Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 10 March (HL1877), when the next evaluation of the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians will be published.

An evaluation of the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG) service within the early adopter sites was published in July 2019 and can be found here (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819723/evaluation-independent-child-trafficking-guardians-final-horr111.pdf). This evaluation was conducted on the service provided in the three initial sites of Greater Manchester, Hampshire and Wales between February 2017 and January 2019. Over this time period, 445 children were referred to the ICTG service.

Later this year the Home Office will publish its next evaluation of the ICTG service, which will have a particular focus on the role and impact of the Regional Practice Co-Ordinator and will provide further updates on outcomes of the service including the number of children it supports.

In 2019, the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, made a number of recommendations about ICTGs. In-line with the Government’s response (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/815410/Government_Response_to_Independent_Review_of_MS_Act.pdf), we are considering these recommendations, alongside evaluation outcomes, which will feed into our future plans for ICTGs.