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Category: Project

Description: The overall purpose of this project is to develop and execute an evaluation of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH), a 24-hour toll-free line that connects survivors of sex and labor trafficking to resources and support. The NHTH also receives tips about potential trafficking situations and in some cases reports information to law enforcement agencies. The evaluation is being conducted by RTI International through a contract from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with ACF’s Office on Trafficking in Persons. OPRE’s webpage about the study is located here: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/research/project/evaluation-of-the-national-human-trafficking-hotline-program. The specific objectives of the evaluation are to: (1) Describe the activities, procedures, and organization of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) Program, including staff training, staff capacity, and service delivery; (2) Describe the customer service of the NHTH, for example who contacts the NHTH, and what information or assistance do they seek; (3) Describe the immediate outcomes of the NHTH, specifically with regard to experiences of callers and users; and (4) Explore the creation of one or more new performance measures, to enable NHTH to explain its activities and accomplishments in an ongoing way to stakeholders. The evaluation is designed to answer questions pertaining to the population of hotline users (Who contacts the hotline? What assistance to contactors seek?); customer service (What does the hotline provide to contactors? Are contactors satisfied with the service they received?); organizational structure and procedures (What assessment tools are used? What qualifications to staff have and need? How is the referral directory maintained?); collaboration with service providers and law enforcement; and the strengths and limitations of the hotline. The study has three phases: 1) The first phase involved (a) descriptive analyses of secondary data collected by NHTH (2013 – mid-2017) during calls or contacts, (b) review of extant documents such as NHTH protocols and training materials; and (c) primary data collection (interviews with NHTH staff; focus groups with service providers (n=8), survivors of human trafficking who had used the hotline (n=8); and telephone interviews with six law enforcement personnel). Phase 1 data collection was conducted March through November 2017. 2) Building on phase 1, the second phase (ongoing) includes (a) descriptive analyses of secondary data collected by the NHTH (2017-2018); (b) observational listening of live hotline calls; (c) up to 9 interviews with law enforcement personnel; an assessment of the referral directory; and interviews with select staff at four national hotlines that are similar in size and scope to the NHTH. 3) Phase 3 (ongoing) involves two multi-mode surveys of individuals who contact the hotline text/SMS, online live chat, or telephone. The aims of the surveys are to obtain information directly from hotline users to assess contactors’ satisfaction with hotline services and the utility of information provided during the contact in terms of knowledge gained, actions taken, and assistance received as a result the contact with the NHTH. The main page for the study’s approved Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) package is here: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202007-0970-012. Under "View Supporting Statement and Other Documents," you can access information about the evaluation plans, including data collection instruments.