California Child Welfare Council

In foster care most of her life, 17-year-old Amber* finally found a little stability at R.I.S.E. House. After cycling through 35 foster and group homes, she developed relationships at R.I.S.E. and was poised to graduate from high school.

At the end of March, Rochelle Trochtenberg began her new job as California’s new foster care ombudsperson, the first time a former foster youth has held the post. The Office of the Foster Care Ombudsman investigates and resolves complaints on behalf of foster youth.

The California Child Welfare Council is inviting survivors of sexual exploitation to join the ranks of its Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) Action Team, specifically as members of its advisory board.

Los Angeles County officials are ramping up efforts to curb child sex trafficking by increasing county oversight of certain hotels and motels. These budget facilities provide emergency shelter under the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) General Relief Emergency Housing program, but are often used by traffickers and their customers.

On a late winter evening about three years ago, Barbara Hernandez stood in front of half a dozen members of the Riley Elementary School Parent Teacher Association in Long Beach, Calif.

New funding is raising the profile of commercially sexually exploited children, and hopes that California can do a better job to protect them. A recent infusion of funding from both the state and federal government, as well as a push from Governor Jerry Brown, has sped up California’s efforts to create a comprehensive plan to better serve commercially sexually exploited children, or CSEC.