Learning from child welfare case narratives: A directed content analysis of indicators for human trafficking

•Human trafficking victims are commonly identified through the child welfare system.•We analyzed intake narratives to identify common indicators for trafficked youth.•Caseworkers frequently identify indicators for human trafficking during intake.•Findings inform the use of standardized screening tools in the child welfare system. Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to facilitate commercial sex, labor, involuntary servitude, peonage debt bondage, or slavery. Youth within the child welfare system are considered to be at risk for sex trafficking victimization. Additionally, the experiences of youth in the child welfare system, particularly abuse and neglect, have been identified as risk factors for youth sex trafficking. One way to further address human trafficking is by understanding what vulnerabilities may put individuals at risk of being a victim of human trafficking. This study analyzed indicators that are believed to increase the risks for sex trafficking among youth in the child welfare system. A qualitative directed content analysis was conducted to analyze child welfare case narratives (N = 167) to examine the extent to which common vulnerability factors for human trafficking (e.g., trading sex for things of value, unwanted physical contact, previous sexual abuse) were present in substantiated child welfare cases flagged for human trafficking. A total of 75 unique items across 10 assessments were used to create the deductive codebook based on existing human trafficking screening tools (e.g., Trafficking Victim Identification Tool, Adult Trafficking Screening Tool). Findings demonstrated that although there was wide variance across narratives, sexual abuse and sex exchange were the most common vulnerability factors expressed in the case intake narratives. Further, the vast majority of screening variables were not represented in the narratives. These findings call for the use of standardized screening tools, as well as a universal definition of human trafficking, in the child welfare system.