91pro视频

Purpose

The sets a strong foundation for Halton school boards to build local anti-sex trafficking protocols.

This protocol will support coordinated action by all stakeholders/partners to prevent, identify and recognize sex trafficking and develop responses to facilitate early and appropriate intervention.

The protection of students, their health and well-being is a call to recognise their human dignity, the foundation of Catholic Social Teaching. Our collective call to the common good of our community is paramount and hence the urgency in creating not only this policy, but a resolution to do what we can to keep students safe. Our faith calls us to be a community that accompanies, builds relationships, and instills hope. This faith foundation underpins all that we do to support our most vulnerable students.

School environments that are inclusive and affirming of students鈥� identities lead to welcoming and engaging student experiences. Families and communities must be intentionally involved in the students鈥� achievement and well-being. Safe schools, both physically and psychologically, are a critical element to successfully nurturing positive student experiences.

Teachers and other education staff are well placed to educate on prevention and promote healthy relationships, notice troubling changes in behaviour, and connect with students as caring adults. By training staff to recognize the signs of sex trafficking, they will be better equipped to identify the cues and safely intervene if they suspect a student is being trafficked or involved in trafficking. Education can also serve as a key factor in helping survivors of trafficking heal and rebuild their lives, helping to prevent re-victimization and resetting students on a healing trajectory towards positive outcomes.

Definition of Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking is a form of sexual exploitation and is a crime under the . It can include recruiting, harbouring, transporting, obtaining or providing a person for the purpose of sex. It involves the use of force, physical or psychological coercion or deception. Most individual who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation are women and girls, but all people may be targeted.

Indigenous and racialized individuals are especially vulnerable to experiencing sex trafficking. The intersections of colonization, intergenerational trauma, systemic discrimination and barriers to accessing service compound, which increases the vulnerability of being targeted by traffickers for Indigenous women and girls 鈥� of whom comprise a disproportionate number of trafficked persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation, in Canada.

Statement of Principles

Foster student voices

Students are at the centre of this work and should be involved in efforts to develop actions against sex trafficking as we foster responsible citizens who promote justice and the sanctity of life. Invite student groups to participate and inform the design, development, delivery, and implementation of anti-sex trafficking protocols. Recognize that students with lived experience are experts and, if willing and appropriately supported through trauma-informed approaches, could share their story and insights as part of efforts to build awareness and empower students.

Engage parents/guardians/caregivers

Parents, guardians, and caregivers are key partners as we work to create conditions that support the spiritual, intellectual, physical, and emotional well-being of all students so that they may fulfill their God-given potential. Care must be given when reaching out to parents, guardians and caregivers to ensure they are safe adults prior to engaging with them on matters regarding the student/s. Outreach to Indigenous parents, guardians, and caregivers as well as outreach to Black and racialized parents, guardians and caregivers, should be trauma-informed and recognize historic and systemic barriers that may impact their participation. Every effort should also be made to ensure that engagement with parents, guardians and caregivers is culturally and linguistically responsive.

Engage parishes/diocese

The triad of school, Church and home will work together to ensure the safety and dignity of the children. Through consultation and collaboration with local parishes and the Diocese of Hamilton the protocol will ensure that anti-sex trafficking education, prevention and intervention works to protect the most vulnerable within the school community.

Build multi-sectoral relationships with community organizations

Ongoing consultation and engagement with community groups/agencies that support members of the school community are essential to supporting anti-sex trafficking approaches that are responsive to students of diverse communities and the needs of local school communities.

The below mentioned community organizations were and will continue to be consulted to build multi-sector relationships to support anti-sex trafficking awareness, prevention, and support.

Promote equitable and culturally safe responses

Protocols should demonstrate a human rights-based, non-judgemental, culturally responsive, survivor-centered, and trauma-informed approach to raising awareness, preventing, identifying, and responding to sex trafficking.

Respect confidentiality, privacy, and informed consent

The development of procedures must respect confidentiality and ensure that the student fully understands how their information may be used or with whom it may be shared. It is key to understand that referrals may be made to community service organizations while adhering to HCDSB policies, administrative procedures, and applicable legal requirements, including those under the ; the ; the ; the ; and the

Ensure safe interventions

Caring adults and students within schools can promote a sense of student belonging, increase protective factors, help to reduce risk factors associated with sex trafficking, and support early intervention through identification and appropriate response, including connecting impacted persons to supportive services. Care must be given when reaching out to parents, guardians and caregivers to ensure they are safe adults prior to engaging with them on matters regarding the student. HCDSB employees require comprehensive anti-sex trafficking training, so they are equipped to identify the signs of sex trafficking, safely respond to disclosures, be culturally relevant and responsive to diverse student populations, and support the immediate physical and emotional safety needs of students. Training must emphasize how to respond to immediate dangers and the need to avoid actions that will make an individual’s situation worse or more unsafe.

This protocol will complement existing prevention efforts in schools, including the teaching of consent, healthy relationships, and healthy sexuality. It is important for school staff to understand the historical and social context of sex trafficking and implement prevention strategies that are responsive to the needs of students and members of the local school community.

Strategies to Raise Awareness and Prevent Sex Trafficking

Halton utilizes culturally responsive and safe strategies to raise awareness about sex trafficking with students, HCDSB employees, parents, guardians, caregivers, and the broader school community. Protocols apply to in-person and online learning and include all school and HCDSB activities, including field trips, overnight excursions, HCDSB-sponsored sporting events and HCDSB-operated before- and after-school programs. This extends to all cases of nexus to the school community.

Strategies will include:

• This protocol and related procedures (Duty to Report and Police & School 91pro视频 Protocol) and resources will be publicly available and accessible on the HCDSB website. Ensure approaches to overcome barriers to participation that First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit, as well as historically excluded and/or low-income parent/guardian communities may face are inclusive and culturally and linguistically responsive.
• Raise awareness amongst staff and students on the signs a student is being targeted, lured, groomed, trafficked, or is trafficking another student, and how to bring concerns about luring, grooming, recruitment or exiting sex trafficking to the school without fear of reprisal. The process should allow for concerns to be brought forward anonymously.
• Raise awareness to prevent the recruitment of students for sex trafficking, including through curriculum and faith-based learning about healthy relationships, consent, mental health, and well-being, coping skills, personal safety, and online safety, as well as through work with local community-based organizations and survivors.
• Raise awareness among parents, guardians and caregivers about:
  • Cyber-safety
  • The signs that a student is being targeted, lured, groomed, trafficked, or is trafficking another student; how to get help safely (for example, through the HCDSB, community providers and/or support hotline)
  • How they can report concerns to school administrators and appropriate HCDSB staff.
• Utilize available technology and tools to raise awareness, identify and deter potential situations involving students who could be at risk of sex trafficking and other online threats, while using HCDSB-provided technology.

Awareness and educational strategies could involve sending letters or emails, providing information in a student handbook, displaying posters, hosting information sessions, posting on the school/HCDSB social media accounts, and/or posting information on the HCDSB website, and collaborating with community partners.

is available to support awareness and referrals.

Response Procedures

Employees must respond in situations where a student:

• May be at risk of or is being sex trafficked
• May be targeting, luring, grooming, or recruiting children and youth for the purpose of sex trafficking
• Is returning to school after they have been trafficked or involved in trafficking others

Response procedures must address the needs of, among others:

• Students with special education needs, mental health needs, social or emotional needs or language/cultural barriers, and international students
• Students who are in care, receiving care or in customary care arrangements
• Students who are being trafficked and who may be involved in the recruiting of other victims, including students who are returning to school after they have been involved in a trafficking situation
• Parents, including those who may live overseas and/or may not speak English or French
• Students 18 years or older or who are 16 or 17 years old and have withdrawn from parental control

Response procedures must be trauma-informed and culturally responsive and, at minimum, include the following elements or direction to HCDSB employees:

• The Superintendent of Safe & Accepting schools, supported by the Chief Social Worker, can support HCDSB employees with response procedures.
• The process for responding to situations where a student may be at risk of or is being sex trafficked, including steps for safely reporting concerns, responding to disclosures, and supporting the student’s immediate physical and emotional safety.
• The process for responding to situations where a student may be engaged in the trafficking of others, including steps for safely reporting concerns, responding to disclosures, and supporting students’ immediate physical and emotional safety.
• The process for responding to and supporting students re-entering school after they have been involved in a trafficking situation, including efforts to ensure that adequate safety and security needs are being met to support reintegration into school.
• Guidance on the requirements related to the duty to report a child in need of protection under and under .
• Clear information on legislated privacy and confidentiality requirements when responding to a suspected or confirmed instance of sex trafficking.
• The process of notifying appropriate school/HCDSB contacts and parents/guardians, as applicable.
• The process for school administrators to communicate and collaborate with community-based service providers, local police services, local Children’s Aid Societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies, as applicable and/or required by law, in responding to situations of suspected or confirmed sex trafficking of students.
• Direction on the approach to referring all affected students (including those indirectly affected, as needed) to supports.
• Direction on the approach to responding to possible sex trafficking recruitment by a student within the school, including appropriate interventions, supports and/or consequences, as applicable. Expectations should be consistent with the HCDSB policy on progressive discipline and the mitigating circumstances that must be considered when determining the intervention, consequences or supports. For students with special education needs, information in the student’s Individual Education Plan must be considered.
• Direction on the approach to appropriately respond to and meet the needs of students who are victims and survivors of sex trafficking, including access to education and facilitating school re-entry for those returning to school.
• Direction on monitoring and following-up on incidents reported (for example, check-ins with affected students).
• Direction on documenting suspected or reported sex trafficking situations and response procedures that were implemented.
• Information on culturally responsive and trauma-informed personal supports available to HCDSB employees responding to sex trafficking situations.

When an educator or administrator receives a disclosure or suspects human trafficking staff will:

Remember that making a disclosure is a highly vulnerable experience

• Listen to the student without judgement.
• The response from of staff needs to be student focused and centered on student voice and will need to be centered on the student;
• Consider your bias: avoid projecting your own feelings; take a non-judgemental approach to the choices the student has made, the barriers they experience, and empathize with their current situation.
• Be aware of and soften your body language.
• Mirror their language e.g. if they say 鈥渂oyfriend/girlfriend/partner,鈥� use these terms.
• Let them take the lead in sharing, avoid leading the conversation (do not probe for their story, instead listen respectfully, provide support).
• Avoid making promises you aren鈥檛 able to keep (e.g. assurance of confidentiality). Assure the student that their safety is a priority.

If an educator receives a disclosure or suspects human trafficking:

Keep the student safe

*Always make the student aware that you are obliged to disclose any information regarding illegal activity with your administrator and possibly the police and a child protection agency

• Be aware that a threat to their safety may be imminent and an immediate response and intervention is required.
• Do not leave the student alone.
• Remember you are not alone. Please reach out to your support team (Admin, Social Worker, CYC, Chaplain, Superintendent, etc.)

Explain your role

Explain that your role in supporting the student is to connect them with professionals who can help respond to the concern they have shared with you.

These roles include:

• Reporting to the school administration;
• The duty to report child protection concerns;
• Contact social work, child and youth counsellor for support and with student consent make referrals to other specialized community resources .(Please see below section 鈥淗uman Trafficking and Supports in Ontario鈥�); or trauma specialist;
• If the student identifies you as a key support, and the administrator determines this is appropriate, offering to be present in subsequent conversations between the student, administration, school social worker and community partners engaged in the response.
• Loop in your school support team to problem-solve next steps and provide support during difficult conversations.
• In conjunction with administration, engaging appropriate HCDSB partners, including consultation with HCDSB staff (Social Worker, CYC, etc), to create a safety plan with the student and refer them to resources

Child Protection Agency 鈥�

• For students under 18 years of age, staff MUST report to the administrator and a child protection agency. Please refer to HCDSB Policy II-20 Child Abuse and Protection of Students and Administrative Procedure VI-32 Child Abuse and Protection of Students.

Contact School Admin

• Immediately contact your school administrator regardless of the age of the student.
• Please remember that this information is highly sensitive and private. Do not talk to anyone else about this situation. Do not put full names or information in email. As your administrator for a phone call back or speak in person if possible.
• If you are struggling with the impact of the disclosure, please reach out to admin and/or access the .

If an administrator receives a disclosure or suspects human trafficking:

Keep the student safe

*Always make the student aware that you may be obliged to disclose any information regarding illegal activity with the police and a child protection agency

• Ensure the student remains supervised by school staff.
• Prioritize supporting the student in not being re-victimized by having them repeat their story multiple times.

Child Protection Agency 鈥� Duty to Report

• If you received the disclosure or suspect human trafficking, contact
• If a staff member received the disclosure or suspects human trafficking, verify staff has called .
  • Students under 18 years: Verify that staff who received the disclosure has called a child protection agency and provided you documentation or call the child protection agency if disclosure is made to you.
  • Record the decision to call a child protection agency by completing the Duty to Report form. Contact your Family of Schools Superintendent.
  • Contact HCDSB responsible for Social Work Services for child protection questions. This does not negate staff鈥檚 duty to report.

Contact

Refer to HCDSB policy/procedure on anti-sex trafficking.

• Contact Family of Schools Superintendent and/or Superintendent of Safe and Accepting Schools.
• Contact school Social Worker and/or Chief Social Worker for consultation and resources
  • No-name consultation to ensure privacy

Contact Parent/Guardian, except鈥�

Refer to HCDSB policy/procedure on anti-sex trafficking.

Call parent/guardian prior to the police meeting with the student, except if:

• Directed not to contact parent/guardian by child protection agency or local police;
• Student who is 18 years or older;
• Student is 16 or 17 and has withdrawn from parental control;
• Situations in which calling the parent/guardian would present a safety risk to the student, necessitating a report be made to CAS;
• Adhere to Duty to Report responsibilities, follow direction from CAS and/or police and document information and next steps.

Contact Police

Suspected Case – Consultation Options

• Follow guidance in Halton Region Police 91pro视频 Protocol
• Call Halton Regional Police – (905) 827- 4777

Disclosure – Response Requirements

• Follow Police and School 91pro视频 Protocol.

HT Hotline Optional Additional Support

If you or someone you know may be a victim, you may call the national human trafficking hotline at

1-833-900-1010

It connects victims and survivors of human trafficking to law enforcement, emergency shelters, transition housing, long-term supports, counselors, and a range of other trauma-informed services. Services offered in 200+ languages and are accessible to the deaf, hard-of-hearing and non-verbal.

Human Trafficking Services and Supports in Ontario

A list of dedicated services and supports across Ontario that help victims, survivors and persons at risk of human trafficking can be accessed here:

Training for HCDSB Employees

This protocol outlines a process for providing ongoing training for HCDSB employees, including teachers, administrators, and other school staff. Training will include the following elements:

• Key definitions, common misconceptions, and myths about sex trafficking, including tactics used for online luring, grooming and recruitment.
• Learning about human rights-based and trauma-informed approaches to combatting sex trafficking, responsive to First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit cultural competencies, and the needs of low-income communities within anti-oppressive, anti-racist, equitable and gender-based frameworks.
• Information on protective factors and prevention-focused supports and resources.
• Information on risk factors and signs that a student is at risk, being lured, groomed or trafficked.
• Signs that a student is or involved in luring, grooming or trafficking others.
• Response procedures, including the duty to report, how to handle disclosures to support students’ safety, how to support students impacted by sex trafficking and how to share information to ensure privacy and confidentiality.
• Supports available to students and affected staff, including culturally responsive supports.
• Additional training resources to support staff to understand and safely respond to sex trafficking.
• Roles and responsibilities of HCDSB employees in raising awareness, identifying and responding to sex trafficking.

The training will be tracked and be available throughout the year to all new and existing HCDSB employees. Training may vary for dependent upon stakeholder roles and responsibilities within the system. Training will be updated and delivered regularly to stay current with emerging issues relating to trafficking and changes in community services and response.

Measure Sucess: Accountability and Evaluation

The HCDSB will collaborate with the Ministry of Education, as well as anti-human trafficking partners, to develop a performance measurement framework. This framework will monitor the effectiveness of training (for example, whether staff feel they are more aware and more able to safely identify and intervene in situations where a student is suspected of being trafficked or trafficking) and whether the protocols respond to the needs of students.

Community anti-human trafficking partners and local agencies, such as child protective services like Children’s Aid Societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies, will be invited to participate in the reporting process to determine how the protocols have helped children and youth in care stay out of, or exit, human trafficking. This will be measured carefully with performance indicators on how the protocols are preventing trafficking in Halton.

The protocol will be reviewed, at minimum, every three years.

Appendix A: Glossary of Terms

2SLGBTQQIA

Refers to two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual.

Anti-racism

Anti-racism is a process, a systematic method of analysis, and a proactive course of action rooted in the recognition of the existence of racism, including systemic racism. Anti-racism actively seeks to identify, remove, prevent and mitigate racially inequitable outcomes and power imbalances between groups and change the structures that sustain inequities.

Cultural responsiveness

鈥淓xtends beyond language to include a much larger set of professional attitudes, knowledge, behaviours and practices, and organizational policies, standards and performance management mechanisms to ensure responsiveness to the diversity of [students] who walk through [schools’] doors.鈥�

Cultural safety

Refers to 鈥渁n environment that is spiritually, socially and emotionally safe, as well as physically safe for people; where there is no assault challenge or denial of their identity, of who they are and what they need. It is about shared respect, shared meaning, shared knowledge and experience of learning together.鈥�

Equity lens

Involves 鈥渟trategically, intentionally and holistically examining the impact of an issue, policy or proposed solution on underserved and historically marginalized communities and population subgroups, with the goal of leveraging research findings to inform policy.鈥�

Human rights-based approach

A 鈥渃onceptual framework for the process of human development that is normatively based on international human rights standards and operationally directed to promoting and protecting human rights. It seeks to analyze inequalities which lie at the heart of development problems and redress discriminatory practices and unjust distributions of power that impede development progress.鈥�

Survivor

Used to refer to an individual who has escaped a trafficking situation, whereas victim is used to refer to an individual who is in the process of being recruited or is being trafficked. The term survivor may also be used to refer to an adult with lived experience of being trafficking. This approach is used for clarity and not intended to label or define an individual’s experience. Individuals who have experienced sex trafficking may prefer one term over another in order to describe their experiences. HCDSB employees should confirm how an individual impacted by trafficking prefers to be referenced.

Tactics

Traffickers may use a range of tactics to target, recruit, manipulate and coerce victims. This can often involve a process of targeting an individual’s vulnerabilities then luring, grooming, isolating, manipulating, controlling and exploiting a victim to then conduct sexual acts (for example, forcing a victim to have sex, to take images of child sexual abuse). Often, a victim may not be aware that exploitation is happening, and victims may be forced to recruit other victims.

Trauma-informed approaches

Are 鈥減olicies and practices that recognize the connections between violence, trauma, negative health outcomes and behaviours. These approaches increase safety, control and resilience for people who are seeking services in relation to experiences of violence and/or have a history of experiencing violence.鈥�

Victim

Used to refer to an individual who is in the process of being recruited or is being trafficked, whereas survivor is used to refer to an individual who has escaped a trafficking situation. The term victim is often used to refer to a child who has experienced sexual exploitation. This approach is used for clarity and not intended to label or define an individual’s experience. Individuals who have experienced sex trafficking may prefer one term over another in order to describe their experiences. HCDSB employees should confirm how an individual impacted by trafficking prefers to be referenced.