Human trafficking service providers lack reliable, evidence‑based tools to measure survivor outcomes over time.

Human trafficking victim service organizations provide critical services that support survivors’ safety, well‑being, and long‑term stability. Yet, despite the breadth and importance of these services, providers have historically lacked standardized, evidence‑based tools to consistently measure survivor outcomes over time. Without reliable outcome measurements, providers face challenges in assessing service effectiveness, adapting programs to meet the needs of the survivor, and demonstrating impact to researchers, policymakers, and funders.

This gap limits both practice and policy. Internally developed tools vary widely across organizations and often focus on intake rather than progress or change. At the same time, funders, researchers, and service providers are seeking stronger evidence about how and which services contribute to improved outcomes for human trafficking survivors. Addressing this gap requires tools that are trauma‑informed, flexible across diverse survivor populations, and practical for use in real‑world service settings—while also generating reliable data that can deepen understanding of service impacts, support replication, and help establish best practices across the field.

NORC and the Urban Institute partnered with service providers to rigorously test a survivor‑focused outcomes measurement tool in real‑world settings.

NORC at the University of Chicago partnered with the Urban Institute to conduct a multi‑method evaluation of the Outcomes for Human Trafficking Survivors (OHTS) Instrument. The study combined process evaluation, outcome analysis, and reliability testing to assess whether the OHTS could be successfully implemented by diverse victim service providers and whether it reliably captures meaningful changes in survivor outcomes.

The research team worked closely with three service provider organizations serving survivors of sex and labor trafficking, including both U.S.‑born and foreign‑born adults. Through in‑depth process evaluations, NORC-Urban documented program operations, developed logic models, and examined how providers integrated the OHTS into case management practice.

To test the reliability and validity of the OHTS, NORC-Urban administration of longitudinal, tablet-based survivor surveys aligned with the tool’s outcome domains. This approach allowed researchers to compare case manager assessments with survivors’ self‑reported experiences over time, while prioritizing participant safety, confidentiality, and voluntary participation. The study design reflects NORC-Urban's strengths in ethical research with vulnerable populations, rigorous mixed‑methods evaluation, and secure, responsive data collection.