Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the safeguarding of individuals accepted into the National Referral Mechanism.

In October 2017, the Government announced an ambitious package of reforms to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which were developed following the 2014 Oppenheim Review, an 18-month pilot testing alternative decision-making processes, and extensive stakeholder consultation.

Adults identified in the NRM can receive specialist and tailored support through the Victim Care Contract, where they can receive accommodation, financial support, assistance in accessing mental and physical health care including counselling, and access to legal support.

Through robust contract management we ensure the safeguarding of victims of modern slavery. The prime contractor for the Victim Care Contract, The Salvation Army, is responsible for ensuring that all subcontracted provision meets the needs of victims. The Salvation Army conducts regular safeguarding reviews and it has a duty to escalate to the Home Office any safeguarding concerns that it finds. Furthermore, as part of reforms to the NRM, work is also underway to develop an independent inspection framework for care provision based on the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Survivor Care Standards.

Child victims of modern slavery are supported by local authorities under existing statutory child protection arrangements.