Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education

Kent County serves as a Demonstration Site for implementation of Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) programming through a federal grant with OTIP (Office on Trafficking in Persons). This grant offers the opportunity to build on the existing work of Wedgwood’s Manasseh Project, SEE: Solutions to End Exploitation, and the Kent County Area Human Trafficking Coalition.

Goals of this project include: build capacity within our educational institutions to support staff in recognizing and reporting suspected incidents of human trafficking, utilize community agencies to support our students who may be experiencing (or are at risk of experiencing) human trafficking, and implement prevention education curricula that educates and empowers our middle and high school youth.

Human Trafficking School Safety Protocol

The Kent ISD Human Trafficking School Safety Protocol (HTSSP) was created in collaboration with community partners and local district staff.

It is part of a comprehensive effort to recognize, respond, and report to prevent and intervene in incidents of suspected or confirmed cases of human trafficking. This protocol is used in combination with 3Strands Global Foundation’s PROTECT program—a research-based, comprehensive curriculum that provides training for educators and a prevention education curriculum for students.

The HTSSP will provide you with the tools to:

• Define the severe forms of trafficking in persons and how a student can be exploited.
• Recognize the life experiences that can make a student more susceptible to being trafficked and potential indicators to look for;
• Create a trauma-informed system that meets the immediate physical and psychological needs of possible and identified victims engaging with our school systems;
• Understand your role as you report suspected or confirmed cases of child trafficking and the necessary steps to follow; and
• Utilize local and national support services for students.