Resilience 360 Initiative: Overview & Purpose

Defining 'Networks of Care'

In consultation with the community, we have defined Networks of Care as the informal support systems surrounding survivors of trafficking, including family, chosen and extended family, partners, friends, and community members. It is, however, important to note that this is not an exhaustive list and that this term is ever-evolving and may not fully resonate with everyone. These individuals are the community members who provide care work to survivors, often addressing the gaps in formal professional support systems. It is the circle of caring supporters (and even pets!) who offer practical, emotional, caring support to survivors, those who they can confide in and count on as they navigate their healing journeys.

This toolkit offers Networks of Care information and resources so that they are better equipped to support survivors of human trafficking. It aims to help people better understand the experiences and needs of survivors of human trafficking and provide practical information and tools for Networks of Care to better navigate different systems, care for survivors, and care for themselves.

Overview of Resilience 360 Project

WomenatthecentrE's Resilience 360 Project is a community-based initiative focused on better understanding and addressing the needs of survivors of human trafficking and their Networks of Care. These networks play a critical role in offering emotional, practical, and social support to survivors of human trafficking, filling in the gaps that formal supports may not be able to address. Our Resilience 360 project looks to provide 360-degree, wrap-around community support for human trafficking survivors.

The development of this toolkit was informed by the collective efforts and incredible contributions from individuals and organizations across Canada. As part of this project, we formed three collectives to consult: a Survivor Expert Collective who shared their lived expertise and what they need from their Networks of Care, a Stakeholder Advisory Collective of professionals and advocates who provide frontline support to survivors and their Networks of Care, and the Networks of Care Collective of informal caregivers who contributed their perspectives on what they need to better support survivors and sustain their care work. Furthermore, we conducted two community-based surveys to gather further insights from both survivors and Networks of Care nationwide.

This collaborative effort could not have been possible without the expertise of everyone involved and a shared commitment to supporting survivors of human trafficking and their Networks of Care. These efforts are dedicated to the Networks of Care of survivors of human trafficking who selflessly provide unpaid care work and crucial support to fostering collective care in our communities.

Intended Audience

This toolkit aims to compile resources, mobilize knowledge, and provide support for the Networks of Care of survivors of human trafficking. WomenatthecentrE's goal is to better equip the community to offer compassionate, trauma-informed, person-centred, and survivor-centred care, while also prioritizing the needs of the caregivers themselves to promote sustainable support. In our previous Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative, Embedding Resilience & Grounding Resistance, we identified gaps in services and formal support for survivors. We recognized that a survivor's Network of Care sometimes takes on key roles in support and advocacy for their loved ones, and struggle to find reliable, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive resources that explain survivors' experiences and best practices on how to support them when navigating many complex and often harmful systems. This toolkit was developed in response to those needs identified and in order to provide support for these Networks of Care to survivors of human trafficking.

Acknowledgements

We want to acknowledge the community of survivors, Networks of Care, and organizations that contributed their time, efforts, and expertise to co-develop this toolkit, many of whom contributed anonymously. We want to thank our collective members and partners, including The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, Maggie-Eugénie McIntyre, Cassandra Harvey, Adam Owens, Sarah Laurich, Survivor Surviving, Mrs. Ben, anonymous collaborators, and the many other dedicated people who contributed to this project and their unwavering commitment to eradicating violence and supporting survivors of human trafficking and their Networks of Care.