Human Trafficking Training For School Nurses Launches June 14
- Building an Anti-Sex Trafficking School Culture Webinar
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90-minute webinar launching on 6/14/23 at 12:00pm EDT and will end at 1:30 pm EDT
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1.75 CEU
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$25 or free for Academy of Forensic Nursing members
Access the course by following this Link
Walking Wise is thrilled to announce the launch of their highly anticipated webinar series, "Building an Anti-Sex Trafficking School Culture." Kicking off on June 14th, this groundbreaking initiative is specifically designed to educate school nurses on implementing trafficking prevention education within their schools.
By aligning their curriculum and toolkit with the guidelines commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, named "Human Trafficking in AMERICA'S SCHOOLS," Walking Wise ensures that school nurses receive comprehensive and evidence-based training. This webinar series is a pivotal step toward creating a safer and more informed environment for students. Walking Wise is proud to be at the forefront of this critical mission.
Podcast Episode (Nurse Converse)
The Walking Wise Mission
Walking Wise™ is an organization that helps combat child sex trafficking with visual aid explainer videos and education. The founder of Walking Wise, Karla Highman, tells nurse.org, "Sexual abuse and trafficking crimes are rising, so we’re arming school nurses with tools and knowledge to help lead their school districts into prevention education.”
It helps teens to move away from a path that can include human traffickers and sexual predators. Highman has created an 11-part series of animated videos and a human trafficking prevention guide. It also offers help to adults to have conversations with children about sex trafficking.
Walking Wise recommends that middle and high schools create an anti-trafficking culture that will be supported with sex trafficking prevention education. They are trying to move education from being undefined to having education guidelines according to the U.S. Department of Education in a program called Human Trafficking in AMERICA’S SCHOOLS.
How The Program Works
The Walking Wise Implementation Guide will have a 7-step process for trafficking prevention. The program begins with introducing school district leaders to the need for preventative education and sex trafficking conditions. The education targets children aged 11 years and up living in rural, urban, and suburban communities.
Walking wise is endorsed by the Academy of Forensic Nursing. It is an approved online course for forensic and school nurses through GoAFN.org. Highman is excited about the opportunity mentioning, “It’s an honor for Walking Wise to partner with the Academy of Forensic Nursing to educate school nurses on building anti-trafficking school culture.”
The program can be introduced by school resource officers, student service staff, threat assessment teams, anti-trafficking advocacy leaders, school nurses, and forensic nurses.
Once school leaders have approved the program, a threat assessment team or a formed safety team in the school will be able to provide trafficking prevention training, implement tools for anti-trafficking, and perform prevention education. It will be recommended for the safety team to be skilled in assessing the emotional, behavioral, and social well-being of the students.
It is recommended that schools collaborate this program with other agencies such as local law enforcement, welfare agencies, runaway and homeless youth services, and children advocacy centers when assessing youth susceptibility. Highman mentions that “trafficking advocate leaders are enthusiastic about this new concept of school nurses contributing to the fight against child trafficking.”
Education can be given to school staff, parents, and children once the tools and training are in place. The 7-step model is modifiable to each school’s and district’s policies and capacities. The Walking Wise Education Guide offers pre and post-surveys to measure the outcome of the education. They also offer a toolkit to modify the program according to the school’s needs. The tool kit has assessments for risk factors and indicators, reporting protocols, and screens to measure participants’ knowledge.
Webinar details
The webinar “Building an Anti-Sex Trafficking School Culture” will count as 1.75 contact hours. It will be hosted by the Academy of Forensic Nursing.
It will be a 90-minute webinar launching on 6/14/23 at 12:00pm EDT and will end at 1:30 pm EDT. The course can be purchased for $25 for non-members and free for members of the Academy of Forensic Nursing.
Access the course by following this Link.
The 90-minute webinar will have a panel of experts, including Karla Highman, Detective Aaron Dennis, and School Nurse Denise Buffin, RN, MEd, FNP, NCSN. They will discuss the program and its importance in schools for sex trafficking prevention.
The webinar will discuss the 7-step process, including the assessment phase, implementation process, curriculum, and the tools and protocols involved. The full webinar series of the 11 modules will be presented nationally later in July 2023 at the National Association of School Nurses.
