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HHS, ACF and CDC highlight school-based prevention, screening tools and evidence in webinar on child trafficking
Summary
Federal officials and grantees described how school-based curricula, a See‑It‑to‑Stop‑It (SITC) screener and bystander training are being tested and scaled. Presenters emphasized multi‑sector partnerships, sustainability strategies and tactics for reaching educators and students.
Federal and state officials, researchers and school practitioners on the Department of Health and Human Services webinar laid out evidence-based approaches to preventing child trafficking in school settings and steps to scale them.
Kevin Malone, HHS senior advisor on human trafficking, framed trafficking as both a serious crime and a public‑health problem that requires coordinated, cross‑sector prevention. He noted the Administration for Children and Families’ Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education Demonstration Program (HYPE) and said recipients have trained more than 32,600 educators; ACF also reported reaching large numbers of students and schools through the demonstration program (transcript numeric formatting ambiguous).
Why it matters: Presenters said prevention in school and community settings expands protective factors, improves identification and connects young people to supports earlier, potentially reducing harm before it occurs.
Dr. Jin Sprang of the University of Kentucky described a cluster randomized controlled trial of “C Stop Now,” an online seven‑module training for middle‑school staff. The study randomized 50 counties (25 intervention, 25 control) and pairs the training with a See‑It‑to‑Stop‑It (SITC) screener designed for school staff. Sprang described a three‑tier risk framework and five bystander actions—delegate, directly intervene, document, decide and disrupt—and said the study is measuring knowledge, attitudes and bystander use over time. She described a champions approach (peer referral incentives and local leaders) that produced a cluster effect and helped sustain implementation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and university teams are evaluating curricula and screening tools to establish what improves identification and bystander responses in real school settings, presenters said.
Panelists across the webinar emphasized that prevention programs are most effective when embedded in broader infrastructure: memorandums of understanding or joint protocols with child welfare and law enforcement, a designated district safety protocol, and clear reporting pathways to support services.
The webinar recording will be made available to registered participants; organizers said HHS and partner agencies encourage peer‑to‑peer sharing and technical questions via the provided contact address.
