Internal trafficking and exploitation of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within England and Wales: Understanding identification and responses to inform effective policy and practice.

Research Team: Professor Anita Franklin, Sarah Atkins, Dr Louise Bradley, Dr Jo Greenaway-Clarke (University of Portsmouth), Sarah Goff (Ann Craft Trust), and Lucy Rylatt (Safeguarding Children Partnerships, Portsmouth City Council).

This research is looking at the internal trafficking and exploitation of children and young people with SEND in England and Wales under the Modern Slavery Act (2015). The team are looking at where there are gaps in law, policy, guidance, and practice, and how these gaps can be strengthened so this group can be better identified and supported. The project is being funded by The Modern Slavery PEC in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and a brief summary of the project can be found on their website here.

The aims of the research are to: 1) map and analyse relevant laws, policies, and guidance to understand gaps, 2) analyse anonymised recently closed cases of children and young people with SEND where exploitation was suspected to identify risks, vulnerability, and responses, and 3) interview parents and carers of children and young people with SEND who have experienced exploitation to better understand the support they received.

The team will be hosting two online multi-agency consultations for statutory and voluntary sector strategic and frontline practitioners across England and Wales. The consultations will be informed by wider on-the-ground- practice issues and multi-agency responses across a wide demographic within England and Wales, with reference to children and young people with SEND. The aim is to better understand barriers, facilitators and suggestions for improved law, policy, and practice.

The two online multi-agency consultations will be held in May and June. Further information, dates, and times are to be released. If you would like to find out more about the research, or if are a statutory or voluntary strategic or frontline practitioner and would like to register your interest to join one of the online consultations please email Louise ([email protected]) or Anita ([email protected]) who is leading the research.