The CSE Institute is excited to share with you the Valley Against Sex Trafficking’s (VAST) Best Practices Guide to assist those who work with survivors of sex trafficking in collaboration with law enforcement and other service providers. The CSE Institute spent 18 months speaking with and shadowing VAST leadership to capture the work they are doing in the Lehigh Valley and share it with other like-minded organizations throughout the Commonwealth. The Best Practices Guide is an example of how collaboration across systems helps victims and survivors of sex trafficking heal and move forward.
The Best Practices Guide is a recommended tool for victims’ service organizations to successfully collaborate with law enforcement and the community to provide the best assistance to survivors of sex trafficking. This comprehensive guide is intended to serve as an example for other communities and organizations who also wish to establish similar collaborative efforts for eradicating sex trafficking.
The Best Practices Guide is divided into three parts. Part I provides information and guidelines on establishing effective collaboration. Part II sets forth prevention guidelines, using VAST’s strategic prevention plan. Part III lists steps for providing effective victims’ services.
Through the Best Practices Guide, law enforcement and victims’ service organizations throughout Pennsylvania now have model steps to assist them in creating awareness, devising a plan of action, and offering aftercare to the victims of sex trafficking.
We would like to offer our sincere gratitude to CSE Institute alumnae Brooke Razor (VLS ’16) and Alexandria Murphy (VLS ’16) who worked with VAST Founder and Survivor Services Specialist Heather Evans on this project.