UTA researcher develops framework to combat human trafficking

RTI International funded exploratory research on #familialtrafficking to improve #trainingandtechnicalassistance (#TTA) provision to anti-human trafficking responders. The team, which included Kelle Barrick, Peyton Scalise, Shani Bacy, MSW, LCSW, Lauren Vollinger, PhD, and Stacey Cutbush Starseed, conducted a scoping review of familial trafficking literature and interviewed 1) survivors of child familial trafficking and 2) anti-human trafficking practitioners who serve this population in Louisiana. The goal of this report is to provide practitioners with information about familial trafficking to increase their awareness of and improve their response to familial trafficking cases. Learn more about this study on our landing page https://lnkd.in/dfY23z_g. #advancingthefield #researchtopractice #practitionerledresearch #antitrafficking #humantrafficking

✨ Sharing Knowledge on a National Stage ✨ Last week, our lawyers Lauren Rose and Celeste Woolf travelled to Canberra to present at the National Community Legal Centres Conference, in collaboration with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Network. The session explored the operation of a trauma informed practice and focused on the key factors that assist in effective legal service delivery for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients affected by family violence. The presentation outlined specific tools for effective communication that were created from interviews conducted on professionals in the health and social sectors including psychologists, nurses, counsellors, first responders and community engagement officers. It was an honour to present on beautiful Ngunnawal Country – thank you for allowing us to hold space for and amplify the stories, experiences, and knowledge of the community members who contributed to this project. #TraumaInformedPractice #CommunityLegalCentres #NgunnawalCountry #RespectfulPractice #CommunityStrong

DOJ Supports Lawsuit To End Grants For Hispanic-Serving Institutions  https://lnkd.in/eqNSzvsz It is interesting that this also applies to institutions that have historically served Hispanic communities.

What happens when jurisdictions receive targeted support to implement evidence-based youth justice practices? Our new publication, Implementing Change: Enhancing Community Supervision for Justice-Involved Youth, reveals how six local jurisdictions across the country partnered with CJI to strengthen community supervision practices, reduce recidivism, and improve outcomes for youth, families, and communities.    Read the outcomes report here: https://lnkd.in/ecrd9jSJ #YouthJustice #CommunitySupervision

Grayson County Juvenile Services was one of the agencies that benefitted from and put in some work with Crime and Justice Institute ‘s efforts to implement change for justice involved youth. https://lnkd.in/gkaKM2zs

RTI International funded exploratory research on familial trafficking to improve training and technical assistance (TTA) provision to anti-human trafficking responders. The RTI team conducted a scoping review of familial trafficking literature and interviewed survivors of child familial trafficking and anti-human trafficking practitioners who serve this population in Louisiana. Attached include: Findings Report: The goal of this report is to provide practitioners with information about familial trafficking (FT) to increase their awareness of and improve their response to familial trafficking cases. Practitioner Brief: This brief is designed to equip practitioners with information about attachment to better understand how relational interventions may effectively treat familial trafficking survivors.

Our research efforts continue to support a shift in public funding from registration to supporting evidence-based interventions for youth with problematic sexual behaviors. Here’s the financial comparison: • The Adam Walsh Act (2006) costs an estimated $300 million per year in direct costs, with social costs potentially increasing tenfold. However, it provides little public safety benefit. • Community-based interventions, which cost less than $5,000 per child, are shown to be effective. Advocates should push for policies that allocate funds to proven interventions that support healthy development, safety, and well-being for youth and families. Engaging with state legislators and policy think tanks is key to promoting reform. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/geSHXAVp #YouthRehabilitation #EvidenceBasedPolicy #PolicyReform #InvestInYouth

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) is more than a policy guideline—it is a safeguard designed to ensure children remain connected to their kin, culture, and Country. Yet as SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle has warned, fewer than half of Aboriginal children in care are placed with kin. This gap is not accidental. It reflects the institutional ethnocentrism that underpins child protection practice in Australia. Institutional ethnocentrism occurs when systems are built on the norms, values, and assumptions of the dominant culture, while marginalising or erasing others. In child protection, this plays out when Aboriginal ways of knowing family, care, and responsibility are disregarded in favour of Western bureaucratic processes. The result is that kinship placements—often the most culturally safe and stabilising option—are overlooked, under-resourced, or dismissed. This is not just about statistics. Each child denied the right to live with kin is a child at risk of losing their identity, belonging, and connection to community. It echoes the trauma of the Stolen Generations, demonstrating that despite commitments to reconciliation, Australia has not dismantled the structures that sever children from culture. Failing to acknowledge ethnicity and cultural obligation in child protection practice compounds intergenerational harm. Upholding ATSICPP is not symbolic—it is a test of whether our institutions can move beyond ethnocentric frameworks and genuinely respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination. Until that happens, the system will continue to fail the very children it claims to protect.

Today, alongside Jess Teesdale MHR, Donna Bain from Launceston Community Legal Centre and representatives of community legal and service organisations, our CEO Yvette Cehtel attended Economic Justice Australia’s launch of the second of its three-part report series into the various barriers that face women living in regional, rural, remote and very remote (4R) Australia when trying to access their social security entitlements. This second report, Social Security for Women Outside Our Cities: Issues of Eligibility, draws on extensive research, the experiences of EJA Member Centres, and consultation with more than 100 community service workers who were interviewed nationwide. The result is a comprehensive analysis of key limitations within current legislation and policy, which undermine the effective targeting of social security support to women in 4R Australia. Read more and download the report here : https://lnkd.in/gmDDa4-K

The beginning of a new school year is a perfect opportunity to highlight the urgent need to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.   Whether in kindergarten, school or other educational settings, children encounter people who may potentially harm them. To effectively combat this crime, we need reliable data from diverse sectors, including education, to better understand and analyse patterns, and design impactful strategies. But how are states collecting data on child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse ❓ Are there gaps that need to be bridged ❓ Examples to follow ❓   📢 A new report on data collection mechanisms on child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, published by the Council of Europe's Lanzarote Committee today, is the first comprehensive effort to compile this information from 36 countries across Europe and beyond — a vital resource for policy makers and practitioners alike. 📄🌍   Looking ahead to this year’s 18 November Day #EndChildSexualAbuseDay, the focus will be on strengthening evidence-based policy making through enhanced data collection. Together, we can build safer environments for all children.🤝 🧒 🛡️   Discover and share the report ➡️ https://lnkd.in/esAvW27b #ChildProtection #ChildRights #CoE_Lanzarote #CoE4Children #CouncilOfEurope #CSEA #Education #PolicyMaking #EvidenceBasedPolicy #Data Agnes von Maravic Naomi Trewinnard Education and Higher Education at the Council of Europe Human Rights and the Rule of Law at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Roberto Olla European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Europol UNICEF Europe & Central Asia Council of the Baltic Sea States INTERPOL Brave Movement ECPAT International Sara Alaoui Matthew McVarish INHOPE Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) Missing Children Europe "Hope For Children" CRC Policy Center Protect Children Safe Online Save the Children International WeProtect Global Alliance Marie-Cécile Rouillon European Network of National Human Rights Institutions Mama Fatima Singhateh European Network of National Human Rights Institutions Emilio Puccio Astrid Podsiadlowski OIF