Consultation, Support, and Engagement Team (CSET) for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children and Youth (CSEC)

About CSET

The Consultation, Support, and Engagement Team (CSET) was developed to address the growing incidences of commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) or those at risk of being exploited that are between the ages of 12 to 21. The program provides community-based outreach to engage and build relationships with identified youth and to provide support in linkage to appropriate services. CSET staff meet with children and youth at risk of exploitation and their families/caregivers in a safe, convenient location in the community. CSET bridges the gap for access to mental health services when they are in a new stage of change.

Services include needs assessment, crisis intervention, harm reduction education, linkage to needed resources and support. This includes housing, job guidance, education, and help with benefits to assist with transition back into the community.

CSEC Services Include:

• Health education and support with healthcare access, including reproductive healthcare
• Recovery serviced based on promotion of self-advocacy, self-sufficiency, and resiliency
• Treatment teams advocating for and supporting children and youth at risk of exploitation
• Family and caregiver education to provide a supportive environment, decreasing the likelihood of exploitation

A Team Will Provide:

• Community Based Engagement
• Crisis Support
• Linkage to Local Resources
• Group Activities and Consultation Sessions
• Peer Support
• Short-Term Mental Health Services

What is CSEC?

The commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) population consists of minors whose sexual abuse has been entirely, or at least primarily, for financial or other economic exchanges. Economic exchanges involved may be either monetary or non-monetary (in exchange for food, shelter, drugs, or protection from another).

Facts

• Three of the nation’s 13 high-intensity child exploitation areas identified by the FBI are in California (California Child Welfare Council, n.d.).
• In 2013, Sacramento was dubbed as the second worst city in the U.S. for human trafficking by the Human Rights Society. Sacramento’s numerous freeways that run statewide and nationally make moving victims from city to city easy.
• Children from any background can be targeted and exploited. The average age that victims enter trafficking is 12 to 14 years old (Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, 2017). Once involved, the young person’s median life span is only 7-10 more years.
• Abused and exploited children are often left traumatized and experience a range of psychological distress including: trauma, depression, isolation, self-destructive behavior, guilt, anxiety, anger or control issue, challenges forming positive relationships, increased risk of engaging in risky and impulsive behaviors (California Child Welfare Council, n.d.).

Contact Info

General Information & Referrals
Phone: (916) 844-2426
California Relay Service: 711
shine@starsinc.com

Marissa D. Guerrero, LMFT
Administrator
Email: mguerrero@starsinc.com

Consultation, Support, and Engagement Team (CSET) for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children and Youth
401 S. St.
Sacramento, CA 95811
Map & Directions 

This program is funded by the Division of Behavioral Health Services through the voter approved Proposition 63, Mental Health Services Act (MHSA).