Trainings

Protect to Prevent

A 45–60 Minute Survivor-Informed Human Trafficking Prevention Training

Protect to Prevent is a dynamic, evidence-based training designed to equip professionals, parents, and community leaders with the tools to recognize, respond to, and prevent human trafficking and child exploitation both offline and online.

Grounded in lived experience and prevention science, this training moves beyond awareness and into action. Participants gain practical, trauma-informed strategies to identify warning signs early and intervene appropriately before exploitation escalates.

• Healthcare professionals 
• Educators and school staff 
• Social workers and youth-serving professionals 
• Law enforcement and first responders 
• Faith-based and community leaders
• Corporate and frontline staff 
• Parents and caregivers

What You Will Learn

Participants will gain:

• A clear understanding of trafficking recruitment tactics 
• Insight into vulnerability factors that traffickers exploit 
• Early warning signs of exploitation in children and teens 
• Trauma-informed response strategies 
• Guidance on reporting obligations and available resources 
• Prevention-focused approaches that strengthen protective factors at home, school, and in the community

Online Exploitation & Grooming Component

In today’s digital world, prevention must include online vigilance.

Protect to Prevent includes a focused segment on digital exploitation and grooming, including:

• How traffickers use social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps to recruit 
• Common online manipulation and coercion tactics 
• Behavioral and emotional indicators of digital grooming 
• Practical steps parents can take to reduce online risk exposure 
• How to start safe, age-appropriate conversations about online safety 
• Safe reporting and intervention pathways

Special Focus for Parents & Caregivers

Parents and caregivers will leave with:

✔ Conversation starters for discussing online safety
✔ Warning signs to watch for at home
✔ Strategies for building digital boundaries without fear-based messaging
✔ Tools to strengthen trust and open communication
✔ Confidence in knowing when and how to seek help

Prevention begins with informed adults who are equipped to protect.

The lifetime cost of exploitation — both human and economic — is substantial. Prevention is not only morally responsible; it is fiscally and socially prudent. By equipping families and professionals with early identification tools, we reduce long-term harm, system strain, and community trauma.

• Survivor-informed 
• Evidence-based 
• Trauma-informed 
• Prevention-focused 
• Practical and action-oriented 

This training empowers participants to move from passive awareness to proactive protection.

After completing Protect to Prevent, participants will be able to:

✔ Recognize signs of trafficking and grooming
✔ Respond confidently and appropriately
✔ Understand reporting and support pathways
✔ Strengthen prevention strategies within their home or organization
✔ Contribute to a culture of safety and accountability

Protect to Prevent is more than a training — it is a commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable individuals before harm occurs.

See it. Stop it. Prevent it.

If you’d like, I can now:

• Create a separate landing page version just for parents 
• Develop a workshop version specifically titled “Protect to Prevent: A Parent Edition” 
• Or create pricing tiers (schools, healthcare systems, parent groups, statewide contracts)
   

This 60-minute, healthcare-focused training satisfies Virginia’s one-hour state-mandated human trafficking training requirement. Facilitated by Laura Lederer and Survivor Leader and Educator Gwen Cassady, the course equips medical professionals with evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies to identify and respond to sex and labor trafficking in clinical settings.

Participants will review clinical and behavioral indicators of trafficking, screening considerations across care environments (including emergency, primary care, OB/GYN, pediatrics, and mental health), trauma-informed communication techniques, and reporting obligations under Virginia law. The training also addresses online exploitation and grooming pathways increasingly affecting patients.

By the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to recognize red flags, conduct appropriate screening conversations, respond safely within clinical constraints, and connect patients to appropriate resources.

This course is designed for physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, social workers, and allied health professionals seeking to strengthen patient safety and improve identification of human trafficking in healthcare settings.