Recommendation 89

HM Government Accepted

Children referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are supported by children’s services within local authorities. Local authorities are the primary service provider for safeguarding and responding to the needs of a child victim of modern slavery, regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Whatever form it takes, modern slavery and child trafficking is child abuse and relevant child protection procedures, as set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, must be followed if modern slavery or trafficking is suspected. Children who are victims of trafficking are included within the provisions of the Children Act 2004 which places a joint and equal duty on statutory safeguarding partners (police, local authorities and Integrated Care Boards) to make arrangements to work as a team to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in a local area. Local authorities assess, on a case-by-case basis, the needs of a child to help determine how they can be best supported. The Government recognises that each individual child victim of trafficking will have different needs and preferences, which will influence the combination of services they need or can access, and how and when they do. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ support pathway that could meet the diverse range of needs of all child victims of trafficking. As is set out in the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance, s9.46 ‘child victim transition into adult support’, from the age of 18 in England and Wales, children are eligible to transition to MSVCC adult support services if they give their consent. Specifically, when children referred into the NRM reach 17.5 years old, the Single Competent Authority (SCA) can send a request for consent, with a view to the individual consenting at 18 and informing the SCA immediately so that relevant support can continue/begin. The Home Office plans to update the Modern Slavery Statutory guidance to provide further detail on the process for requesting consent from children turning when legal challenges conclude. A child victim transitioning to adult NRM support may also receive support from local authorities or other support services to assist them during this process. There are specific packages of support in place for care leavers from their local authority and government is providing £99m to local authorities between 2022–25 to enable young people in foster care to remain living with that family in a Staying Put arrangement; and £53 million to increase the number of young people leaving residential care who receive practical help with move-on accommodation, including ongoing support from a keyworker, through the ‘Staying Close’ programme. The Home Office also funds the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs). ICTGs provide an additional source of advice and support for potentially trafficked children, irrespective of nationality, and somebody to advocate on their behalf to ensure their best interests are reflected in the decision-making of the public authorities involved in their care. A child within the ICTG service will remain supported by the service until they no longer require support based on their needs, or until the child becomes 18 (with the exception of the ICTG Sites testing Recommendation 38 of the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015), whichever is sooner. When it is known that ICTG support is due to end, the ICTG will plan well in advance to enable an effective transition to mainstream support services, as is set out in the ICTG Interim Guidance.