Often considered a big city problem, child exploitation and human trafficking also impacts smaller communities.
Mental health leaders at the local public and Catholic school boards co-chaired a School Service Advisory Council (SSAC) Symposium earlier this month, facilitating networking and collaboration among service providers and sharing knowledge and skills that will hopefully prevent and help leaders intervene in cases of child exploitation or human trafficking in Perth/Huron.
Heather Hirdes, and Kaitie Westbrook, Mental Health Leads for the Avon Maitland District School Board and Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board, respectively, welcomed nearly two dozen community partners for the symposium.
"We hear a lot about human trafficking in the news, it tends to feel like it's a big city problem, not something we would consider in Perth County," Hirdes told StratfordToday.
"What we really wanted to do was bring people together and provide that local context: what does that mean to us here, in terms of both child exploitation and human trafficking concerns. And what should we be looking out for, what can we do in terms of prevention...to service our community population.
Insight was provided into legal definitions, consent, trauma-informed policing approaches, and regional trafficking statistics.
Hirdes and Westbrook co-chair the school services advisory committee comprised of community service partners, who provide direct support to students. Organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, CMHA, Victim Services and others were joined by leadership from the OPP, including representatives from the provincial police force's child exploitation unit.
"Victim Services has really been the lead in the work," Hirdes explained. "Last year, they worked in collaboration with our board to provide education to our Grade 7 and 8 students around...human trafficking prevention, and they are working with the Catholic board this year to roll out that same curriculum to youth."
Returning after a three-year hiatus, there was opportunity for catch-up and in-person collaboration, after plenty of virtual meetings. There were conversations about the different tiers for mental health support: tier one is prevention/promotion, tier two is for mild to moderate mental health needs and tier three is for students with complex mental health needs.
"We were really able to have open conversations within the group about who can do what at each one of those tiers, we were able to identify some different gaps and needs or opportunities for collaboration."
The event was a continuation of education around mental health for students, parents and community partners. In May, a caregiver mental health series offered an education session to parents on human trafficking prevention. The symposium was a good event leading up to World Mental Health Day in October, Hirdes said.
"A really key piece is good mental health happens when you have good service pathways, good collaboration and good connection or networking with your community partners. So really it was an opportunity for folks to come together, get to know each other, get to know the programs that are being offered, so that we can ensure that students and their families are getting to the right spot at the right time and that we really are maximizing the support that is available."
