CSE-IT

WestCoast’s Commercial Sexual Exploitation - Identification Tool

(CSE-IT, pronounced "see it"), improves early identification

of children who are commercially sexually exploited.

WHY SCREEN FOR CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING?

Seventy-five percent of trafficked youth are exploited for multiple years before their abuse is recognized. Most are under age 14 when first exploited, and most do not disclose their exploitation. To protect youth from prolonged abuse, exploitation must be recognized early. Professionals who work with youth need a validated, trauma informed screening tool to accurately identify exploitation without relying solely on youth self-disclosure.

WHAT IS THE CSE-IT?

The CSE-IT is a validated CSEC screening tool that helps professionals accurately identify signs of exploitation without relying on self-disclosure. Developed with survivors and clinicians, it takes 5-10 minutes to complete, helping providers recognize indicators of trafficking by integrating what they know about a young person. The CSE-IT calculates a numeric score and concern level that informs next steps. The CSE-IT can also be used to aggregate data describing the scope of trafficking across an agency or a region.

There are multiple versions of the CSE-IT:

CSE-IT: 2.0- Our original, validated screening tool
CSE-IT: Healthcare - Designed for fast-paced healthcare settings with rapid scoring.
CSE-IT: Hotline & Intake - Helps child abuse screeners quickly assess for the presence of trafficking indicators with efficient scoring.
Coming soon: The Labor Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Identification Tool (LT CSE-IT), with both sex and labor trafficking scores and a flag for forced criminality to help providers identify multiple types of human trafficking.
The validation project for the LT CSE-IT started in June 2026. A final version is expected to be available in late 2027.

The CSE-IT is an open domain tool for use in service delivery systems that serve children and youth. The copyright is held by WestCoast Children’s Clinic. Please do not use the CSE-IT without permission. To implement the CSE-IT at your agency or access the CSE-IT, please inquire here.

GET STARTED WITH THE CSE-IT

To start screening:

Sign a User Agreement for your organization
Complete WestCoast’s CSE-IT Training
Determine your CSE-IT data collection process

Contact us to schedule a conversation with your leadership team or local anti-trafficking task force about the CSE-IT implementation process, cost, training and data collection.

Or join an informational CSE-IT Overview Q&A to learn more.

REACH & IMPACT

The CSE-IT is a trusted identification tool used across the continuum of care
from child welfare and juvenile justice to healthcare systems, schools and more.

450+ organizations use the CSE-IT
Used in 30 states and Canada
Over 456,000 screenings collected

13,000+ providers trained

1 in 10 Children Screened Show Clear Signs of Exploitation

CSE-IT TRAINING

Anyone using the CSE-IT must complete WestCoast’s training, delivered by WestCoast or by a certified Train the Trainer (T3) trainer at your organization. Each version of the CSE-IT has its own User and T3 training. Visit our Training Page for more information.

CSE-IT ONLINE

In 2021, WestCoast Children’s Clinic launched a web-based app called CSE-IT Online for services providers to enter and monitor CSE-IT screenings. We aim to empower organizations to more efficiently complete CSE-IT screenings, track the consistency of screening across programs, and utilize data to understand the prevalence of CSEC. CSE-IT Online allows you to:

Manage admins, users, and client profiles
Access a complete client CSE-IT screening history
Have real-time data dashboard with visualizations
Utilize raw data reports with screening data
Ensure data is secure with industry security standards and a HIPAA compliant system

Learn more about CSE-IT Online to support staff with implementation and understand CSEC prevalence in your organization.

Already use CSE-IT Online but are having trouble?

Take a look at our User Guide or reach out to screening@westcoastcc.org

with a detailed description of the problem.