Building Stronger Teams in Bordering Communities and on Reservations
Melissa Kaiser, LBSW & Anne LaFrinier-Ritchie | September 23 | 10:15-11:15 AM
Topic: Direct Service, Programming | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
This presentation will be conducted by Anne and Melissa, who are Human Trafficking Navigators that have worked together in bordering communities for the last three years. Through their experience, cases of human trafficking and providing person-centered and trauma-informed responses to victims are more successful when there is a healthy, functioning team response. The presentation will cover ideas for creating and maintaining successful multi-disciplinary teams and includes components in each section of the training specific to communities bordering state lines and/or communities that border a reservation where trafficking cases may overlap. Anne and Melissa will discuss what they have learned through team development and provide ideas for ongoing rapport building within the team, how to increase trust, how to navigate dynamics of local teams, the importance of proper education, and concepts for managing conflict. Attendees will learn new ideas for team engagement with an understanding of the importance of including trauma-informed and socio-ecological concepts when creating and maintaining their local teams. The goal of this presentation is for teams to understand potential barriers to victims receiving efficient services and responses to their trafficking experience, with an emphasis on the additional barriers and dynamics when involving bordering communities and reservations. Attendees will gain perspective on the importance of prioritizing relationship-building within their team and communities to ensure success in these cases and, more importantly, victim recovery.
Presentation Objectives:
· Provide an overview of local multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) and their importance in human trafficking responses
· Discuss personal experience in creating MDTs, including the successes and conflicts/barriers that arise and how to navigate them
· Explain the importance of proper education and incorporating trauma-informed and socio-ecological concepts within team development and maintenance
· Provide ideas for implementation strategies to utilize while engaging local MDTs in bordering communities and on reservations