Trauma-Informed Care for Victims of Human Trafficking

 

This guest post is by Jennifer McGlothlin-Renault, Vice President of Maryland Operations with Arrow Child and Family Ministries, who’ll present on Creating a Safe Haven from Child Sex Trafficking – the Arrow Child and Family Ministries Approach at #MANOAC18, part of the HUMAN SERVICES/MARFY learning area.

Seeking love, connection, and family, children in foster care are – unfortunately – more vulnerable to targeting by human traffickers. Only recently has child sex trafficking (CST) been recognized as an epidemic, re-defined as a crime, and the young people involved regarded as victims. This requires a paradigm shift in how we, as providers, treat the children who are forced into the trade. 

Because they often do not see themselves as victims and return to their captors (CST has a high recidivism rate), treating children exposed to CST requires a unique mindset in how to transition victims back to their families or foster care, a trauma-informed focus. Houston, TX has emerged as a hub for CST. Providing cutting-edge treatment for underage trafficking victims, Freedom Place, a program of Arrow Child & Family Ministries in Texas, is the first long-term, comprehensive care facility employing trauma-informed care to rehabilitate victims.  

I hope you’ll attend my session at #MANOAC18 to focus on the intersection of CST and Child Welfare and the clinical presentation of trafficking victims in and out of home placement, as well as trauma-informed treatment principles to use with youth. Learn how Arrow’s approaches have been adapted to create a continuum of services throughout the agency, providing concrete strategies for providers who are working with these children. 

Child sex trafficking is more prevalent than we know. It affects more than we have identified in the foster care system. The more that we are prepared with appropriate therapeutic interventions, the better

chance
the children we serve can be reunited with family or placed in specially-trained foster care homes. The more we are aware, the more we can prevent.

To learn more about trauma-informed care for victims of CST, be sure to attend Jennifer’s session on Creating a Safe Haven from Child Sex Trafficking – the Arrow Child and Family Ministries Approach at #MANOAC18 on October 4. She’ll be co-presenting with colleague Robert Basler, Associate Vice President for Residential Services, Arrow Child and Family Ministries.

About the Author

Jennifer McGlothlin-Renault is the Vice President of Maryland Operations for Arrow Child & Family Ministries. Jennifer joined Arrow in 1999 and has had the pleasure of serving in many roles, among them Teacher, Principal, Director of Ministry Advancement, and Associate Vice President. In her current role, Jennifer leads and develops Treatment Foster Care, Residential, Community Based, and Special Education programs for Arrow in Maryland. During her tenure with Arrow, Jennifer has enjoyed establishing programs in California, Texas, and Maryland. Jennifer earned her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Towson University and her Masters of Education from Loyola University Maryland. Jennifer is certified in Reading and Special Education by the Maryland State Department of Education. Jennifer has served on the Board of the Maryland Association for Nonpublic Special Education Facilities (MANSEF). She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the National Commission for the Accreditation of Special Education Centers (NCASES) and as Secretary for the National Association of Privates Special Education Centers (NAPSEC). Jennifer represents Arrow as the Vice Chair of the Maryland Association of Resources for Family and Youth (MARFY) and is a member of the Provider’s Advisory Council (PAC). As a representative of Arrow, Jennifer has presented at conferences hosted by the Texas Alliance, the Family Focused Treatment Association, MARFY, and MANSEF.