Human Trafficking Screening Tool

Section 787.06, Florida Statutes reads:

“The Legislature finds that human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Victims of human trafficking are young children, teenagers, and adults. Thousands of victims are trafficked annually across international borders worldwide. Many of these victims are trafficked into this state. Victims of human trafficking also include citizens of the United States and those persons trafficked domestically within the borders of the United States. The Legislature finds that victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.”

As the OPPAGA (2017) report stated, DCF and the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) have not fully validated their Tool. It is extremely difficult to identify commercially sexually exploited (CSE) children due to various reasons, yet a validated screening tool would be a good start to providing more accurate data and providing appropriate treatment.

Shortly after OPPAGA’s report, in 2017, the Institute began collaborating with the DCF to determine the utility of the Tool. The final report on that work can be found here. Further, in 2019, Institute researchers conducted psychometric testing with the HTST using a non-random sample of 248 completed assessments from disparate areas around the state. Ultimately, the Tool was unable to be validated due to lack of reliability. Therefore, until reliability is established, the tool should not be considered valid. However, the Institute recommended that with additional screener training, subsequent data collection, and new analyses, validation is possible. Importantly, there are some differences in the Tool and its implementation by DCF and DJJ. Only DCF-administered Tools were included in the initial validation analysis.

In the most recent phase of our HTST work, the Institute conducted individual interviews and small group interviews with DCF designated HTST screeners to better understand their experiences implementing the Tool, including their perspectives and interpretations of the Tool itself. The findings resulted in several recommendations directed toward the DCF, which are expounded upon in this report. The Institute is currently collaborating with the DCF and its partners to support them in making updates to the Tool, as well as screener training. Following implemented changes and new data collection, the Institute could attempt re-validation.

It is important to note that the HTST was initially developed as a conversational guide for screeners, with processes in place to hold follow-up multidisciplinary staffings if a screener indicates that a youth is likely a victim of trafficking, or if the screener is unsure. As screeners shared in the interviews and focus groups, there are a number of contextual factors (e.g., youth’s level of cooperation) that could influence how the HTST is completed. For example, if a youth is not forthcoming with information, a screener may report “no” to some indicators, but in their professional judgement, still have concerns about victimization status and note at the end of the Tool that they are “unsure” if a youth is being trafficked.

Per the screeners we spoke to, this should instigate a multidisciplinary staffing of the case, in which further information is gathered to inform the final status (i.e., verified, unsubstantiated, no indicator) and offer appropriate supports to the youth.