News & Updates
Anti-Slavery Week MSU Newsletter October 2020
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| 2020 Modern Slavery Annual Report |
| The Modern Slavery Annual Report 2020 has been published earlier today (19 October 2020). The report outlines the progress made by the UK Government to tackle modern slavery and support victims to rebuild their lives over the last year. It also highlights the rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure victims are supported and feel safe. The report has been written in collaboration with the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.
The full report can be found here. |
| Single Competent Authority Decision Maker recruitment |
| The Single Competent Authority is currently recruiting over 350 new team members across the UK to increase capacity for NRM decision-making. This will allow us to improve, and maintain, timeliness of these decisions for victims as referrals continue to increase. The roles we are recruiting will include decision-makers, case preparation staff, managers and technical specialists.
More information on the decision-maker role, responsibilities and how to apply can be found here. The closing date for applications is 29 October 2020. |
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Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG) additional site grant process |
| As part of the NRM Transformation Programme, we will be progressing the national roll out of Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs). Our aim is for this next phase of ICTG rollout to target the areas with the highest need and make the service available to two thirds of all local authorities in England and Wales.
In August, we tested market interest to deliver ICTGs to additional sites, to which we received substantial engagement. We have today launched a competed grant process to identify the most suitable supplier to deliver the expansion of the service. Prospective bidders can access this here. Over the next couple of months, we will be engaging with local authorities to ensure that the expansion of the ICTG service adds as much value as possible to the local safeguarding mechanisms. If you have any questions or are interested to know more about the next phase of the ICTG roll out please email us [email protected]. |
To support the continued operation of the NRM Multi-Agency Assurance Panels (MAAPs), the Public Appointments of all ten independent Chairs have been extended for a further 18 months. The ten Chairs are:
Last year 10,627 cases were referred into the NRM for a decision on whether an individual is a victim of modern slavery. The MAAPs review negative Conclusive Grounds decisions for cases referred to the Single Competent Authority, before they are issued, adding a further level of scrutiny into the decision-making process. Reflecting on the role, Panel Chair Sharon Squires states: “I am certain that MAAPs add significant value to the SCA’s decision making process and that they also help to improve confidence in NRM decisions. I am always impressed by how well-prepared panel members are, and how panel members, from different agencies and perspectives, work together to give full consideration to each case. We often support SCA decisions, but I have, as Chair, and following panel agreement, referred a small percentage of cases back as we need further information or cannot agree with the decision. The panel recommendations are always treated seriously by the SCA and where appropriate have influenced final decisions. This confirms to me, and panel members, that MAAPs play an important role.” |
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Roundtable for First Responders with Minister Victoria Atkins |
| On Wednesday 14 October, Minister Victoria Atkins chaired a virtual roundtable with people who work on the frontline to identify and safeguard victims, to mark Anti-Slavery Day 2020. The Minister heard from First Responder Organisations to gain an insight into current trends they are seeing around referrals, their successes and understanding the challenges they face on the ground. Attendees included representatives from: Border Force and other Home Office First Responders, the National Crime Agency, Migrant Help, Barnardo’s, The Police, The Salvation Army, and Local Authorities.
The Minister heard from stakeholders on topics ranging from credibility of referrals, recent arrival trends, detection of suspected victims at the border during COVID-19, the success of the multi-agency approach, and information sharing across organisations. The Minister expressed her gratitude at the work that goes into tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and supporting victims, and was thankful to attendees for taking the time to share their experiences. |
| It was recently announced that the 2019/20 Modern Slavery campaign ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ has received an Effie Award. An Effie award is one of the highest accolades in the marketing world, celebrating effectiveness of communications which achieve real world effect.
In 2019, the UK Government launched the ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ behaviour change campaign. The campaign sought to reduce labour exploitation in the UK. It focussed on four regions of England (West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and London) and targeted frontline professionals in the financial, healthcare and recruitment sectors to spot the signs of labour exploitation and know how to report it. Analysis from the campaign showed increased awareness and understanding amongst the target audience, as well as police, local government and social workers. Evaluations also showed an increase in referrals into the NRM via calls to the Modern Slavery Helpline from the campaign, potentially helping to save many victims of modern slavery. More information about the campaign and Effie award can be found here. The Hidden in Plain Sight campaign has also won two other awards, including, ‘Gold’ in The Cabbies 2019 and ‘Highly Commended’ in The Drum 2020. |
| On Tuesday 13 October, Minister Victoria Atkins chaired a quarterly meeting of the Modern Slavery Strategy and Implementation Group (MSSIG). The MSSIG supports implementation of the UK Government’s modern slavery agenda through collaboration and engagement between the Government, Devolved Administrations, Non-Governmental Organisations and businesses.
The virtual meeting included a focus on attendees’ wide-ranging plans to mark Anti-Slavery Day on Sunday 18 October. In addition, the Home Office presented an update on the NRM Transformation Programme, in particular on plans to pilot devolving NRM decision-making for children to local authorities. The Modern Slavery Unit will be in touch with MSSIG members to arrange the next quarterly meeting. |
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Sentencing Council consultation for sentencing of modern slavery crimes |
| The Sentencing Council is the independent body responsible for developing guidelines for the courts to use when passing a sentence. The Council consults and incorporates feedback into proposed guidelines before they come into force.
The Sentencing Council has launched a public consultation on guidelines for the sentencing of modern slavery offences. This consultation seeks views on a draft of the first dedicated sentencing guidelines for offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The consultation is due to close on 15 January 2021. |
| Finally, you can sign up here to be added to the mailing list. If you would like to receive this newsletter in Welsh, please sign up here.
If you are a First Responder and are making a referral to the NRM you should do so using the digital referral form here. If you have any queries about this update or you have any feedback that you would like us to reflect on for future newsletters, please let us know at [email protected]. |