Existing law defines human trafficking to include both sex trafficking and labor trafficking.

Existing law allows a child who is sexually trafficked, or who receives food or shelter in exchange for, or who is paid to perform, sexual acts, and whose parent or guardian has failed or was unable to protect the child, to be adjudged a dependent of the juvenile court.

Existing law authorizes a social worker, in specified circumstances, to take temporary custody of a child who is or may be subject to the dependency jurisdiction of the court.

The bill would generally prohibit a social worker from taking temporary custody of a child who is the victim of human trafficking if the child’s parent or guardian has not participated, either directly or indirectly, in the child’s trafficking.

Existing law establishes the Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Program, which is administered by the State Department of Social Services. The program requires the department to provide funds to participating counties to provide training to county children’s services workers to identify, intervene, and provide case management services to children who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking and to foster caregivers for the prevention and identification of potential victims. Existing law requires the department to provide specified information to the Legislature regarding the implementation of these provisions, including the number of victims served by each county and the types of services provided, no later than April 1, 2017.

This bill would change the name of the program to the Human Trafficked Children Program and revise all parts of the program to include all children who are victims of human trafficking, including those who are the victims of labor trafficking. The bill would require the department to provide and update information provided to the Legislature regarding implementation of these provisions, and to provide additional information relating to serving child victims of labor trafficking, no later than April 1, 2028.

Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association, to ensure that the child welfare information system is capable of collecting data concerning children who are commercially sexually exploited, as specified.

This bill would require the department to ensure that the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System is capable of collecting data concerning children who are victims of human trafficking no later than June 1, 2027.