Publishing NRM Breakdowns of small boat data in Irregular Migration Statistics Publication

The Home Office released new modern slavery statistics on 23rd February in the ‘ Irregular migration to the UK statistics ’ publication. The data shows the number of people arriving on small boats who are referred to the NRM and the outcomes of those referrals. The published data also shows the number of NRM referrals for individuals at different stages in the asylum process and for different nationalities. The data goes back to 2018 and will be published on a quarterly basis going forward.

Devolved Child Decision-Making Pilot Update

The Devolved Child Decision-Making Pilot was launched in June 2021 with the aim to test whether determining if a child is a victim of modern slavery within existing safeguarding structures is a more appropriate model for making modern slavery decisions for children. 10 pilot sites across the UK were given the responsibility of making Reasonable Grounds (RG) & Conclusive Grounds (CG)decisions on child NRM referrals within their local authorities. Over time, with the support of Single Competent Authority (SCA) quality assurance processes, these 10 pilot sites have gradually improved their decision-making and now require less SCA support.

It is widely viewed by local authorities involved, the MSU and the wider department that the pilot has been a success to date, with positive data to support this –most notably that decisions are made considerably quicker.

Due to the positive progress so far, an open competition was run in September 2022 to recruit a further 10 pilot sites across the UK, all of which are being onboarded to the pilot between February and April 2023. The purpose of this expansion is to further test this decision-making process, whilst identifying robust and efficient quality assurance and financial models for a potential wider rollout in the future. 

The updated list of pilot sites

Sites that launched in 2021    Sites launching between Feb-Apr 2023

Cardiff Council   East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council

Glasgow City Council    Hampshire County Council

Hull City Council    London Borough of Bexley

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham     Croydon Council

London Borough of Islington &  London Borough of Camden     Enfield Council

Newport City Council    London Borough of Lewisham

North Lincolnshire Council & Northeast Lincolnshire Council      London Borough of Redbridge

North Yorkshire County Council & City of York Council    Oxfordshire County Council

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Borough of Westminster     Warwickshire County Council

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council    Wiltshire Council & Swindon Borough Council

Update on Financial Support Rates paid through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract

On 01 March 2023,  we simplified the financial support policy for victims by introducing two new financial support rates for potential and confirmed adult modern slavery victims, supported by the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) in England and Wales.

The previous accommodation-based rates have been replaced by two new payments; an Essential Living Rate and a Recovery Rate.

•            The Essential Living Rate is £45 per week or £14 per week where victims are accommodated in catered Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract accommodation. It is paid to victims to meet their essential living needs where they are not already receiving Asylum Support or Universal Credit.

•            The Recovery Rate is £26.14 per week to help victims access services that facilitate their recovery, such as recovery-related transport, well-being, and communication costs.

The new rates clarify the purpose of each payment for victims whilst ensuring that modern slavery support is not duplicating support victims already receive elsewhere and will be reviewed annually. More detail can be found in Annex F of the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance. 

MS PEC Prevention Call Launch

This week,  the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (the Modern Slavery PEC)  launched its latest funding call on research into the prevention of modern slavery.  This research portfolio looks to fund research to fill four key evidence gaps within modern slavery prevention:

*Homelessness

*Poverty and cost of living

*Cultural competency

*Identification of child trafficking

National Referral Mechanism Referral Form Changes Going Live in The Coming Weeks

We are making changes to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referral form to assist First Responders in obtaining the detail required for a positive Reasonable Grounds decision.  

•            The ‘What did they say happened’ section of the form has been changed. The existing single box has been separated into multiple questions.  Some of the questions that are now included are:

o            When did the exploitation take place?

o            Have they been in more than one exploitative situation?

o            How did the exploitation start?

o            Were they taken somewhere by their exploiter(s)?

o            How were they treated during their exploitation?

These changes to the NRM form will help support First Responders to provide the right information when submitting a referral to ensure prompt and evidence-based RG decisions can be made without having to go back to the First Responder for more information.  

Since the RG assessment will be more evidence-based following these changes, it is important First Responders provide as much information as possible at the point of referral.

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]

 Best wishes,

Modern Slavery Unit