BRIGHT (Bridging Resource and Information Gaps in Human Trafficking) is an online, vetted, secure, resource referral network for those who look for and/or those who provide services to individuals of trafficking. Currently, the BRIGHT network serves confirmed or potential adult victims of sex and/or labor trafficking throughout the State of Florida. BRIGHT allows providers to get their clients connected to services in a timelier manner, without the need for multiple searches or calls. With BRIGHT, an individual can simultaneously search and locate all the different services that they may need for their client – saving time, reducing compassion fatigue, and creating a seamless continuum of care for survivors. As the platform grows and more partners are added, the list of available resources will expand to reflect available services.
BRIGHT informs service providers of available resources by tracking which agencies are currently able to provide services and which are at capacity, while empowering choice in services. The network also establishes and improves standards of care for service providers by holding each organization in the system to a standard of trauma-informed, survivor- informed, and victim-centered care. BRIGHT imposes quality control measures for service providers and confidentiality protection for survivors: elements that are currently missing from the anti-trafficking service arena. These measures are meant to help align agency service provision, so even if they are unfamiliar with an organization, they can feel comfortable referring their client to them. Currently, there are no universal standards for measuring the effectiveness, stability, or reliability of victim assistance agencies. The implementation of this system aids in creating a means of accountability, thereby increasing trust among agencies, promoting integrity and calling for more transparency among service provision. Currently, survivors and case managers alike must rely on their own experience or the experience of others to determine if a provider is legitimate and will offer quality services. Instead, BRIGHT assesses these aspects and provides an interconnected network of services that are safe, secure, and trusted.
Providers can choose how much information about their client they wish to share with another organization, ensuring VAWA/G compliancy when applicable. However, through the use of the system, BRIGHT collects data on client demographics and requested services to inform on organization needs, availability, and successes that can be used to inform an organization’s own programs as well as to help more strategically direct resources. Users of the system are able to generate a report of the referrals that they have sent and received to utilize for grant applications or for sponsor reports. This same data will provide the TIP Lab with unduplicated and more comprehensive data on human trafficking, including prevalence, survivor demographics, and services accessed, all of which have been extremely difficult to gather – due in part because of the hidden nature of the problem, but also because of the lack of a coordinated, collaborative service provider network. All information entered into BRIGHT follows HIPPA compliancy.