OEW Hope House

Summary

OEW Hope HouseTM (OEW - On Eagles Wings) is  a residential care programme for victims of sex trafficking provided by a Christian charity in the USA. The programme offers home school education, a trauma-informed model of care, therapy, health care, life skills and spiritual mentoring.

Type of intervention

Individual work, group work, residential, mentoring

Target groups, level of prevention and subgroups

  • Children and Young People (Victims) | Primary prevention | Young People (12-17 years) | Female | Individual work, group work, residential, mentoring | English

Target population

Adolescent girls aged 12 -17 years who have been sexually exploited through the commercial sex industry.

Delivery organisation

OEW Hope House TM is part of an organisation in the USA, On Eagles Wings, see www.oewHOPE.org

Mode and context of delivery

OEW Hope House TM is a residential care programme for victims of sex trafficking, provided by a Christian charity in the USA. The programme offers home school education, a trauma- informed model of care, therapy, health care, life skills and spiritual mentoring.

Additional services provided include Fields of Hope, a job skills programme for survivors of sex-trafficking. 

Level/nature of staff expertise required

All staff are qualified as residential social workers and have at least 2 years’ experience. The Residential Director has a Master’s Level degree plus supervisory experience in residential social work.

Intensity/extent of engagement with target group(s)

OEW Hope House TM is a residential home that provides 24 hour care. Clients are encouraged to stay for a year but can stay longer if necessary.

Description of intervention

OEW Hope House TM is a residential programme for adolescents aged 12 -17 years who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation/sex trafficking. 24 hour care is provided for a year, or longer if required. Its goals are to:

  • Offer a safe, supportive and nurturing environment
  • Offer a trauma-informed model of care
  • Provide caregivers to support the client, who are specifically trained to understand the mind set and victimisation of a sex trafficking survivor
  • Provide a programme that supports the client's individual goals, helps her develop her gifts and talents and encourages self-esteem

The essential elements of the OEW Hope House TM intervention are:

  • Trauma-informed and holistic care model
  • Specialised care that understands the complex needs and experience of sex trafficking survivors
  • Empowerment and esteem building
  • Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Weekly group therapy in small groups of no more than 4
  • Family involvement in treatment, where appropriate

In addition to this programme the organisation also offers:

  • ‘Fields of Hope TM’; a job skills programme for survivors of sex trafficking
  • ‘Youth 4Abolition’; a programme to prevent sex trafficking for teens and young adults

Evaluations

OEW Hope House TM has been reviewed by the California Evidence-based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare – see www.cebc4cw.org/program/hope-house.

There are no published peer-reviewed research or evaluation studies currently available.

References

Sells, H. (2012, Feb. 24) Off the streets: Helping sex victims for the long haul. 

Contact details

Email: info@oewm.org
Website:www.oewHOPE.org
Phone: 001 828 429 0107

OEW long 2019 (1).jpg

RATING: Pioneering

Information correct at September 2019

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