Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Placement Challenges Persist for Child Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation; Questions Regarding Effective Interventions and Outcomes Remain

Report 16-04, July 2016




Report Summary

  • A total of 264 verified commercial sexual exploitation child victims (CSE children) were identified in calendar year 2015, more than the 170 identified from July 2013 through December 2014. CSE children are to be placed and served in specialized residential programs, such as safe houses and safe foster homes. However, there are a limited number of these beds and provider criteria exclude some children. Providers report that they deliver consistent statutorily-required services to children, and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) is conducting a review of literature to identify effective interventions for CSE children.
  • Many CSE children we identified in our previous report had since been re-victimized, involved with the criminal justice system, or only attended school intermittently.
  • State agencies, including DCF and the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), continue working to better identify CSE children through community awareness, training, better information system tracking, and a new screening tool. The Human Trafficking Screening Tool has been released for use but concerns exist; DCF and DJJ should prioritize getting feedback on the screening tool and validating it.


Related Reports
  1. No Title
    Report 15-06
  2. Annual Report on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Florida, 2023
    Report 23-08 June 2023
  3. Annual Report on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Florida, 2022
    Report 22-05 July 2022
  4. Annual Report on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Florida, 2021
    Report 21-06 July 2021
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, safe house, abuse hotline, arrests, revictimization, placement, runaway, foster care, residential treatment, mental health, substance abuse