Safeguarding: Trafficking & Modern Slavery

Modern Slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking. Traffickers and slave drivers coerce, deceive and force individuals against their will into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment.

Child Trafficking is child abuse. When an agency comes into contact with a child who may have been trafficked local authority social services departments and the police should be notified immediately. All children, irrespective of their immigration status, are entitled to protection. In principle, all agencies and organisations who find themselves with grounds for concern that a person may be the victim of human trafficking have a responsibility for identifying the person as a possible victim and putting them in touch with the responsible authorities and support providers. For children, a formal referral into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is made by a first responder. The NRM is used to identify and refer potential victims of modern slavery and make sure they receive appropriate support.