HTF Modern Slavery Newsletter for Local Authorities

Welcome to The Human Trafficking Foundation (HTF) newsletter for local authorities, tailored to provide you with the information, resource, updates and tools to support you in meeting your statutory responsibilities in tackling modern slavery and in developing good practice locally.

If you would like to find out more information about the work of the Human Trafficking Foundation, please email [email protected] or see our website

London Modern Slavery SPOC Directory update request

In 2019, HTF published a London-wide Directory of modern slavery Single Points of Contact (SPoCs) and champions across local authorities, the NHS and police. The Directory is shared with practitioners working with survivors to enable a multi-agency response to modern slavery. Please see the 2019 version here

Please review the directory and submit any changes for your local authority to [email protected] at your earliest convenience and no later than Friday 7 August.

The SPoC model has been referenced as best practice in the UK’s Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance and supports the development of multi-agency responses locally.
Thank you to everyone who has already shared updates for 2020/21.

New London points of contact supporting transition from NRM to Local Authority accommodation

Hestia is London’s biggest provider of support to survivors of modern slavery being supported through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and is currently supporting over 1600 adult survivors across London and Kent and 500 dependent children according to their latest report.

Hestia’s new specialist project provides advocacy support for clients confirmed on conclusive grounds as victims of modern slavery to transition out of Hestia’s temporary service and into the next phase of settled and independent life, which often involves referrals for housing through the local authority.

To discuss establishing clear and safe pathways for survivors being housed in your borough, please email [email protected] or alternatively our individual email addresses: [email protected]  and [email protected].

National policy updates and reports

Changes to accommodation for survivors of modern slavery from 6 August

The temporary halt to moving survivors of modern slavery out of  Home Office victim care contract accommodation will end on 6 August 2020, when the move on periods and processes set out in the Modern Slavery Act 2015: Statutory Guidance for England and Wales will resume as normal. More information can be found here. 

When survivors receive a positive Conclusive Grounds (CG) decision that they have been trafficked, a Recovery Needs Assessment is conducted to determine whether the individual is eligible and ready to have support needs met by other services, for example from the local authority or asylum support.
Survey on Research Priorities for The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery PEC, or the Centre), exists to enhance understanding of modern slavery and transform the effectiveness of law and policies designed to overcome it. 
They are keen to hear from key partners working to tackle modern slavery and are launching a consultation to inform our research priorities over the next five years and beyond. We strongly encourage you to feed in your responses to this survey.

It Still Happens Here: Tackling Modern Slavery in the 2020s
Based on police evidence, we can accurately estimate there are more than 100,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK – 10 times the number previously estimated by the Government. The newly published report – It Still Happens Here, by Justice and Care and  The Centre for Social Justice, claims the issue of modern slavery is likely to intensify in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and is already costing the taxpayer many billions of pounds.
See report and recommendations here.

Modern Slavery Multi-Agency Case Conferences at The Passage

The Passage established a Multi-Agency Case Conference (MACC) approach to safeguarding potential victims of modern slavery, trafficking and exploitation who are homeless, including people with no recourse to public funds and has now published an evaluation report.

The MACC pilot project started in November 2018 in partnership with Westminster City Council (Adult Safeguarding Team and Housing Team) and the NHS Central London Homeless Teams (Homeless Health Team and Joint Health Team).

The project explores help available to people at risk of (re)trafficking and (re)exploitation and tests the efficiency of the MACC approach as well as possible replication in other boroughs. By working in partnership with local authorities to support PVs, we provide immediate homelessness relief and aim to prevent modern slavery in Westminster.
The report has been approved by Westminster City Council.

Underground Lives: Criminal Exploitation of Adult Victims

Hestia’s new report explores police response to victims of criminal exploitation, strategies used by criminal gangs to recruit victims and how to support victims through COVID-19 and beyond. It found 52% of victims of criminal exploitation supported by Hestia in the UK had spent time in prison for crimes committed during exploitation.

It recommends that national government, local government, law enforcement and criminal justice:
1. Improve data and insight about criminal exploitation in the UK
2. Improve training and awareness among key professionals
3. Ensure services are designed to support victims of criminal exploitation

Modern slavery awareness and training

Modern Slavery First Responder E-Learning
All First Responders are encouraged to consider this new module as part of their basic training. The module is available on the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime (MSOIC) Unit website.

The e-learning aims to provide all First Responders with a consistent level of knowledge to effectively identify and refer potential victims of modern slavery to the National Referral Mechanism. To provide feedback please email [email protected].

Bespoke Awareness Training: Modern Slavery and the NHS
STOP THE TRAFFIK offers bespoke modern slavery awareness training to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge, understanding, tools and resources necessary, to identify victims of modern slavery and respond appropriately, rescuing victims from exploitation. See more here 

A new app designed to eradicate labour exploitation on British farms
The Farm Work Welfare App, developed by The Clewer Initiative, will provide information on employment rights in eight languages and is aimed at the thousands of workers who come every year to help with the harvest of fruit and vegetables on UK farms.
It will allow both farmers and workers to flag up concerns of labour exploitation or modern slavery and seek help.
The app is live on Google Play  and the Apple App Store

Training and resources:
Working with children and young people affected by modern slavery and exploitation

ECPAT Free Webinar and Online Training Programme
ECPAT UK re-launched its online training programme this month, which includes a free webinar focusing on best interest of the child. For a full list of training options see their website

Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme website 
The Tackling Child Exploitation (TCE) Support Programme  aims to support local areas to develop an effective strategic response to child exploitation and risk of harm from outside the family home – ‘extra-familial harm’. This covers child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation, including county lines drug trafficking and modern slavery. Their new website includes evidence and tools to help local partners best tackle child exploitation and extra-familial harm.

Event: Cutting Across County Lines
The Research Office at the University of Westminster is holding this workshop to help participants understand and tackle County Lines, bringing together survivors and their families with other important stakeholders. For more details and tickets, see Eventbrite page

It was hard to escape: Safeguarding children at risk from criminal exploitation

This national review looked at the service response to children and young people who have been drawn into criminal exploitation and where high levels of risk have been identified, focussing on what help was available to children and young people and their families, based on the qualitative study of 21 cases from 17 local areas regarding children who died or experienced serious harm where criminal exploitation was a factor.

Lumos report: Cracks in the system 
For many years, it has been known that traffickers directly target children in the care systems of many countries for recruitment into trafficking and that care leavers are at increased risk of exploitation.
This new report systematically explores the links between institutional care and child trafficking in Europe and provides recommendations on how to address this specific vulnerability to exploitation. Read here

Supply chains and procurement

Free Webinar: What does the Modern Slavery Act 2015 mean for me? Reflections on the last 5 years of implementation
It has been 5 years since the UK introduced world-leading legislation to combat modern slavery, yet research indicates that many businesses in the UK are failing to meet their basic legal obligations.
Join Stronger Together for a free, live webinar 11:00-12:00 on Wednesday 19 August, to clarify what the Modern Slavery Act 2015 means for businesses in the UK.
You can also listen back to a range of previous webinars for insights on tackling modern slavery across multiple global industries.

Workshop: Tackling Modern Slavery in the Construction Sector
This workshop is ideal for:

• Construction site managers and project managers
• Those responsible for tackling modern slavery within your business and HR and labour agencies
• Those responsible for addressing human rights risks across the whole supply chain.

Modern Slavery Data and Analysis

National Data Analytics Solution Presentation
The National Data Analytics Solution (NDAS) will be a new, scaleable and flexible analytics capability for UK law enforcement using advanced analytics to deliver insights to partners on agreed high priority operational and organisational issues, which include modern slavery. West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network will be facilitating a presentation about the National Data Analytics Solution via Zoom on Thursday 6th August, 10:00-11:00. Email [email protected] to attend.

Modern slavery and homelessness data
Project TILI is a multi-agency project (from Crisis, Hestia, BAWSO, Women’s Aid Belfast and Shared Lives) which will be collecting data over the next year on modern slavery and homelessness across England Wales and Northern Ireland.
If you are interested in receiving and using the insights from TILI data, with no commitment or contribution required in return, please email [email protected].

Modern slavery in the news

• Over 1,100 children trafficked into UK drug trade, data shows here
• Security watchdog calls for reinforced criminal justice to prevent trafficking surge here
• County lines gangs disguised drug couriers as key workers during coronavirus lockdown here
• Haverhill update: GLAA safeguards 10 more ‘slavery’ victims here
• Parosha Chandran: ‘Modern slavery in the UK is not confined to one place in the Midlands’ here