Introduction
The 2016—2021 evaluation of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) was 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 (HHS), in collaboration with ACF’s Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP).
This brief provides detailed findings from the contactor follow-up survey, including the extent to which contactors perceived the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) to be helpful.
Purpose & Research Questions
The overall purpose of this project was to develop and execute an evaluation of the NHTH, with the following specific objectives of the evaluation:
- Describe the activities, procedures, and organization of the NHTH, including staff training, staff capacity, and service delivery.
- Describe the customer service of the NHTH.
- Describe the immediate outcomes of the NHTH, specifically regarding experiences of contactors.
Key Findings and Highlights
Findings from the Immediate Survey and Two-Week Follow-up Survey revealed respondents’ levels of satisfaction with the NHTH, as well as strengths and suggested areas for improvement. Survey results revealed that contactors were generally satisfied with their experiences with the NHTH, with questions related to helpfulness, supportiveness, knowledge, and satisfaction averaging 4.3 or higher on a 5-point Likert Scale. Additionally, 86.8% (n = 925) of respondents said they would be extremely likely or very likely to recommend the hotline to someone else.
When contactors expressed disappointment with their experience with the NHTH, it was most often because they wished the NHTH could provide more resolution (e.g., follow-up on the status of a tip) or offer more effective referrals or information (e.g., resources and referrals that met contactors’ needs efficiently). Other contactors’ dissatisfaction was due to a misunderstanding of the NHTH’s scope or the ways in which the NHTH provides support. For example, some contactors felt dissatisfied in the fact that the NHTH could not deploy law enforcement to a scene.
The NHTH may consider ways to further set expectations with contactors, particularly those hoping to submit a tip. To do so, Hotline Advocates could make clear the process for sharing tips with law enforcement, delineating their role and law enforcement’s role in responding to trafficking.
Methods
All evaluation data were collected by or in collaboration with the NHTH from 2016 through 2021. Eight data collection methods were used to inform the findings of the evaluation. Data collection methods, presented in the order in which they were collected, include:
- Review of NHTH database records
- Interviews with NHTH staff
- Interviews and focus groups with key NHTH partners
- Observational listening of NHTH contacts
- Case study interviews with law enforcement agencies receiving tips from the NHTH
- Assessment of the NHTH’s referral directory
- Case study of other similar national hotlines
- Follow-up survey with individuals contacting the NHTH
The primary data sources for this brief include responses to the evaluation’s Immediate Survey (n = 1,090) and the Two-Week Follow-up Survey (n = 172). This brief is also supplemented by exports from the NHTH’s case-level database for all contacts processed by the hotline between June 2020 and January 2021 (N = 54,328 contacts).
Citation
Feeney, Hannah, Bensen, Matthew, Waggy, Megan, and Jennifer Hardison-Walters (2024). Evaluation of the National Human Trafficking Hotline: Contactor Follow-up Survey Brief. OPRE Brief # 2024-XX. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- NHTH:
- National Human Trafficking Hotline
- Individuals who have experienced trafficking/survivor:
- These phrases will be used interchangeably to refer to individuals who are experiencing or have experienced human trafficking. At the time of data collection, the NHTH used the term “potential victim of trafficking” and thus, this phrasing may be present throughout the reports and briefs.
- Contactors:
- Individuals who have accessed the NHTH via phone, text, webchat, or email. Contactors may or may not be survivors of human trafficking. At times, when specifying contactors who connected with the NHTH via phone, the word “callers” may be used. The NHTH refers to contactors as signalers but endorsed the use of contactors for the purposes of this brief for increased clarity.
- Contacts:
- Contacts are the individual level calls, texts, webchats, or emails received by the NHTH.
- Cases:
- Contacts are stored at the case level, whereby a case represents all calls, texts, webchats, and emails received regarding a particular circumstance of sex or labor trafficking. For example, if two independent community members contact the NHTH with two separate tips regarding the same potential victim, both contacts will be placed in the same case.