Fostering a Runaway and Human Trafficking Target
From The Foster Dad Directive by Charles Daily
June 2, 2026 · 22 min · Episode 28
About this episode
In this episode, Charles Daily shares his experience fostering a teenager who was a chronic runaway and a potential target for human trafficking, discussing the balance between privacy and safety in the digital age.
Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) Fosterdaddirective@gmail.com In this episode of the Foster Dad Directive podcast, I share my experience fostering a teenager who was both a chronic runaway and a potential target for exploitation and human trafficking. Looking back on our third placement, I discuss the difficult balance between a child’s privacy and their safety, especially when social media, online relationships, and digital communication become serious risk factors. I explain why I believe parents and foster parents should monitor online activity, the dangers of unrestricted internet access, and some of the tools that can help families keep children safer online. I also describe the challenges we faced with a 13-year-old placement who had experienced significant trauma, including the loss of her mother, rejection from her father, and a pattern of communicating with much older individuals online. Those issues eventually escalated into repeated runaway incidents, threats of violence, and involvement from law enforcement and missing child agencies. Through…
People in this episode
Host: Charles Daily
Topics covered
- fostering
- runaway youth
- human trafficking
- online safety
- parenting challenges
- digital communication
Keywords
- fostering
- runaway
- human trafficking
- online safety
- parenting
- digital communication
- trauma
- boundaries
- internet access
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Crisis Lifeline, National Helpline, Veterans Crisis Line, National Domestic Violence Hotline
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- Fatherhood and Connecting with Fellow Dads · May 4, 2026 · 21 min
- Foster Care Respite · April 20, 2026 · 13 min
- AI, Chatbots, and Children · April 13, 2026 · 26 min
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