Resource Library

Learn what to do if you or someone you know has received an Interim Assistance or Eligibility Letter from HHS.

Once a youth receives a Child Eligibility Letter it can be used to apply for benefits and services to the same extent as a refugee. This resource offers information on benefit-issuing agencies by state.

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 established the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking (“the Council”) as a formal platform for individuals with lived experience to provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking (PITF). As a member of these coordinating bodies, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implements the Council’s agency-specific recommendations and those for PITF agencies at large. This Information Memorandum summarizes the Council’s past recommendations and overviews implementation efforts by the HHS Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The status of each recommendation relating to ACF is available in the Appendix.

This national briefing call discussed new resources available from the Administration for Children and Families to assist child welfare, states, schools, nonprofit organizations, and practitioners in responding to concerns of human trafficking among children and youth, including those connected to the child welfare system.

The Human Trafficking School Safety Protocol Toolkit is a step-by-step guide to help schools (1) identify students that may be experiencing trafficking or may have an increased risk for trafficking, (2) ensure educators and other staff comply with mandatory reporting laws, (3) ensure the safety of students, educators, and other staff when reporting human trafficking and other forms of violence, and (4) help students connect to service providers and/or programs intended to reduce further exposure to violence and victimization. 

The objective of this literature review and annotated bibliography is to identify significant research on ACEs and social determinants of health found in at-risk populations, including children in and aging out of foster care, runaway and homeless youth, unaccompanied children (UC), Indigenous youth, and rural and urban youth. The goal of this literature review is to inform trafficking prevention efforts by leveraging knowledge gained from existing research. After the conclusion of the literature review, an annotated bibliography is provided with a synopsis of 33 relevant articles published between 2000 to 2017 from various disciplines, including psychology, youth studies, public health, and health care.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Determinants of At-Risk Populations: A Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography  (PDF)

The National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States (the Committee) has published Best Practices and Recommendations for States (PDF)  (PDF)to combat the sex trafficking of children and youth in the United States.

This Information Memorandum (IM) highlights the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) contributions to human trafficking research, gaps in evidence, and open access policies.

Access the one-pager (PDF) to learn more about OTIP's efforts to assist those who have experienced trafficking.

This literature review provides an overview of the literature on sex trafficking of children and youth in the United States that can be used to 1. make recommendations for administrative or legislative changes necessary to use programs, properties, or other resources owned, operated, or funded by the federal government to provide safe housing for children and youth who have experienced of sex trafficking and 2. share best practices and recommendations with state governors and child welfare agencies and others who work with children and youth who have experienced sex trafficking (P.L. 113-183).

LiteratureReview_SummaryofResearchandRecommendationsfortheField.pdf  (PDF)