How to Request Assistance

Any person who has concerns that a foreign national minor may have experienced forced labor or commercial sex as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons may submit a Request for Assistance (RFA) through the Shepherd Case Management System .

The RFA is used in the Child Eligibility process to:

1. Notify HHS of trafficking concerns within 24 hours of having credible information that a foreign national minor may be a victim of trafficking (22 U.S.C. § 7105 (b))
2. Connect potential victims of trafficking with local trafficking victim assistance providers for case management services

Steps to Request Assistance

If you are working with a foreign national minor (non-US citizen/legal permanent resident and currently under 18) and have concerns that they may have experienced forced labor or commercial sex at any point in their life, take the following steps:

1. Submit an RFA through the Shepherd Case Management System . If you want to discuss the case with the OTIP Child Protection Specialists before submitting the RFA, you can call them during normal business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET) at 202-205-4582.
2. Submit any clarifying or new information by selecting New Information on your Requests list page in Shepherd.
3. While the case is pending, check the status on your Requests list page in Shepherd.

Prior to December 2019, RFAs were submitted by email as PDF documents. Now, RFAs are submitted electronically through the Shepherd Case Management System. If you are unable to use Shepherd, a PDF version of the RFA is available for download below. Password protect this document and submit to ChildTrafficking@acf.hhs.gov.