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BUILDING COLLABORATIVE RESPONSES TO TRAFFICKED VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT: A TRAINING INSTITUTE

Title: Building Collaborative Responses to Trafficked Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Date: March 12, 13, 14, 2025

Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Description:  Multidisciplinary teams are invited to participate in this Institute. 

This training institute will focus on improving collaborative responses to address the needs of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors who have also experienced human trafficking.  The 2.5-day training institute will provide effective skill-building to identify, assist and promote safety for survivors of trafficking.  It will foster peer exchange to share innovative approaches and help problem solve.  Additionally, the institute will enhance team coordination to enhance services that increase survivors’ access to social services, health care, legal, and criminal resources that promote their healing and enable them to thrive.

Please apply in multidisciplinary teams by January 23, 2025.  Share the flyer with your network.

For questions, including on your team configuration, please contact: Monica Arenas at learning@futureswithoutviolence.org

As a result of this institute participants will be better able to:

  • Strengthen multi-disciplinary collaborative strategies in responding to adult and youth survivors of trafficking with domestic violence and sexual assault experiences.
  • Define and clarify professional and organizational roles and responsibilities in responding to survivors of trafficking.
  • Recognize the ways human trafficking can intersect with domestic violence and sexual assault.
  • Increase the collaborative’s capacity to provide survivor-centered and trauma-informed support that meets the accessibility needs of survivors of trafficking and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.
  • Identify resource and collaboration gaps and develop strategies to support survivors.
  • Create an action plan to develop and implement a collaborative response to address human trafficking in the intersection of human trafficking with  violence and sexual assault.

Who is invited to attend?

  • Multidisciplinary teams (of 2-4) comprised of different organizations, which may include but are not limited to: domestic violence/sexual assault program staff, healthcare staff, attorneys/legal experts, law enforcement, anti-human trafficking programs, and task force members, and other community-based programs. It is recommended that team members have at least 1-2 years of anti-HT experience.
  • At least one of the team members needs to represent a DV/SA organization.
  • Teams with diverse decision-makers with at least one designated lead person.
  • OVW grantees and their OVW grantee partners can participate and use their OVW travel funds to send grant-funded staff and partners to this training, with prior approval from their OVW Program.
  • Priority will be given to groups that have recently started or would like to enhance their existing collaborative efforts to improve support for HT survivors, through an anti-human trafficking task force, coalition, or other multidisciplinary partnership.

How to apply:

  • Teams interested in participating must submit an application. If you are using OVW funds to participate, please obtain approval from your OVW program specialist. Due to space limitations of up to 12 multidisciplinary teams, your application is not confirmed until you receive an acceptance letter from FUTURES’ staff.  Online application & printable flyer.

Training Format:

  • Interactive and innovative educational sessions
  • Cross-professional sessions on building collaborations
  • Case analysis and application
  • Peer exchange

Faculty: 

  • Kiricka Yarbough-Smith, Human Trafficking Consultant, North Carolina
  • Perla Flores, Program Director, Community Solutions/South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking
  • David Ryan, Chief of Police (Retired), Westchester County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, NY
  • Detective Megan Bruneau Zentner, Major Investigations Section – HT Unit, Seattle Police Department
  • And other invited experts

Training Schedule:

  • Wednesday, March 12, 2025: 8:30 m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, March 13, 2025: 8:30 m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Friday, March 14, 2025: 8:30 m. – 12:00 p.m.

Cost:

The training is provided free of charge. Participants are responsible for their own meals, lodging, travel arrangements, and costs associated with attending.  Accommodations are available at the government rate of $224/night plus 13 % tax + service fee.  Logistics information will be provided upon confirmation.

Please do not make any flight or other travel arrangements until you hear from us that OVW has approved the program and that you have been accepted as a participant. Also in the interim, please ensure that your OVW program manager has approved expenditures from your award to attend the workshop.

Note: If you are an OVW STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors, Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program) sub-grantee or potential sub-grantee , a limited number of travel scholarships are available.  Travel scholarships will only be available to cover the attendance of one team member and for those who do not already have travel funding allocated for trainings in their grant budgets.

For questions, including on your team configuration, please contact: Monica Arenas at learning@futureswithoutviolence.org

This project is supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-23-GK-05126-MUMU, awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.  The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office