Script for Positive Sex Trafficking Screening

“I see you answered ‘yes’ to several questions about your relationships and other experiences. Thank you for sharing this part of your story with me.”

“Based on your answers, I’m concerned about your safety and well-being. To help connect you with resources and make sure you’re safe, one of our team members who specializes in helping young people deal with complex or unhealthy relationships will also talk to you today. They can share resources that other young people have found healthy and will work with you to make a plan that helps you be safe.”

Adapted from Hanging Out or Hooking Up: Clinical Guidelines on Responding to Adolescent Relationship Abuse (Miller, 2013, Futures Without Violence) and Reaching Teens: Strength-Based, Trauma-Sensitive, Resilience-Building Communication Strategies Rooted in Positive Youth Development (Ed. Ginsburg, 2020, American Academy of Pediatrics).  

These pathways do not establish a standard of care to be followed in every case. It is recognized that each case is different, and those individuals involved in providing health care are expected to use their judgment in determining what is in the best interests of the patient based on the circumstances existing at the time. It is impossible to anticipate all possible situations that may exist and to prepare a pathway for each. Accordingly, these pathways should guide care with the understanding that departures from them may be required at times.