March is National Social Work Month! In recognition, social workers from OTIP's three divisions—research and policy, prevention, and protection—share how they use their knowledge and unique perspectives to strengthen anti-trafficking programs.
Hannah Wang, Research & Policy Intern, Research and Policy Division
OTIP’s research and policy division collects and analyzes data on human trafficking, evaluates anti-trafficking program performance, supports research on human trafficking in partnership with other federal agencies and research institutions, and produces policy documents to inform and assist various stakeholders involved in human trafficking prevention and protection. Social workers can actively engage in policy research and play a crucial role in advocating for populations who are underserved, vulnerable, and marginalized to influence policymaking.
As a practice, social work operates on three levels: the micro, the mezzo, and the macro. People may assume the field only involves micro-level functions, like providing direct services and interacting with clients. However, social workers also work at the macro level, navigating social issues on a much wider scale and creating change in systems that affect entire cities, states, and countries. Policy researchers who collaborate with macro-level social workers, or who have a background in macro-level social work themselves, are better poised to evaluate the effectiveness of policy interventions and recommend solutions that serve the needs of individuals and communities.
As a social work student interning with the research and policy division, I bring a human-centered approach to research inherent to my discipline, and my familiarity with social work practices, systems, and institutions informs how I critique macro-level policies implemented at the mezzo and micro levels. Social work acts as a bridge between systems and humans, and social workers help ensure research and policy efforts remain grounded in the lived realities of individual people, even as they seek to eliminate problems that are more abstract and structural.
Chanelle Rollins, LICSW, Trafficking Program Analyst, Prevention Division
OTIP’s prevention division focuses on training and technical assistance, survivor engagement, public awareness, regional coordination, and prevention education. The prevention division also develops and manages grant programs and contracts that strengthen human trafficking prevention efforts in various systems, including education, health care, behavioral health, public health, and social services. Using a public health approach, we look at the broader factors that influence human trafficking, and this aligns well with many social work principles.
As a social worker in the prevention division, I leverage my social work background when managing grants and contracts to ensure they address gaps and meet the needs of the diverse communities they are designed for. My direct service experience helps ensure the prevention division stays in touch with challenges faced in the field and allows us to develop realistic, implementable solutions. Additionally, my social work experience helps me identify creative prevention strategies for OTIP to focus on. Being a social worker allows for various opportunities to make changes in local, state, or even federal systems, and I enjoy being able to effect change at a macro level using my knowledge of direct service practice. Although it can be an intrinsically motivating field, social work provides a wealth of opportunities, and a social worker’s knowledge is valued in every arena.
Betsy Reiber, Trafficking Specialist, Protection Division
OTIP’s protection division is responsible for coordinating services for children, youth, and adults who have experienced human trafficking. This includes administering grant programs, coordinating intra- and interagency activities to improve access to trauma-informed, person-first, and culturally responsive services, and managing the Child Eligibility and Adult Certification programs. The protection division uses many principles inherent to social work when helping people who have experienced human trafficking, looking at the whole picture when developing service programs. At the micro level, we identify foreign national adults and minors experiencing human trafficking and help connect them to benefits and services. At the macro level, we develop grants that strengthen services in local communities. Not only is the protection division offering services that will impact individuals, but we also work to make systemic changes to address human trafficking at large.
As a trafficking specialist at OTIP, I enjoy applying my experience as a case manager working directly with people who have experienced human trafficking in the government sphere and at the macro level. Seeing what barriers people faced and what helped them be successful gives me a client-focused perspective and helps me better understand how policy translates into practice. I contribute to the big-picture change required to ultimately prevent human trafficking, while also connecting to clients by helping them access benefits and services. I enjoy this work because I think this population is often misunderstood or stigmatized, and I can bring their voices and experiences into the work designed to help them move forward from their trafficking experiences. I enjoy being part of an office that listens to the communities it serves and focuses on achieving the greatest impact when developing policies and programs to address human trafficking.