

Service access and acquisition are often complex and sometimes dangerous for transgender and gender expansive young people, who frequently experience stigma and discrimination and face systemic barriers including sex segregated programs and institutional practices that deny their own understanding and articulation of their gender. A common theme in the literature is recognition of the need for affirming services specifically designed to meet the needs of transgender young people experiencing homelessness, as this population may not utilize or have access to much needed services due to systemic barriers and fear of rejection and harassment. The current study investigates the lived experiences of transgender and gender expansive young people with histories of homelessness. This phenomenological qualitative investigation explores aspects of transgender and gender expansive youth's experiences, both at home and on the street. A recurring theme emerged in the participants' narratives — the seemingly insurmountable barriers constructed by systems that were not designed with their unique needs in mind. When understood through the lens of cisgenderism, the findings illuminate the structural barriers that exist for transgender and gender expansive young people and the systemic challenges service providers must address.     

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: A Social Work Perspective on Misidentification,Victims, Buyers,Traffickers, Treatment,and Reform of Current Practice

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) has been steadily on the rise in the United States, with estimates between 15,000 and 50,000 victims per year. Actual estimates of DMST victims are difficult to determine based on misidentification, conflicts between state and federal laws about age of consent and charges, perceptions of the victim, as well as lack of knowledge regarding the prevalence and dynamics of sex trafficking of minors. Oftentimes, child victims come from multi-problem homes and have already experienced abuse and neglect, which further complicates treatment and services. This article explores the emerging literature and defines the problem and identifies laws, statues, and definitions of the problem. It also reviews the literature on victim, buyer, and trafficker characteristics. Organized crime's role in this growing epidemic is explained as well as treatment options and recommendations for future social work practice at the micro-, mezzo-, and macro-levels.     

Where Do We Stand? Testing the Foundation of a Shared Site Intergenerational Program

Abstract

Shared site intergenerational care programs provide ongoing services simultaneously to old and young community members at a single facility, thereby, meeting the care needs of multiple generations. However, they face the challenge of sustainability common to all community-based programs. We employed the results management model to identify program elements that may enhance or inhibit sustainability of intergenerational programming at a shared site facility involving a child development lab school and adult day services program. The 4-step results management approach is a strengths-based model that supports community capacity and achievement of community and program goals. The current paper describes the first step in the results management approach, mapping the terrain, which involves gathering evidence of community needs and strengths. Focus groups were conducted with eleven staff members from both programs after a 4-month intergenerational program. The focus groups targeted the needs and strengths related to intergenerational programming. Respondents identified strengths that enhanced staff members' and clients' capacity for collaboration. These included affective and developmental benefits for both generations and strong partnerships between staff members. Respondents also identified factors that limited collaboration, such as the need for greater authority support and cross-training opportunities. Findings from our study have been used by program administrators to continue using the results management approach to further build intergenerational community and expand the scope of evaluating intergenerational shared site programs. Other intergenerational programs may utilize the results management model to enhance intergenerational programming and increase program sustainability.     

Challenges in assistance provision to child victims of transnational trafficking in South Africa

Child trafficking is a violation of multiple human rights and a child protection challenge in South Africa and worldwide. Thus, assistance provision can be a protective factor in the emotional and the psychosocial well-being of trafficked child victims. Stakeholders (including social workers) working in the field of trafficking were studied qualitatively to understand the nexus between child trafficking and service provision. The challenges the participants had encountered within assistance provision were explored through in-depth interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings from the study indicate that assistance provision is not an easy linear process and that multinational, multi-agency, long-term sustained response, with multi-focus on prevention, prosecution and protection (including rehabilitation) is required to enhance successful resettlement and adaptation. This response should be based on the rights of the child rather than based on law enforcement and immigration.     

Youth engagement and service dosage in a mandated setting: A study of residential treatment centers

Treatment theory in residential treatment centers (RTCs) is conceived as a two-stage process of first engaging the client and then delivering services or interventions aimed at presenting problems. This treatment logic has been criticized for “creaming clients” or reserving services for clients easier to engage or more amenable to treatment but less in need. The present study examines whether higher early levels of engagement by youth in RTCs leads to more intervention and compares the relative effects of engagement and seriousness of presenting problems on the quantity of services provided by the mid-point in the adolescents' stay. Data come from interviews with a clinical sample of 71 male and 59 female adolescents in two RTCs in an eastern state. Findings indicate that higher level of engagement predicts more treatment interventions. Treatment staff delivered higher dosages of services to youth with more current behavioral problems, not those with problematic behaviors at intake. Youth with positive peer group backgrounds also received more services. Findings extend knowledge of how treatment staff provide treatment to clients and the role engagement plays in RTC service delivery.     

Disjunctures for Women and Frontline Workers: Implementation of the Family Violence Option

This research uses analysis of qualitative interviews with 10 battered welfare clients and 15 frontline welfare workers to examine the implementation of the Family Violence Option (FVO) under welfare reform. States adopting the FVO agree to screen for domestic violence, refer identified victims to community resources, and waive program requirements that would endanger the women or with which they are unable to comply. The analyses find that none of the 10 clients in this study received these services. This lack of services reflects four critical disjunctures between the formal policy and the policy experienced by the clients. It also reveals several more basic structural factors that provide conflicting mandates to frontline workers. Frontline workers' discretionary behaviors enforce core rules related to welfare eligibility and reduce welfare caseloads but do not provide violencerelated services to victims.     

Online Peer Support Programs for Young People with a Parent Who has a Mental Illness: Service Providers’ Perspectives

Young people with a parent or parents who have mental illness are at a higher-than-average risk of experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. Notwithstanding the difficulties experienced by these young people, opportunities to interact with and obtain support from peers living in similar families can be beneficial. While young people face several barriers to participating in face-to-face peer support programs, online approaches potentially provide a different way of obtaining peer support. This paper aims to explore service providers’ perspectives on current Victorian peer support programs, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of online approaches to peer support. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 mental health professionals who work with families affected by parental mental illness. Participants recognised that many young people miss out on face-to-face peer support programs, and were highly supportive of the idea of online programs. This study suggests that online peer support programs for young people could occupy an important position in the evolving suite of services for Australian families affected by mental illness.     

Mothers and deployment: Understanding the experiences and support needs of deploying mothers of children birth to five

ABSTRACT

Military deployments can demand long separations of service members and their families. The strain of separation is particularly acute for mothers of very young children. This study aimed to better understand the deployment and reintegration experiences of service members who are mothers of young children. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 12 service member mothers who deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan when one or more of their children was younger than age 6. Discussions explored experiences before, during, and after deployment; needs and challenges at each stage; available support resources and gaps in support. Thematic data analysis was conducted, drawing on principles of grounded theory. Disruption and continuity were central themes as participants illuminated the challenges they faced and their profound dedication to sustaining strong family relationships across the deployment cycle. Relinquishing, reassuming, and balancing multiple roles and responsibilities are additional themes that were frequently evoked. Participants noted a lack of formal resources responsive to their needs and circumstances and highlighted a need for services tailored to mothers who are deploying. Military mothers, particularly mothers of young children, face distinct challenges surrounding deployment. Better understanding their experiences and support needs can inform tailored services to meet their needs.     

Patterns of Consumer Usage of Homeless Outreach Services

Abstract

Outreach programs are a vital part of the continuum of services for the homeless. To investigate the characteristics of consumers of such programs and the services they receive, a sample of 446 clients of a homeless outreach program in New York City was divided into those who visited only once, two to three times, and four or more times during a 1-month period. Chi-square analyses revealed that the groups differed significantly with regard to previous client status, clinical diagnosis, referrals provided, and service outcome. Correspondence analyses further specified relationships between visit frequency and select characteristics. Implications of the findings for service delivery are considered.