Human Trafficking Prevention in PWCS
History
After receiving an initial grant from the Potomac Health Foundation in 2013, PWCS developed a human trafficking prevention program and from 2016 on, the program has been funded by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services with funds made available to the Commonwealth of Virginia from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. Since 2018, PWCS has fully funded the program and a human trafficking prevention specialist position.
Program Components
Prevention
- Over 47,193 high school students have participated in an interactive 90 minute lesson taught in ninth grade Health and PE programs since the inception of the program in 2013.
- Following the lesson, 1,083 PWCS students have come forward and met with a school social worker regarding concerns about themselves or their friends.
- Overall, students consistently demonstrated large gains (56-72%) in perceived knowledge about human trafficking based on pre/post testing.
Identification:
- Since 2013, 255 PWCS students have been identified as having been sexually assaulted, groomed, or victims of trafficking.
- The average case load includes 50 juvenile trafficking cases per academic year with approximately 20 new cases identified annually. As of the 2022-23 school year, 60 cases are being case managed by the human trafficking prevention specialist.
Response
- School Social workers in collaboration with the Human Trafficking Prevention Specialist, assess the individual needs of the student and utilize community-based resources to get students the help needed to begin the healing process.
- Resources include referral to the community Family and Assessment Planning Team for medical care, mental health care, and branding removal services; referral to PWC Multi-Disciplinary Team which includes case collaboration with state, federal, and local agencies.


For more information and resources on human trafficking, visit the Department of Criminal Justice Services Human Trafficking Response webpage.
Contact Us
Colette Junod, MSW
Human Trafficking Specialist & Fostering Connections Liaison
JunodCM@pwcs.edu
Elizabeth Young, MED, LPC
Supervisor of School Social Workers
YoungEA@pwcs.edu