Building Rapport with Youth in Foster Care: Why Relationships Matter in Preventing Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and How to Overcome Relational Obstacles
Hannah Swift, QBHS & Elisha McNeal, BSW, LSW | September 22 | 9:45-10:45 am
Topic: Direct Service | Knowledge Level: Beginner
Each year in the United States, over 100,000 children are trafficked (Kunstle, 2020). The FBI reports that 60% of youth who have been recovered from sex trafficking are part of the foster care system (Kunstle, 2020). The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) estimates that of the 250,000 children reported missing in 2022, at least 42,500 were victimized by sex trafficking. In previous years, NCMEC has found that 88% of runaway youth trafficked for sex were in foster care when they ran away. These statistics are staggering, but what can we do to prevent domestic minor sex trafficking among youth in foster care, especially when providing care is already so difficult? How does a foster parent or service provider effectively identify, care for, and develop rapport with these youth? In this session, the presenters will talk about specific vulnerabilities that put youth in foster care at increased risk of sex trafficking. They will review the developmental, systematic, and mental health barriers these youth face while in care. They will also discuss the unique challenges foster parents and other providers experience while serving youth. Finally, they will provide helpful strategies for overcoming these barriers and cultivating healthy relationships with these youth and by doing so, build protective factors that decrease the risk of trafficking.
Presentation Objectives:
· Discuss the definition, facts, and vulnerabilities of human trafficking
· Identify obstacles youth face when it comes to building healthy rapport with foster parents
· Identify obstacles foster parents face when it comes to building healthy rapport with youth placed with them
· Highlight strategies foster parents can utilize to cultivate good rapport