OVC FY 2022 Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking: Training and Technical Assistance Program

Human trafficking of young people is a growing focus of social welfare and social justice concern. The current best practices for addressing child and youth trafficking have identified the need for collaborative multi-sector efforts that bring together child and youth-serving systems that may come in contact with potential victims. The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is supporting such collaborations at the statewide and tribal jurisdiction levels through its Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking program. As the current training and technical assistance (TTA) provider for Improving Outcome Category 1 grantees, RTI International is uniquely qualified and well-positioned to support OVC’s goals for grantees and other states and tribes working to strengthen their response to child and youth victims. They will do this by building upon their relationships and experience with current Improving Outcomes grantees, exceptional background in addressing child and youth trafficking, and proven ability to develop and deliver effective, responsive national level TTA.  

The Improving Outcomes TTA team is made up of RTI staff and multiple nationally recognized Subject Matter Expert (SME) Partners from diverse disciplines required for grantee success and long-term sustainability (e.g., child welfare, mental healthcare, law enforcement, racial justice, and human trafficking research) including several experts who also identify as having lived experience of trafficking.  

The Improving Outcomes TTA team will use RTI’s proven strategies to provide proactive, flexible, ongoing TTA to states and tribes. Through their Individualized TA model, each grantee will have a Dedicated TA (DTA) Provider to arrange ongoing, customized support and to facilitate connections with SME Partners, other grantees, and other states or tribes. DTA Providers will identify areas of need across grantees to inform Group TA activities, whereby the team will use varied modalities to provide solutions efficiently to appropriate audiences. The TTA team will also develop and publicly disseminate resources to build the capacity of states and tribes to address child and youth trafficking. Peer-to-Peer TTA, Group TTA, and TTA Resources will be available to both grantees and non-grantee states and tribes working on similar efforts.  All project components will work to ensure inclusivity and equity. Ultimately, this responsive, action-driven approach will strengthen grantee programs and their ability to meet their goals during and after the grant as well as the capacity of states and tribes across the county.  

RTI is applying under priority area 1(A).