Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking in Ohio

The purpose of this award, funded under the Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking Program, is to improve outcomes for children and youth who are victims of human trafficking by integrating human trafficking policy and programming at the state or tribal level and enhancing coordinated, multidisciplinary, and statewide approaches to serving trafficked youth. The Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) proposes a partnership with the Supreme Court of Ohio to provide competitive funding for two county juvenile courts to hire Safe Harbor Coordinators to develop and implement safe harbor protocols, inclusive of victim identification, assessment, service provision, court supervision, and disposition. Secondly, OClS proposes a partnership with the Ohio Department of Youth Services to fund a Juvenile Justice Human Trafficking Coordinator to build out county-specific service response protocols. The Coordinator would also work to ensure that trafficked minors in juvenile correctional facilities and detention centers are provided with social support and services. Additionally, the Coordinator would provide technical assistance to juvenile courts that are not funded through this program to build safe harbor protocols that can be adapted statewide. CA/NCF