The Projects

Current Projects

Maryland Human Trafficking Strategic Plan

As part of the OVC Improving Outcomes grant, the Prevention of Adolescent Risks Initiative (PARI) at the University of Maryland School of Social Work is leading the development of a strategic plan to address human trafficking in Maryland. Input will be sought from a wide variety of stakeholders throughout 2024.

To learn more, please visit: Maryland Human Trafficking Strategic Plan

This process will be collaborative, iterative, and data driven.

Department of Justice, Office for Victims of CrimesMaryland Human Trafficking Initiative (FY19) 

In 2019, PARI was one of four newly funded grantees focused on improving outcomes for children and youth who are victims of labor and sex trafficking by integrating human trafficking policy and programming at the state level and enhancing coordinated, multidisciplinary approaches to serving trafficked youth. In Maryland, the grant’s objectives are to create a statewide labor trafficking multidisciplinary team, which will formalize and institutionalize the response to survivors in a victim-centered manner; develop a unified strategy to provide training for professionals throughout the state, including law enforcement officers, medical providers, mental health professionals and juvenile justice personnel; provide training and technical assistance for Maryland’s Child Advocacy Centers; and establish a coordinated service response for human trafficking victims. 

The Maryland Human Trafficking Initiative (FY19 Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims Human Trafficking) award builds upon the efforts put forth with the Maryland Human Trafficking (FY16 Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims Human Trafficking) award, and the Child Sex Trafficking Victims Initiative (CSTVI) funded by the Children’s Bureau, awarded in 2014.  

Activities supported under this award: 

  • Labor Trafficking Collaborative 
  • Annual Maryland Child Trafficking Conference 
  • Survivor Leader Advisory Council 
  • E- Learning Unit for Faith Leaders 
  • Human Trafficking Training for Law Enforcement 
  • Human Trafficking Training for Mental Health Providers 
  • Human Trafficking Clinical Collaborative 
  • Human Trafficking Training for Medical Providers  

To learn more, feel free to reach out to Caroline Harmon-Darrow at charmon@ssw.umaryland.edu.    

 

 

Past Projects

Past Projects:  

Baltimore City Health Department Baltimore Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative for Out-of-Home Youth  

In 2011, PARI was identified as sub-grantee recipient for the evaluation component of the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), Baltimore City Health Department/U-Choose site. BCHD’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative for Out-of-Home Youth had two intervention components: 

  1. An evidence-based intervention with at-risk youth, specifically those in out-of-home settings in DSS and DJS (Power Through Choices and Making Proud Choices) 
  2. An adolescent reproductive health intervention for youth providers, which included the DSS and DJS staff, as well as foster parents from both agencies.   

The core of the intervention included the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based pregnancy prevention curricula, Power through Choices/Making Proud Choices administered to identified youth; and the Adolescent Reproductive Health Training, an educational pregnancy prevention intervention for child welfare and juvenile services professionals and foster care providers. Healthy Teen Network and Planned Parenthood of Maryland collaborated to develop and implement the pregnancy prevention intervention for adult providers. Other collaborators included Baltimore City and Baltimore County Departments of Social Services and Maryland’s Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Juvenile Services (DJS), who have been instrumental in the coordination of participants and community engagement activities.   

The evaluation aimed to document how the intervention was operationalized and assess its effectiveness in reducing teenage pregnancies, STIs and sexual risk behaviors. PARI remained the evaluation awardee for the Baltimore City site for the entire 10 years of the project. The project ended in June 2021. 

  

Department of Justice, Office for Victims of CrimesMaryland Human Trafficking Initiative (FY16) 

In 2016, PARI was awarded a three-year grant from OVC to improve statewide coordination and multidisciplinary collaboration in responding to human trafficking involving children and youth. This award, in collaboration with project partners, the SAFE Center, Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts, Healthy Teen Network, TurnAround, Inc., and the Baltimore Abuse Center, state with the Maryland Hunan Trafficking Task Force, Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, The Maryland Department of Human Services, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and the U.S. Attorney’s Office was a unique university-state-local nonprofit partnership that focused on creating a multi-disciplinary approach for youth victims using a trauma-informed approach. 

This project ended in March 2021. The activities supported under this award included: 

  • Annual public awareness conference (Maryland Child Trafficking Conference) 
  • Creation of PSAs for child labor and sex trafficking (billboard ads, bus ads, electronic PSAs) 
  • Creation of MDT in Baltimore City and other MDTs across Maryland 
  • Unified training strategy 
  • Development of e-learning units (specific to educators, parents and caregivers, general human trafficking 101, medical providers) 
  • Creation of training and resources for judges and magistrates 
  • Funding for expansion of specialized, trauma-informed services to meet the needs of child trafficking victims. 

To learn more, feel free to reach out to Neil Mallon at nmallon@ssw.umaryland.edu 

 

Children’s Bureau: An office of the administration for children & familiesChild Sex Trafficking Victims Initiative (CSTVI)  

In 2014, a five-year partnership with the Maryland Department of Human Services was established to address the issue of sex trafficking among youth involved with child welfare with funding from the Children’s Bureau. CSTVI’s aim was to: 

  • Improve victim identification through the creation and statewide implementation of a screening tool to identify trafficked and at-risk youth. 
  • Enhance victim response by equipping child welfare professionals with necessary knowledge and skills, achieved by developing new training curriculum and statewide plans to reach all new and existing child welfare staff. 
  • Ensure victims receive comprehensive, trauma-informed care through capacity-building of service providers and targeting existing service and resource gaps.   

This project was extended past the initial award period, but ended in March 2021. The activities supported under this award included: 

  • Development of the Engaging Child Victims of Sex Trafficking: The Role of the Child Welfare Worker curriculum. 
  • Pilot and implementation of the Engaging Child Victims of Sex Trafficking: The Role of the Child Welfare Worker curriculum. 
  • Development of human trafficking screening tool for child welfare workers. 
  • Focus groups with key stakeholders 
  • Continental breakfast/ box lunches for trainings 
  • Pilot and implementation of human trafficking screening tool for child welfare workers. 

To learn more, feel free to reach out to Neil Mallon at nmallon@ssw.umaryland.edu.  

  

Casey Family ProgramsMaryland Human Trafficking Initiative for Children and Youth – Mental Health Professional Training  

In 2018, PARI was awarded funds to support the coordination of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force’s Mental Health training series for mental health professionals across Maryland. PARI, in partnership with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, and the Maryland Departments of Human Services and Juvenile Services established a strategic multidisciplinary approach to improve the workforce readiness, response and competency to work with human trafficking victims in Maryland. This initiative built on the comprehensive, coordinated and unified statewide training strategy by offering victim-centered and trauma-informed trainings for mental health professionals. The aim was to expand the pool of service providers statewide to which child welfare workers could make referrals. 

This funding lasted one year and ended in December 2018. The activities supported under this award included: 

  • Coordination and tracking mental health professional trainings 
  • Facilitation of Human Trafficking 101 and 201 trainings. 
  • Materials, resource guides and handouts for trainees 
  • Coordination of Survivor speakers 
  • CEU/CMEs 
  • Evaluation activities 
  • Continental Breakfast and box lunches for trainings 
  • Trainer and survivor speaker fees (consultant and travel fees) 

 

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