Maine Sex Trafficking & Exploitation Network Our program, the Maine Sex Trafficking and Exploitation Network (Maine STEN), engaged in significant statewide training and infrastructure development during FY2016. In the first half of the year, we worked with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to create a screening guide and response policy for children who experience commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking, as a response to the federal Prevention Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act. Once completed, we worked with the Department to provide training on sex trafficking of minors to all child welfare case workers in Maine, as well as multidisciplinary teams, and to expand awareness of the new policy within Children’s Advocacy Centers in Maine, who are a core part of Maine’s response to child victims. In the second half of the year, we partnered with colleagues from the Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Collaborative and the Maine STEN Provider Council to create Maine’s first statewide human trafficking training program. “Human Trafficking in Maine: Identification and Response”, is victimcentered and empowerment-based training, which includes interactive, skills-building sessions informed by Maine-based expertise and resources. MECASA developed the curriculum as well as a range of associated resources, a trainer’s toolkit, and a training of trainers – ensuring that all local anti-trafficking multi-disciplinary teams have the capacity to deliver local training which aligns with MECASA staff provided multiiple day-long trainings to over 400 Child Protective Services staff members on commercial sexual exploitation of children awareness and response. nationally-recognized best practice. In the first year, approximately 200 direct service providers, law enforcement officers, health care providers, and more accessed this training at no cost. MECASA continues to administer the program, to enhance the content, and to measure the efforts for impact and outcomes. In addition to training, we worked on several new resources for anti-trafficking providers in Maine, including a video series on human trafficking in Maine featuring local experts and survivors; offering training and certification for local providers to deliver the nationally-recognized “My Life My Choice” prevention curriculum for at-risk youth; and coordinated the state’s first human trafficking Survivor Leadership Summit with our sister organization, Survivor Speak. The day-long training for survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation focused on current efforts in Maine and the crucial role of the survivor leader. 5 MECASA FY2016 Annual Report
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