Standards of Care for Human Trafficking Service Providers

Survivors of human trafficking have diverse needs and receive assistance from a wide array of organizations that land on a continuum of experience, expertise and services focus. Programs also vary in the underlying philosophy of services and models of practice. Organizations engage in practices that may unintentionally re-traumatize trafficking survivors. FNUSA will address these challenges through the development of comprehensive, trauma-informed Standards of Care (SOC) that are specific to the needs of survivors of human trafficking. FNUSA will establish a Technical Working Group inclusive of diverse identities, especially those of underserved communities, communities of color, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities. The project will  leverage existing resources, including the Office for Victims of Crime’s (OVC) Achieving Excellence: Model Standards for Serving Victims & Survivors of Crime (Model Standards) to serve as a foundation for the SOC.

FNUSA, together with the Technical Working Group (TWG), will achieve the following goals within 36 months: 

Goals

1. Obtain stakeholder and survivor engagement to establish core standards for service delivery and assistance to individuals who have experienced trafficking.

2. Promote quality and consistency in service delivery.

3. Define legal responsibility of grant-funded recipients under federal civil rights statutes.

4. Provide concrete guidance on how standards should be reflected in service delivery practices, protocols, and procedures.

5. Facilitate continuous assessment of the development and application of standards, including through working with an external evaluator to be identified by OVC and OTIP.