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Commercial sexual exploitation of children: the impact of awareness education in the Los Angeles Unified School District
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Commercial sexual exploitation of children: the impact of awareness education in the Los Angeles Unified School District
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P a g e | 2
University of Southern California
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: The Impact of Awareness Education in the
Los Angeles Unified School District
A capstone project submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Social Work
by
Linet H. Danoukh
© Copyright by Linet H. Danoukh 2018
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This capstone project would not be possible without the support of many individuals.
My special regards to my professors whose teaching and guidance at different stages of this
educational journey have supported my growth. I wish to thank the members of the Student
Health and Human Services Cadre of Consultants for providing feedback and data to make this
project possible. Thank you for your dedication to raising awareness about the Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children. Your commitment is evident in your role as change agents and
advocates for our youth. I would like to also express my gratitude to my respected
administrators, Alicia Garoupa, Dr. Michelle Castelo Alferes, and La Shona Jenkins for their trust
in me, and for allowing me to work on this project.
To the Sweet 16, I am grateful for the last two years of support and infinite laughter. To
the Warrior Women: thank you for the love, and the memories that will stay with me forever.
This journey was sweeter because we traveled together. To Neesh, your heart and my heart
are very old friends. I am so grateful that we walked side by side through the crazy moments
that added to the sweetness. To Carol, NarNar, and Mel, we have an unbreakable sisterhood
that reminds me I am never alone. Thank you for everything.
An immense level of gratitude to my family. Words cannot express how grateful I am to
both of my moms: Jenik and Nina. Their love and undying support will remain my inspiration
throughout my life. Without their help, I would not have been able to accomplish my dream.
Their continuous prayers have made it possible for me to see this day.
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To my brother, sister-in-love, nieces, and nephew, thank you for your love, and moral
support throughout the madness – We the Best!
I owe my deepest gratitude to my soulmate, Vach. I am forever indebted to you for the
patience, love, and sacrifices you have made so that I can pursue my dream. Your supportive
and understanding nature have carried me through this journey. Thank you for loving me at my
worst and celebrating me at my best. To my little loves Camille and Sebastian, thank you for
putting up with my “momster” tendencies and for reminding me of the true beauty of life. May
you continue to make daddy and me proud. You each possess your own unique, kindhearted
spirit which continues to amaze me daily. I love you more than you’ll ever know.
P a g e | 5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is one of the fastest growing
criminal enterprise in the world. Los Angeles holds the regrettable position of being one of the
highest markets for CSEC. This increased prevalence prompted the Los Angeles Unified School
District (LAUSD) to take proactive measure to protect our students and our communities. While
no one is truly safe, youth in out-of-homecare placements (foster, homeless, camp returnee)
are significantly over-represented as vulnerable targets for commercial sexual exploitation. The
Student Health and Human Services (SHHS) Division developed a multi-disciplinary Cadre of
Consultants who are responsible for facilitating CSEC awareness trainings to staff at secondary
schools throughout the District. CSEC awareness trainings conducted by the Cadre will serve to
increase awareness of:
• Prevalence of the commercial sexual exploitation of children
• Warning signs, risk factors, and recruitment tactics used to lure victims
• Myths about victims and abusers
• How culture and mass media influence and desensitize our perceptions of sexual
abuse and sex trafficking
• Local resources for victims
• District protocol for the mandated reporting of suspected victims of sex trafficking
The aim of this report is to provide an update on the CSEC awareness trainings and share the
findings from the Spring 2017 pilot as well as the Spring 2018 implementation of the awareness
trainings.
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What follows is a summary of data collection efforts and key findings from the capstone
project. The combined results are intended to provide a limited set of evaluation outcomes for
training participants, together with substantial information concerning the nature of the
capstone project. The findings could serve as a foundation for scalability. Included in the full
report is an overview of the project, the research questions addressed by the study, and a
literature review that provides a context for understanding the importance of CSEC. Finally, the
study conclusions, recommendations, and implications for practice are outlined.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACRONYMS 8
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
• PROBLEM DEFINITION AND PREVALENCE 9
• GRAND CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL WORK 12
• PROBLEM CAUSATION AND NEED 14
• RESEARCH, PRACTICE, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION 15
• BACKGROUND 16
• LAUSD BOARD RESOLUTION 16
• CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS TRAINING 17
• THE CAPSTONE PROJECT 18
• THE TRAINING MODEL 18
• TOOLS AND RESOURCES 18
• CADRE OF CONSULTANTS 18
• INNOVATION 20
PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE AND SOLUTIONS
• THE PILOT 22
• EXPANDING REACH 22
• PILOT OUTCOMES 23
• BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS 24
• POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY ALLIES AND OBSTACLES 28
• ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS 29
• BUDGET 31
PROJECT STRUCTURE, METHODOLOGY, AND OUTCOMES
• EVALUATION METHOD AND LIMITATIONS 32
• STUDY OUTCOMES 34
• COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION PLAN 36
CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS, & IMPLICATIONS
• RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND FUTURE IMPLICATIONS 37
APPENDIX
• ATTACHMENT A: MAS L O W’S PYRAMID 40
• ATTACHMENT B: LAUSD CSEC TASK FORCE 41
• ATTACHMENT C: LOGIC MODEL 42
• ATTACHMENT D: MYPLN ONLINE MODULE 43
• ATTACHMENT E: CADRE OF CONSULTANTS WEBSITE 44
• ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC 45
• ATTACHMENT G: EVALUATION 53
• ATTACHMENT H: CSEC WEBSITE AND ONLINE TOOLKIT 54
• ATTACHMENT I: 2017-18 CSEC SCHOOLS TRAINED 55
REFERENCES 58
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ACRONYMS
CAAT
Child Abuse Awareness Training
ACLU American Civil Liberties Union
CDE California Department of Education
CHYA California Healthy Youth Act
CITI Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program)
CSEC Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
DCFS Department of Children and Family Services
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
FYAP Foster Youth Achievement Program
HEP Health Education Programs
IOM Institute of Medicine
LASPD Los Angeles School Police Department
LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District
LCAP Local Control Accountability Plan
MyPLN My Professional Learning Network
OJJDP
NHTRC
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
National Human Trafficking Resource Center
NRC National Research Council
SHHS Student Health and Human Services
SWOT Strengths Weaknesses Opportunites Threats
P a g e | 9
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
PROBLEM DEFINITION AND PREVALENCE
Human trafficking and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is a global
problem affecting communities everywhere in the world. CSEC refers to a range of crimes and
activities involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of a child for the financial benefit of any
person or in exchange for anything of value given or received by any person (OJJDP, n.d.).
Examples of crimes and acts that constitute CSEC include:
• child sex trafficking/the prostitution of children;
• child sex tourism involving commercial sexual activity;
• the commercial production of child pornography; and
• the online transmission of live video of a child engaged in sexual activity in
exchange for anything of value.
CSEC also includes situations where a child, whether or not at the direction of any other person,
engages in sexual activity in exchange for anything of value, which includes non-monetary
things such as food, shelter, drugs, or protection from any person (OJJDP, n.d.). The prevalence
of CSEC is seemingly less obvious and more extensive than imaginable. It is no longer a foreign
issue but rather a modern-day form of slavery happening here in the United States. As a leader
in the global fight to end all forms of human trafficking, the Polaris Project (2016) estimates
that over 100,000 children are at risk of sexual exploitation yearly in the United States with
trends demonstrating an increase each year. Although all children are at risk of becoming
victims of CSEC, there are demographic factors that increase vulnerability for girls. Globally,
children now comprise nearly one third of all detected trafficking victims. Girls as young as
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twelve and boys as young as eleven are exposed to sex trafficking (ECPAT-USA, 2013). Out of
every three child victims, two are girls and one is a boy (United Nations, 2014).
Over the last ten years, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) has
collected data through reports made to the national hotline. At the close of 2017 year, the
hotline reported receiving 26,557 calls from across the United States and U.S. territories and
identified 8,524 human trafficking cases. Of the 26,557 calls made to the NHTRC, thirty percent
were from community members seeking support and services for victims. According to the
NHTRC hotline statistics (2017), California has consistently received the highest volume of
human trafficking tips reported to the hotline with a total of 1,331 reports made. More
specifically, the city of Los Angeles has emerged as a magnet for child sexual exploitation. The
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified Los Angeles as one of the nation’s thirteen
high intensity CSEC areas (California Child Welfare Council, 2013).
Victims of CSEC are lured by false promises of a lucrative job, stability, education, or a
loving relationship (Polaris Project, 2015). Traffickers know how to properly groom vulnerable
youth by manipulating them. They employ a variety of control tactics, including physical and
emotional abuse, sexual assault, confiscation of identification and money, isolation from friends
and family, and even renaming victims (Polaris Project, 2015). Several risk factors and
indicators contribute to the heightened vulnerability to the tactics used to recruit and maintain
youth in commercial sexual exploitation. While victims have diverse ethnic and socioeconomic
backgrounds, individuals who are economically disadvantaged may be more susceptible to
becoming victims of sex trafficking as they are being promised essential needs for survival -
safety, stability, and income.
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Abraham Maslow’s “A Theory of Human Motivation” can be applied directly to enhance
our understanding of the problem, process, and consequences of CSEC. Maslow’s pyramid
(Attachment A) includes the following stages: physiological needs, safety and security, love and
belonging, self-esteem, and self –actualization. It is proposed that, traffickers knowingly use
this hierarchy of needs to control and exploit their victims (Shared Hope International, 2013).
The physiological needs refer to the child’s access to basic needs for healthy development
(adequate food/water, housing and clothing, safety, and medical care), which the trafficker
provides in order to gain trust. They also offer safety from an environment that potentially
poses a threat (abuse or neglect by parents) by promising protection and financial security.
Traffickers also exert their control on their victims through physical abuse. While not directly
mentioned in Maslow’s pyramid, torture and cruel and inhumane treatment from others are
clearly in violation of both physiological and safety needs (Werby, 2013). A false sense of love
and belonging is reinforced through consistent time spent together doing activities that the
victim particularly enjoys. The traffickers also use flattery and expensive gifts to mislead the
victim into believing that he or she is special in order to establish higher self-esteem.
Traffickers initially play on these needs to gain control. Later, however, the victim’s physical,
psychological, and emotional needs are controlled by the perpetrators of trafficking through
emotional and physical imprisonment and sexual abuse and exploitative acts. These abusive
experiences, in turn, typically lead to severe emotional and mental wounds, which are
attributed to high levels of trauma and other mental and mood disorders (Utley, 2016). To
exercise control, traffickers replace victims’ friends with other girls and traffickers in the
industry to make it nearly impossible for the victim to leave. As outlined by Shared Hope
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International (2013), traffickers are using Maslow’s theory to identify the needs of our youth
and may be following a recruitment process similar to this: (1) identify the need of the child, (2)
fulfill the need, (3) remove any other sources of need fulfillment, (4) exploit the child’s
dependence for need fulfillment by forcing them into prostitution. The tactics used by
traffickers reinforces the need for greater awareness so that more individuals can interpret the
signs of trafficking and be able to identify victims.
Runaway and homeless youth are particularly vulnerable as they are specifically
targeted by traffickers. One common characteristic of children and youth who have been
sexually trafficked is a history of child abuse, which includes mental, physical, and sexual abuse.
Often children and youth who are abused in the home suffer from psychological issues that
draw them to or make them susceptible to traffickers (Gluck & Mathur, 2014).
In 2015, the Polaris Project estimated 20% of runaways were victims of child sex
trafficking. And of those, 74% were in foster care and social services when they ran. Many
factors contribute to the overall number of homeless youth each year, but common reasons are
family dysfunction, exiting the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, and sexual abuse (The
National Network for Youth, 2014). Although youth often run away due to the violence they
experience in the home, they are subsequently at a greater risk of further victimization and
commercial sexual exploitation once on the street. Once approached by a trafficker, they are
promised all of the things they don’t have: love, food, housing, and employment.
GRAND CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL WORK
The trafficking of children in the United States has been clouded by a lack of awareness
and exacerbated by stigma and denial (Human Trafficking in America’s Schools, 2015). The
P a g e | 13
Grand Challenge focus for this capstone project will concentrate on the initiative to ensure
healthy development for all youth in an effort to address the need for CSEC prevention
education in the LAUSD. According to the Grand Challenge working paper, Unleashing the
Power of Prevention (2015), several preventative interventions have produced positive effects
on more than one behavioral health outcome. The paper further commits to seven actionable
goals around prevention:
(1) Develop and increase public awareness of the advances and cost savings of
effective preventive interventions that promote healthy behaviors for all. (2)
Ensure that 10% of all public funds spent on young people support effective
prevention programs. (3) Implement community-assessment and capacity-
building tools that guide communities to systematically assess and prioritize risk
and protective factors, and select and implement evidence-based prevention
programs that target prioritized factors. (4) Establish and implement criteria for
preventive interventions that are effective, sustainable, equity-enhancing, and
cost-beneficial. (5) Increase infrastructure to support the high-quality
implementation of preventive interventions. (6) Monitor and increase access of
children, youth, and young adults to effective preventive interventions. (7)
Create workforce development strategies to prepare practitioners in health and
human service professions for new roles in promotion and preventive
interventions (Hawkins et al., 2015).
These goals directly align with the need to create awareness around the risk factors associated
with CSEC within large complex systems that provide direct service to our most vulnerable
P a g e | 14
youth. Lacking the skills to recognize and support potential victims has impacts beyond the
school years. Research continues to demonstrate that the power of prevention has the ability
to ensure healthy development for all youth (Butts, 2018).
PROBLEM CAUSATION AND NEED
The lack of awareness among school district personnel about the risk factors associated
with CSEC perpetuates the pervasive cycle of sexually exploited youth. Identifying victims of
CSEC can be difficult because of a general lack of public awareness about the issue
(Development Services Group, 2014). Community members such as educators are often times
the first responders to children with various needs ranging from academic to social and
emotional well-being. They are in a unique position to protect our youth as they have daily
interactions with their parents, family members, and care-givers (Polaris Project, 2011). As
previously stated, the NHTRC hotline relies heavily on reports made by community members.
Without broadening the awareness of school district staff, we run the risk of failing to identify
potential victims within the LAUSD.
In 2013, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) report on
commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States found that
commercial sexual exploitation of minors creates serious short and long-term problems, not
just for children being abused but also for affected families, communities, and societies (IOM
and NRC, 2013). Additionally, the report noted that while efforts to prevent the commercial
sexual exploitation of minors are essential, actual prevention programs are largely absent.
Communities need to familiarize themselves with the nature of the crime and the importance
of training first responders to identify and protect victims and serve their needs (Human
P a g e | 15
Trafficking in America’s Schools, 2015). Most school districts lack an organized response to
CSEC. Traffickers are known to frequent areas highly populated with youth. As such, the school
setting is an ideal venue for the recruitment of victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
Considering the daily injustice that impacts youth, efforts to intervene and to prevent further
victimization are essential.
As previously mentioned, runaway, homeless, and foster youth are particularly
vulnerable targets of sexual exploitation as their lives are characterized by unstable living
conditions. Current foster care data in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has
identified approximately 7,427 students residing in foster care (Pupil Services, 2016). These
statistics demonstrate the critical need for CSEC awareness education in the LAUSD.
RESEARCH, PRACTICE, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION
Similar to work in other public sectors, a comprehensive school-based prevention
strategy is necessary to mitigate the risk of vulnerable youth and the possibility of victimization.
Everyone who is part of the school community has the potential to be an advocate for victims
of child sexual exploitation. Training that increases awareness and knowledge of anti-
trafficking laws and allows individuals to notice and identify some attributes of trafficked
children is a step in ending the sex trafficking business (Development Services Group, 2014).
Similar to the proposed intervention program, the Georgia Department of Family and Children’s
Services (DFCS) mandated specialized training for all staff so that child welfare personnel would
be aware of the risk factors and pathways into CSEC as well as the laws and services in place to
address the needs of victims (Harbert & Tucker-Tatlow, 2014). The study found that the 90-
minute web-based CSEC training for staff significantly improved their CSEC beliefs and
P a g e | 16
knowledge (including their ability to identify the risk factors for entry into CSEC), increased their
knowledge of local laws and services regarding CSEC, and increased their self-reported
willingness to refer CSEC victims and children ‘at risk’ for CSEC to specialized services. In a
similar study, Rheingold and colleagues (2011) found significant positive differences between
those adults who received training in the Stewards of Children program on measures of child
sexual abuse knowledge and self-reported prevention behaviors compared with those adults in
the wait-list control condition. The researchers recommend agencies serving youth utilize a
similar training as a preliminary step towards improving employees’ knowledge of CSEC
(Harbert & Tucker-Tatlow, 2014).
BACKGROUND
LAUSD Board Resolution: The capstone project was developed through the LAUSD
Board Resolution to “Address, Prevent, and Eliminate Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children in LAUSD” (Board Informative, 2016). The project is primarily focused on four key
deliverables: (1) providing CSEC awareness education to all secondary schools in the District, (2)
updating CSEC vignettes annually for the Spring Child Abuse Awareness Trainings (CAAT), (3)
developing resources for staff, parents, and students of the LAUSD, (4) developing subsequent
phases of implementation to encompass key stakeholders: parents and students.
The formation of a District CSEC task force (Attachment B) has been essential in
informing the implementation of the CSEC initiative. The Board Resolution to create awareness
around CSEC is innovative in its preliminary approach in that it demonstrates a level of
collaboration between sectors. This cross-agency workgroup has supported the District’s
efforts in educating District staff on the sexual exploitation of youth. The intent of the CSEC
P a g e | 17
awareness trainings and its theory of change are to increase the knowledge of District staff on
the prevalence, risk factors, and warning signs of sexually exploited children. As outlined in the
logic model (Attachment C), District staff must first learn the dynamics that surround sexually
exploited youth in order to be able to recognize and report suspected cases of CSEC. The
theoretical basis for this project is attributed to Bandura’s Social Learning Theory which posits
that most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others,
one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded
information serves as a guide for action (Bandura, 1977).
Child Abuse Awareness Training: In addition to CSEC awareness trainings implemented
district-wide, the comprehensive strategy also infuses CSEC awareness, prevention and
intervention into policies and trainings which address child abuse. The District’s updated Child
Abuse and Awareness Policy now includes commercial sexual exploitation as a type of child
abuse. The SHHS Division developed a CSEC vignette that has been incorporated in the Spring
Child Abuse Awareness Trainings held each year at every school site throughout the District.
These vignettes are updated by the Cadre every year for relevance. The strategy also includes a
professional development plan for health teachers that provides additional training on all new
mandates of the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA), including sex trafficking and other related
topics that have been developed by the Health Education Programs (HEP) of the LAUSD. To
instill CSEC prevention education in the classroom, HEP has purchased curricula compliant with
the California Healthy Youth Act CHYA (Assembly Bill 329 of 2015) and Sexual Abuse and Sex
Trafficking Prevention Education (Senate Bill 1165 of 2014) to be used by health teachers
(Board Informative, 2016).
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THE CAPSTONE PROJECT
The main components of the project involve a comprehensive training model for school
staff, an evaluation process, tools and resources for school staff and a Cadre of Consultants who
conduct the trainings.
The Training Model: The training model includes the following content as they relate to
the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:
• Definitions
• Broad dynamics and prevalence
• Risk factors
• Warning signs
• Victims, exploiters, and abusers
• Child Abuse reporting requirements
• Resources
Tools and Resources: Training materials such as handouts, tools, and additional
resources (Attachment H) were developed by the author to provide further understanding for
all stakeholders on the training topic. The author further developed a website inclusive of the
Board Resolution purpose, the reporting guidelines, training objectives, Cadre lead contacts,
and a comprehensive list of tools and resources for all stakeholder groups.
Cadre of Consultants: The formation of a Cadre of Consultants was established to
ensure CSEC awareness trainings are provided to all secondary school staff in the District by the
2019-2020 school year. These professionals will work in partnership to provide trainings
district-wide. Each of the six Local District regions in the LAUSD will maintain their own CSEC
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Cadre of Consultants. The consultants consist of a multi-disciplinary team of certificated
personnel from different units within the LAUSD’s SHHS Division. The identified consultants
have received prior specialized CSEC training through the partnership of the Los Angeles County
Department of Probation (Board Informative, 2016). The Probation Department’s specialized
training has educated members of the Cadre about the risk factors and pathways of entry, the
needs of youth involved in CSEC, the overall demand of CSEC, and how to identify youth at-risk
of and involved in CSEC. The training also reframes the issue as a form of child abuse and
represents the scope of the issue and the reality of the trauma that exploited youth experience.
These components further equip the members of the Cadre to best facilitate the trainings.
Members of the Cadre have also been provided with a “train the trainers” training prior
to the roll out of the CSEC awareness trainings. The “train the trainers” facilitator guide with
materials has been transferred into an online module, My Professional Learning Network
(MyPLN), which has served as a great tool in providing professional development to District
employees. The online module (Attachment D), with discussion points, has been established to
best prepare facilitators for the PowerPoint they use while providing trainings at identified
schools. The MyPLN platform is useful because the facilitators can revisit the trainings as many
times as they wish to feel comfortable with the material they present. A website (Attachment
E) has also been created for the Cadre of Consultants. Members of the Cadre can access all
training materials and educational tools necessary throughout the implementation process.
The main responsibilities of the Cadre of Consultants are to provide the trainings to school
personnel at the identified sites and be available for consultation and further professional
development.
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INNOVATION
The capstone project stemmed from the LAUSD Board Resolution deliverables but has
been expanded by the author to address the current gaps in research and practice (See
Research, Practice, and Opportunities for Innovation section). The innovative aspects of this
capstone project are integrated into various parts of the capstone. First, the training content
was enhanced to include current data and resources specific to school staff. Second, the entire
evaluation process, including data analysis, was included and created by the author because of
the high need for evidence-based practices for school staff trainings on CSEC awareness. Third,
the fidelity of this training was integral to the author and therefore a “train the trainers”
method was implemented. This facilitated the process of training the trainers with the same
materials, content, and message offered to all staff who receive the training. The training was
particularly created for LAUSD because it’s an extremely large district and the information
provided to district personnel needed to be accurate. The original training was modified with
information referencing relevant research, current statics, updated training objectives, and a
“fact/myth” game to gauge participant perceptions and debunk myths early in the training.
This training model also has the added feature of the online “train the trainers” module, which
ensures that all schools receive this same message with all the relevant info. Fourth, the
development of project materials was specific to school staff. These tools (Attachment E) have
provided relevance that has prompted many school staff to inquire further about local
resources to support potential victims as well as ways in which they can get involved in their
communities.
P a g e | 21
Fifth, the entire evaluation process was created by the author and as a result the
breadth of understanding about the current needs of staff and model improvements are
possible. Questions were added to provide a more thorough understanding of how different
subgroups of stakeholders may be more comfortable with taking action than others, which
provides data to better inform, support, and enhance the training for certain participants. This
distinction recognizes that different staff who are being trained may need more information or
support. The nature of this topic makes it a high priority, and since school staff are front line
defense for youth, it is vital that the evaluation process and data be used to serve the district.
Sixth, an online toolkit (Attachment H) has been created by the author that allows for
scaling and support for the school community, as well as other school districts. In addition to a
public webpage dedicated to educating online users on CSEC, the website also contains a
resource page to engage and provide support to school personnel, parents and caregivers, and
students on the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The tools consist of links which
connect users to tips, teaching tools, and interactive games.
For the future, this model can be used to provide trainings for school district personnel
throughout the nation. LAUSD can collaborate with other districts to launch the training so that
school personnel in all districts are equipped to recognize and report cases of CSEC. This can
happen through the multiple collaborative partners that LAUSD has established a relationship
with.
P a g e | 22
PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE AND SOLUTIONS
THE PILOT
The implementation of the pilot trainings took place between April and June 2017.
Thirty-five schools were identified to participate in a pilot implementation of the CSEC
awareness trainings. Pilot schools were identified based on high enrollment of foster and
homeless youth. School personnel at each pilot site received a one-hour “in-person” training.
To ensure the effectiveness of the pilot implementation, school personnel participated in a
post-training evaluation to assess their level of awareness about the prevalence, risk factors,
and warning signs associated with CSEC. The purpose of the pilot implementation was to
measure the feasibility of intervention for future large-scale implementation and adoption
within the district. Data collected from the pilot study included responses from post-training
evaluations. All evaluations were conducted immediately following the “in-person” trainings.
EXPANDING REACH
Subsequent phases of the project will incorporate the remaining key stakeholders:
caregivers and students. The theoretical framework for reaching these targeted groups is
attributed to Systems Theory. When examining the school community, the staff, caregivers,
students and the geographic community are all interrelated parts that comprise a systematic
whole. Each subsystem influences other parts of the whole. In order to create awareness and
change, we must impact and influence human behavior at all intersections of the system. All
systems that impact the well-being of children must be considered as they are an integral part
of trying to understand and resolve the problem. Preliminary discussions have begun on
alternate pathways to reach the caregiver and student stakeholder groups at the LAUSD. A
P a g e | 23
plan of action has not yet been determined as the team is in the process of meeting with
several agencies to determine suitability within the context of the District. The District’s HEP
unit, however, has purchased the Positive Prevention PLUS Curriculum and has already begun
training health teachers to integrate instruction on human trafficking into the health education
course at the middle and high school levels.
A level of resistance is anticipated as we consider bringing more formalized awareness
education on human trafficking to the students of the LAUSD. Conversations with project
leaders in the HEP unit recommend that only schools that are directly having issues related to
CSEC, or are at high-risk, should be receiving a comprehensive student program that exclusively
covers sex trafficking. Discussions with school principals have suggested that they are resistant
to bringing this type of curriculum to their school. Additionally, some principals have shared
that they feel their health teachers are already limited on instructional time and this would
pose an additional stressor in covering course materials.
PILOT OUTCOMES
The pilot post-training evaluation produced a sample size of 1,558 respondents. These
evaluations were analyzed to produce the following units of service. In total, thirty-three (33)
hours of training were provided to reach 2,231 staff at thirty-three (33) school sites throughout
the District. Of those targeted learners, 1,558 participated in a post-training evaluation. The
participants consisted of 1,214 (77.9%) teachers and 244 (15.7%) out of classroom staff
(administrators, coordinators, counselors, aides). The remaining 100 (6.4%) participants did not
provide identifying information on their position at the school site. Five hundred fifty-one (551)
P a g e | 24
participants (35.4%) requested more advanced training on CSEC. Please refer to the pilot
infographic (Attachment F), which provides a visual representation of the results.
The preliminary evidence supporting the proposed solution is based on the qualitative
and quantitative data derived from training evaluations. Quantitative data can be used to
display first levels of change such as greater knowledge and awareness of CSEC. First person
accounts of the training will serve as the qualitative data to measure behavior change.
Although full efficacy cannot be determined at this point, the preliminary data does inform the
likelihood of success and the changes that need to be made in order for a comprehensive
intervention to be implemented district-wide. An analysis of 1,558 participant evaluations
concluded that ninety-three percent (93%) of participants “agreed/strongly agreed” that they
have a better understanding of the prevalence, terminology, risk factors, pathways to entry,
and warning signs associated with CSEC. Forty-three percent (43%) of participants indicated
that they had “no to limited awareness of CSEC prior to this training.” The qualitative data is
derived from participants who indicated their “next steps” as a result of the training. Some
participants commit to incorporating the knowledge gained into their teaching curriculum,
while others pledge to be “more proactive and keep an open eye for the warning signs with
students and youth in their communities.”
BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS
The pilot implementation allowed for an evaluation phase to review barriers that have
emerged and identify facilitators to support the implementation process. Staff retention has
been an identified barrier in the pilot implementation and could pose a bigger challenge with
regard to sustainability. The next tier of implementation was threatened as a result of
P a g e | 25
members of the Cadre leaving roles within SHHS to pursue other positions. In addition to the
loss of members, the number of identified school sites to be trained for the 2017-18 rollout
have increased significantly. Consequently, the ratio of trainers to the number of training sites
is imbalanced. A proactive approach to mitigate this barrier was to review a list of 264 qualified
staff who can potentially join the Cadre to support with trainings. Upon review, SHHS program
administrators contacted qualified SHHS staff to inquire if they were interested in joining the
Cadre of Consultants. Prospective consultants must meet the minimum requirements to be a
part of the Cadre: (1) be a district-level, non-school based employee, (2) have received
intensive trainings on CSEC awareness (CSEC 101) through our partner organization, the Los
Angeles County Probation Department, and (3) be available for consultation and professional
development. Through this outreach, over forty (40) SHHS staff showed interest and were
asked to attend a “train the trainers” training offered in November 2017 to be formerly trained
as facilitators.
Another challenge has been the maintenance of training fidelity. To mitigate this
potential barrier, a two-hour “train the trainers” live session was offered to both past and
newly identified trainers in November 2017. This training opportunity for the Cadre helped
streamline the basic training style and materials needed to deliver the intervention with
fidelity. As referenced in the research conducted by Aarons, Sommerfeld, Hecht, Silovsky, and
Chaffin (2009), greater staff retention is present where evidence-based practice has been
implemented along with ongoing fidelity monitoring presented to staff as supportive
consultation. Concerns decrease “when fidelity monitoring is designed as an aid and support to
service providers in providing a high standard of care for children and families” (Aarons et al.,
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2009). The training also provided a great opportunity for Cadre members to interact and share
best practices that have helped them conduct past trainings at school sites. This dialogue was
essential as it highlighted potential for further support, which will be provided on an individual
basis. Training feedback from “train the trainers” training is available in the infographic
(Attachment F).
Three significant facilitators that are essential both to the success of the
implementation phase and the sustainability of the CSEC awareness trainings are: program
funding, intervention developers, and the organizational characteristics that will allow the
program to grow. Funding for the CSEC awareness trainings is secured through the Local
Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which funds the Foster Youth Achievement Program (FYAP).
LCAP allocates over fourteen million dollars each year to FYAP’s annual budget to support
foster youth throughout the district. The implementation of the CSEC awareness trainings will
continue to be secured through the LCAP thanks to current data that identifies approximately
7,427 LAUSD students residing in foster care (Pupil Services, 2016). As previously stated, out of
homecare youth are particularly vulnerable to falling victim to child sexual exploitation. As
such, the efforts to increase awareness about this topic support the goals of the FYAP program,
and the SHHS Division in fostering a safe learning environment for all LAUSD students.
Furthermore, on September 14, 2017, the LAUSD, the California Department of Education
(CDE), and petitioners entered into a settlement in which LAUSD agreed to provide $150 million
in additional spending to schools with high-need students, foster youth rates, homelessness
rates, and academic risk factors (American Civil Liberties Union, 2017). Policies that support the
sustainment of practices can emerge at both legislative and organizational levels. The recent
P a g e | 27
passing of Assembly Bill 1227, The Human Trafficking Prevention Education and Training Act,
requires school districts to include human trafficking prevention education as part of
comprehensive sexual health education for grades seven through twelve and requires human
trafficking awareness training for school district staff (Office of the Attorney General, 2017).
The auspices of the CSEC awareness initiative promotes sustainability at an internal level
and is therefore considered a facilitator. The administrators managing and leading the initiative
are mindful to create a climate that is conducive to continuous buy-in (Aarons et al., 2010).
Organizational structure, culture and climate, and leadership can increase or decrease the
likelihood that an intervention will be disseminated and implemented as intended (Palinkas &
Soydan, 2012). Both the SHHS and the Pupil Services leadership teams are fully engaged and
facilitate feedback and participation from all members of the Cadre. They make efforts to
ensure staff are being heard by following through on requests.
Having a large pilot sample size, conducting monthly check-in meetings, and facilitating
annual surveys to elicit formal feedback from the Cadre have supported the development of
the project. Monthly phone conferences with the Lead Cadre of Consultants consisted of a
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the trainings. These
discussions have allowed us to assess the project’s effectiveness with program administrators
and refine aspects of the training to best serve the remaining secondary schools in the District.
SWOT analysis will continue throughout the remaining phases of implementation. The next tier
of secondary schools for the 2017-18 school year was identified based on suggestions from the
Cadre. To better evaluate the effectiveness of the next tier of trainings, a new version of the
post-training evaluation (Attachment G) was created for use in the second tier of
P a g e | 28
implementation. This updated evaluation includes questions that measure the average change
in knowledge and awareness of CSEC as well as behavioral intent in recognizing and reporting
cases of CSEC. The revised evaluation was administered to participants during the full
implementation of the trainings beginning November 2017.
POLITICAL, ORGANIZATIONAL AND COMMUNITY ALLIES AND OBSTACLES
As mentioned in the barriers and facilitators section of this report, the CSEC initiative
has strong political, organizational, and community support. It is the school board’s priority to
encourage schools to engage their local communities and invest a portion of their local school
autonomy allocation in a CSEC awareness and prevention program (Pupil Services, 2016).
School social workers will continue to be the change agents leading the CSEC initiative within
the District. It is their role, alongside the educators, to help students navigate the academic,
social, and emotional challenges on their path to becoming successful young adults. Similarly,
additional internal change agents include the SHHS Administrator, Alicia Garoupa, the Director
of the Pupil Services Unit, Dr. Michelle Castelo Alferes, and the FYAP Coordinator, La Shona
Jenkins, who together oversee the efforts set forth by the Board Resolution. The Los Angeles
School Police Department (LASPD) continues to be a committed partner in CSEC awareness and
response. An LASPD detective has been assigned to the Los Angeles Regional Human
Trafficking Task Force. The LASPD will also liaison with County law enforcement agencies in
monitoring sex trafficking data so that most impacted schools receive additional support (Board
Informative, 2016). Collaboration with external change agents such as the LASPD, the DCFS,
and the LAPD, will ensure that our youth are provided with the support and protection they
need.
P a g e | 29
ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS
Current diffusion models and innovation trends surrounding the capstone project are
being confronted from different angles. Energy is being invested in creating awareness among
first-responders (educators, child welfare workers, law enforcement, public officials and
medical professionals) who interact with youth and the community as a whole. Look Again LA
is one of many campaigns aimed at raising awareness around the issue of CSEC through anti-
trafficking posters, among other initiatives. The campaign goal is to engage the Los Angeles
community in reporting and protecting our youth (LAPD, 2018). The University of Southern
California’s Price School of Public Policy and the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social
Work have partnered with the LAPD to train officers on how to deal with the most vulnerable of
populations in the community. The program consists of monthly two-hour online classroom
sessions in which instructors offer focused content that identifies meaningful skills that officers
can immediately use on the job. Officers also participate in three to four day-long group
meetings tackling topics such as civil rights, extremism and conflict resolution, and human
trafficking (Kredell, 2017). Technology and online educational platforms allow for ease in
scalability and diffusion.
Technology is being used to proliferate as well as disrupt the demand for CSEC. A recent
landscape analysis by Abt. Associates Inc. (Demand Abolition, 2017) found promising demand-
reduction practices in the areas of criminal justice, legislative reform, prevention education,
and public awareness. The article further expands on some of the more recent models being
implemented to disrupt the problem. Stop the Traffik, an organization based in the UK, created
the STOP app, which uses big data management and anti-trafficking expertise to disrupt,
P a g e | 30
combat and prevent trafficking (Stop the Traffik, 2018). The app empowers everyone to collect
information, which is then gathered and analyzed by the organization to develop strong
initiatives that prevent trafficking and protect vulnerable groups. There is also a lot of
innovation, particularly involving technology, targeting the demand end of sex trafficking. One
of the leading change agents in the fight against online child sexual exploitation is Thorn. This is
an organization that has really taken an empathetic examination of the problem through a
survivor informed approach. Survivor insight is invaluable in the fight against sex trafficking.
Thorn involves partners ranging from Microsoft to Snapchat in the fight against child sexual
exploitation by creating networks of digital defenders to develop new strategies to combat
their adaptive adversaries (Thorn, 2018). The organization prides itself on its three guiding
principles: accelerate victim identification, deter abusers, and disrupt platforms.
Currently, some school districts are incorporating CSEC awareness education through
“live” trainings with staff. Schools like Eureka High School in Northern California are
empowering youth to take initiative in educating their peers on the dangers of human
trafficking by providing them with lesson plans so that they can teach in their own classrooms.
Additionally, projects developed through clubs support students in raising awareness about
human trafficking (Cable News Network, 2017). Innovative approaches in schools include web-
based curriculum designed by Vector Solutions, an eLearning company that provides safety and
compliance training to school districts (Vector Solutions, 2018). Fortunately, the LAUSD has its
own eLearning division that prepares web-based modules for use in staff trainings and are
considered a viable option for sustainability.
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BUDGET
The Board Resolution secured funding for the CSEC awareness trainings through the
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) funds provided to the Foster Youth Achievement
Program (FYAP). LCAP has allocated over thirteen million dollars to the FYAP annual budget to
support the success of foster youth throughout the district (Superintendent’s Final Budget,
2018). The implementation of the CSEC awareness trainings will continue to be secured
through the LCAP as leadership over the initiative has been taken on by the Foster Youth
Achievement Program. The staggering number of youth residing in foster care and attending
LAUSD schools bolsters the need for this program to lead district-wide CSEC awareness efforts.
CSEC awareness trainings are for the most part facilitated during staff professional
development time, which occurs during normal business hours. This offsets the need to assign
a specific budget amount for personnel costs since trainings are facilitated within the scope of
regular work hours. With increasing pressures to remain cost effective, using a multi-
disciplinary team like the Cadre to carry out the trainings is an effective way of minimizing
personnel costs. In the event of budget cuts, a multi-disciplinary team such as the Cadre of
Consultants is a cost-effective way to serve District professional development needs.
Furthermore, on September 14, 2017, the LAUSD, the California Department of
Education (CDE), and petitioners entered into a settlement in which LAUSD agrees to provide
$150 million in additional spending to schools with high-need students, foster youth rates,
homelessness rates, and academic risk factors (American Civil Liberties Union, 2017). This
settlement further reinforces the funding support in carrying out this initiative. The Board
Resolution further commits to identifying opportunities to re-purpose funds, leverage funds
P a g e | 32
and seek new revenue to successfully reach all secondary schools in the District (Board
Informative, 2016).
PROJECT STRUCTURE, METHODOLOGY, AND OUTCOMES
EVALUATION METHODS AND LIMITATIONS
A mixed methods study investigated the impact of CSEC awareness education provided
to District personnel at secondary schools in the LAUSD. The study was conducted between
November 2017 and June 2018 at District secondary schools spread across six local district
regions. A total of 2,800 participants involving District personnel at sixty-nine (69) secondary
schools in the LAUSD participated in the study. The secondary schools consisted of thirty-seven
(37) high schools, thirty-one (31) middle schools, and one (1) span school. For clarification, a
span school is a school that spans multiple levels such as elementary and middle, middle and
high, or elementary through high school. The span school included in this study, Valley
Alternative School, spans grade levels kindergarten through 12
th
grade. A comprehensive list of
all of the schools trained in the 2017-18 implementation can be accessed in the appendix
(Attachment I). Participants consisted of District personnel holding positions as administrators
(n=51), counselors (n=153), teachers (n=2,183), and out of classroom staff (n=221).
The purpose of this study was to examine the that impact the CSEC awareness trainings
had on District personnel who participated in the 2017-18 implementation of the trainings. The
program theory explores the hypothesis that if District staff are trained in CSEC awareness
education, then they will have a greater level of social awareness about the Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children (CSEC). The collection of all post-training evaluations was conducted by
members of the Cadre facilitating the training. Collected evaluations were scanned and
P a g e | 33
emailed to the author for analysis. The analysis of the evaluations was conducted in July 2018.
The survey and training materials were not required to undergo a formal institutional review
board (IRB) approval process; however, the author completed the “Research Ethics and
Compliance Training” through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program).
Additionally, the author conducted appropriate due-diligence measures with the District’s
Office of Data & Accountability, Research and Reporting Branch as well as the SHHS
Administrator and Pupil Services Director to ensure that every step of the training, including the
development of the survey questions, analysis of the outcomes, benefits and risks, voluntary
participation procedures, data collection and security standards, and other participant
safeguards, were thoughtfully approached to protect the targeted learners participating in the
study. To maintain the confidentiality of the participants, no identifiable information was
requested in the study instrument.
The instrument of measurement was a post-training evaluation developed by the author
and further adapted from the pilot implementation to meet the needs of the 2017-18
implementation. After receiving the hour long training, participants were asked to complete
the post-training evaluation (Attachment G) and assess their level of understanding of the
training objectives: (1) prevalence of the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), (2)
terminology related to sex trafficking, (3) risk factors associated with CSEC youth, (4) pathways
to entry associated with CSEC youth, (5) warning signs associated with CSEC youth, and (6)
likelihood of recognizing and reporting cases of CSEC. A key component of the post-training
evaluation examined the participants’ pre/post levels of awareness and knowledge as a result
of receiving the training. This question measured the average change in knowledge from the
P a g e | 34
training content. Additionally, the study design inquired about the voices of school personnel
and their “next steps” in relation to their behavioral intent with the knowledge gained.
Outcome data can be seen in the Infographic (Attachment F).
There were other design limitations which likely impacted the response rate and
response content of the survey results. The training evaluation was not the result of a random
sample but rather a convenience sample with a non-probability and purposive sample in order
to reach the opinions of the targeted learners: school personnel. A central limitation of diverse
sampling was the analysis of outcomes in all schools served during the 2017-18 school year.
The distribution of the survey was at the discretion of District leadership; therefore, a pre/post
evaluation wasn’t considered due to time constraints. As such, the impact of the intervention
was observed at a single point in time after the training. A level of threat to reliability is
considered in the social desirability and acquiescence bias with a Likert scale evaluation as
there is a natural response bias which can lead participants to a “Strongly Agree/Agree”
response.
Key design strengths in relation to the study include a large sample size (n=2,800) and
internal validity within the LAUSD. The potential to test for external validity is also a future
consideration at Compton Unified School District as well as with collaborative partners in the
City of Los Angeles.
STUDY OUTCOMES
The findings of this study offer insight into the previously mentioned training objectives
that influence staff knowledge of the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The study
included two components. The first was quantitative and explored participants’ understanding
P a g e | 35
of a series of training objectives, previously mentioned in the Evaluation Methods and
Limitations section of this report. The second component was qualitative and sought to elicit
participants “next steps” after receiving the training.
As shown in the Appendix (Attachment F), participants consisted of school
administrators (1.8%), teachers (78%), counselors (5.5%), and out of classroom staff (7.9%).
Post-training evaluations reflect participants’ self-reported ratings of “strongly agree/agree”
regarding their level of understanding of the following objectives:
• (97.4%) prevalence of the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC)
• (96.5%) terminology related to sex trafficking
• (96.8%) risk factors associated with CSEC youth
• (96.4%) pathways to entry associated with CSEC youth
• (95.4%) warning signs associated with CSEC youth
• (87.9%) likelihood to recognize and report cases of CSEC.
Over 53% of the respondents reported having "none/limited" levels of knowledge related to
CSEC prior to receiving the training. When participants were asked to rate their level of
knowledge after receiving the training, over 89% of educators reported having
"moderate/significant" levels of knowledge related to CSEC. Further examination of these
responses revealed that 48.8% of respondents increased their knowledge by one level and
22.8% of respondents increased their knowledge by two-to-three levels. Participants reported
a range of responses relating to "next steps" they can take based on the knowledge they
acquired from the training. A random selection of responses demonstrates an intention to
P a g e | 36
engage in more proactive efforts to educate students, colleagues, and the community at large.
There is a perceived likelihood that participants will be more cognizant of the behaviors and
potential warning signs displayed by youth. Qualitative findings can be seen in the Appendix
(Attachment F).
COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION PLAN
A quarterly system to update the school board has been established with the Program
and Policy Development Specialist of the SHHS Division. Quarterly reports are provided to the
school board to share updated outcome data from post-training evaluations. Additionally,
annual updates are provided to all stakeholders through the SHHS End-of-Year Report. This
report highlights the initiatives implemented in the respective school year. Strategies to
engage external audiences consist of annual presentations to the Los Angeles Regional Human
Trafficking Task Force (LARHTTF) along with monthly updates to the Training and Outreach
Subcommittee of the LARHTTF. Presentations at local and national conferences are also being
considered and are up for approval by District administrators. The recent development of a
website and online toolkit (Attachment H) by the author outlines the District’s CSEC awareness
initiative for all stakeholders. In addition to information on the initiative, the site is linked to a
page with educational resources for District staff, parents, and students of the LAUSD. The site
will serve as a platform to share information and keep the public up-to-date with the District’s
preventative efforts to eradicate the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
P a g e | 37
CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
The author recommends that the CSEC awareness trainings continue to be delivered in
the same manner that has been facilitated in previous tiers of implementation. This approach
has demonstrated a favorable impact on school personnel’s awareness and knowledge of the
commercial sexual exploitation of children. Access to education about CSEC is absolutely
essential. School districts across the nation should begin to look at this training model and
facilitate similar practices to create awareness of CSEC. The author further recommends that
the District consider collaborating with Compton Unified School District to pilot the training
model at their secondary schools. This collaboration has the potential to contribute to the
external validity of the study findings and training model.
It is recommended that findings continue to be shared with the members of the
District’s CSEC task force on a bi-annual basis. This will ensure that organizational collaborators
and community partners maintain an interest in the well-being of youth, and remain committed
to working in collaboration to eradicate the sexual exploitation of children. It is also
recommended that future tiers of implementation consider identifying an appropriate
technology to rapidly collect post-training evaluations. This refinement can add ease, save
time, and allow for more succinct means of data collection and analysis. This technology can
also create opportunities for a six-month post-training follow-up in which participants will be
contacted to complete a follow-up survey that will measure rates of identification and reporting
of potential victims.
P a g e | 38
Newly hired teachers in the District are given a resource guide and offered support with
such things as lesson planning, stress management, and class climate. They also have monthly
“new teacher” meetings in each of the six local districts. For sustainability and efficiency, the
author is recommending that a revised online module be developed using the MyPLN platform
so that newly hired educators can be trained alongside their veteran counterparts. This will
eliminate the potential missed opportunity to be trained if the prospective employee’s school
has already received the school-wide training. Finally, the author recommends that foundation
grants be considered for future phases of implementation with remaining stakeholder groups:
caregivers and students. Foundations such as Change a Path provide non-profit organizations
doing anti-trafficking work with funding to build program capacity. This could also support
supplemental costs incurred for future CSEC campaigns implemented district-wide.
The findings from this project will provide valuable information to the district, law
enforcement and government agencies, and the local school community to help guide
implementation of future strategies and collaborative efforts to combat CSEC and create
awareness of child sexual exploitation. This investigation provides an opportunity to
understand how a district-wide implementation of CSEC awareness education can potentially
impact the identification of students who are victims of sexual exploitation and increase the
level of knowledge among educators in our schools. Results of the investigation can be used to
inform policy, practice, and the design of other awareness education programs within school
districts throughout the nation. This program design may be used as a national model for other
school districts across the country. Findings from the study have the potential to provide
P a g e | 39
opportunities for other collaborations and additional funding specific to program
implementation in future phases.
Instilling CSEC awareness education through vignettes included in the annual Spring
Child Abuse Awareness Training (CAAT) and by facilitating CSEC awareness education at all
secondary schools allows school staff to discuss potential risks and warning signs, making them
better equipped at preventing students from being victimized. Direct training gives school
personnel the opportunity to acquire the knowledge necessary to follow district protocol and
respond to potential victims in the school community. The CSEC awareness trainings are a
necessary and feasible intervention that produce positive outcomes. While much research has
been done on various interventions in the public sector, such as the child welfare system, there
is a dearth of literature about CSEC awareness education implemented with school district staff.
Education is the key element in preventing child sexual exploitation. Without broadening the
awareness of all frontline staff, we run the risk of further victimization. As human beings, we
are united by the collective responsibility to protect children from all forms of exploitation.
P a g e | 40
APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT A: MASLOW’S PYRAMID
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT B: LAUSD CSEC TASK FORCE
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT C: LOGIC MODEL
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT D: MYPLN ONLINE MODULE
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT E: CADRE OF CONSULTANTS WEBSITE
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT F: INFOGRAPHIC
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT G: EVALUATION
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APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT H: CSEC WEBSITE AND ONLINE TOOLKIT
Main: https://achieve.lausd.net/Page/14386#spn-content
Resources: https://achieve.lausd.net/Page/14388#spn-content
P a g e | 55
APPENDIX
ATTACHMENT I: 2017-18 CSEC SCHOOLS TRAINED
School
Local
District
Board
District
# Foster
Youth
# Homeless
Youth
1
Banning HS S 7 10 15
2 Bethune MS S 7 15 57
3
Byrd MS NE 6 16 32
4
Carson HS S 7 10 59
5 Carver MS C 5 10 61
6 Chatsworth HS NW 3 21 20
7
Chavez ARTES HS NE 6 20 156
8 Chavez ASE HS NE 6 20 156
9
Chavez Humanitas HS NE 6 20 156
10
Chavez TPA HS NE 6 20 156
11 Cleveland HS NW 3 18 93
12
Cochran MS W 1 11 41
13
Columbus MS NW 3 8 32
14 Contreras Business Tourism HS C 2 11 184
15
Contreras Global Studies HS C 2 11 184
16
Cortines VPA HS C 2 9 36
17 Dana MS S 7 35 74
18
Diego Rivera CATS HS S 7 45 94
19
Diego Rivera Green Design HS S 7 45 94
20 Diego Rivera Performing Arts HS S 7 45 94
21
Diego Rivera Public Service HS S 7 45 94
22
Dymally HS S 7 16 44
23 East Valley HS NE 6 - -
24 Edison MS S 7 32 34
25
El Sereno MS E 2 12 18
26 Gardena HS S 7 25 73
27
Garfield HS E 2 13 77
28
Griffith MS E 2 14 24
29 Hamilton High School W 1 23 60
30
Hawkins HS W 1 35 53
31
Henry MS NW 3 7 40
32 Huntington Park HS E 5 20 61
33
Johnston HS S 7 7 9
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School
Local
District
Board
District
# Foster
Youth
# Homeless
Youth
34
Kennedy HS NW 3 20 24
35
LA Academy MS C 7 25 76
36 Le Conte MS W 4 5 34
37
Lincoln HS E 2 9 28
38
Los Angeles HS W 1 14 31
39 Mann MS W 1 18 13
40
Marquez HS E 5 7 76
41
Maya Angelou HS C 7 12 60
42 Middle College HS W 1 5 2
43
Muir MS W 1 30 26
44 Narbonne HS S 7 30 75
45 Newmark HS C 2 - -
46
Northridge MS NW 3 13 50
47
Obama MS C 1 17 25
48 Olive Vista MS NE 6 15 49
49 Pacoima MS NE 6 19 41
50
Pearl HS NW 3 3 5
51 Peary MS S 7 15 42
52
Poly HS NE 6 19 102
53
Porter MS NW 3 7 21
54 Rancho Dominguez HS S 7 25 29
55
Roybal LC C 2 8 63
56
Sal Castro MS C 2 5 15
57 San Fernando HS NE 6 24 102
58
San Fernando MS NE 6 10 27
59 San Pedro HS S 7 28 77
60 Santee Ed Complex C 2 27 117
61 South East MS E 5 15 58
62
South Gate MS E 5 10 48
63 Sun Valley HS NE 6 8 23
64
Sun Valley MS NE 6 19 79
65
Sutter MS NW 4 16 24
66 Taft HS NW 4 8 46
67
Torres HS E 2 15 96
68
Valley Alternative SPAN School NW 3 11 1
69 Van Nuys HS NE 6 6 21
70 Van Nuys MS NE 3 11 17
71
Venice HS W 4 7 20
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School
Local
District
Board
District
# Foster
Youth
# Homeless
Youth
72
Virgil MS C 2 7 38
73
Vista MS NE 6 17 22
74 Wilmington MS S 7 6 56
75
Wilson HS E 2 11 31
76
Wright MS W 4 3 8
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of Evidence-Based Practice Implementation in Public Service Sectors. Administration
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Aarons, G. A., Sommerfeld, D. H., Hecht, D. B., Silovsky, J. F., & Chaffin, M. J. (2009). The impact
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Evidence for a protective effect. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(2),
270-280. doi:http://dx.doi.org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1037/a0013223
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). (2017, October 18). Community Coalition v. Los Angeles
Unified School District. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from
https://www.aclusocal.org/en/cases/community-coalition-v-los-angeles-unified-school-
district
Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Learning Press.
Board Informative. (2016, August). LAUSD Board Informative. Implementation Plan to Board
Resolution Not in Our Schools, Not in Our Communities: Address, Prevent, and Eliminate
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in LAUSD. Division of District Operations:
Student Health and Human Services.
Butts, S. C. (2018). Grand Challenges Initiatives. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from
http://aaswsw.org/grand-challenges-initiative/
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Cable News Network (CNN). (2017, June 30). California schools learn about modern slavery
Retrieved April 18, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/06/30/cfp-
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Copyright – 2018 © Linet H. Danoukh
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. Los Angeles holds the regrettable position of being one of the highest markets for CSEC. This increased prevalence prompted the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to take proactive measure to protect our students and our communities. While no one is truly safe, youth in out-of-homecare placements (foster, homeless, camp returnee) are significantly over-represented as vulnerable targets for commercial sexual exploitation. The Student Health and Human Services (SHHS) Division developed a multi-disciplinary Cadre of Consultants who are responsible for facilitating CSEC awareness trainings to staff at secondary schools throughout the District. CSEC awareness trainings conducted by the Cadre will serve to increase awareness of: ❧ • Prevalence of the commercial sexual exploitation of children ❧ • Warning signs, risk factors, and recruitment tactics used to lure victims ❧ • Myths about victims and abusers ❧ • How culture and mass media influence and desensitize our perceptions of sexual abuse and sex trafficking ❧ • Local resources for victims ❧ • District protocol for the mandated reporting of suspected victims of sex trafficking ❧ The aim of this report is to provide an update on the CSEC awareness trainings and share the findings from the spring 2017 pilot as well as the spring 2018 implementation of the awareness trainings. This report summarizes the data collection efforts and key findings from the capstone project. The combined results are intended to provide a limited set of evaluation outcomes for training participants, together with substantial information concerning the nature of the capstone project. The findings could serve as a foundation for scalability. Included in the full report is an overview of the project, the research questions addressed by the study, and a literature review that provides a context for understanding the importance of CSEC. Finally, the study conclusions, recommendations, and implications for practice are outlined.
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Creator
Danoukh, Linet H.
(author)
Core Title
Commercial sexual exploitation of children: the impact of awareness education in the Los Angeles Unified School District
School
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Degree
Doctor of Social Work
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Social Work
Publication Date
03/14/2019
Defense Date
08/02/2018
Publisher
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Tag
awareness education,child exploitation,child trafficking,commercial sexual exploitation of children,CSEC,human trafficking,LAUSD,Los Angeles Unified School District,OAI-PMH Harvest,sex trafficking,youth exploitation
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Tags
awareness education
child exploitation
child trafficking
commercial sexual exploitation of children
CSEC
human trafficking
LAUSD
sex trafficking
youth exploitation