Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she made of the potential merits of including provisions for a statutory Independent Child Exploitation Advocate, modelled on section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act, in the Crime and Policing Bill.

The government is not currently exploring separate exploitation advocates as the Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) service exists as an independent source of advice, advocacy and support for potential child victims of modern slavery, exploitation and human trafficking in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

In line with Section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Government is committed to providing a national ICTG service in England and Wales.

The ICTG service was initially introduced in 2017 and a staggered approach to rollout was taken to allow time to trial an effective model of delivery. This has enabled the Home Office to test and evaluate different models of service delivery, expanding and adapting as necessary to develop a model that is suitable for national provision. In September 2025, the invitation-to-tender for the national contract was launched, which will expand the current service coverage from two-thirds of local authorities to all child victims referred into the NRM in England and Wales. The tender process is now underway and updates to legislation are currently being considered.

Statutory first responders must refer all potential victims of modern slavery, trafficking and exploitation into the NRM to ensure they are appropriately identified and provided with support. Whilst local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, referring a child potential victim into the NRM ensures that child potential victims of exploitation, modern slavery and human trafficking in the NRM will also get support from the ICTG service.

Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) also play a critical role in supporting victims and survivors and their families. We have commissioned a rapid assessment of the current ISVA support service and resource landscape, specifically for children and young people who are victims of grooming gangs, including technology-facilitated abuse.