Ohio is rolling out two new initiatives aimed at better protecting children who may be at risk of human trafficking, with a focus on early intervention, coordination, and care.

Governor Mike DeWine, alongside leaders from the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, announced the plans during a meeting of the Governor’s Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force.

The first initiative is a new pilot program placing specially trained anti-trafficking caseworkers inside public children services agencies in Cuyahoga, Hamilton, and Montgomery counties. These caseworkers will focus exclusively on human trafficking cases, helping agencies better identify victims, coordinate services, and connect children with the support they need.

The second effort, based in Montgomery County, targets the underlying reasons children repeatedly run away or go missing from care, a key risk factor for trafficking. A local nonprofit will lead non-police response efforts, using trauma-informed screening tools and support services when youth return.

That project is modeled after Denver’s Runaway, Outreach, Notification and Intervention (RONI) program and comes from recommendations by Governor DeWine’s Missing Persons Working Group.

State leaders say the goal is simple: identify risk sooner, respond with compassion, and prevent exploitation before it happens. The initiatives are backed by more than $950,000 in state funding over the next two years.