Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for implementing the recommendations of the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Care Standards for all shelters in the UK caring for victims of modern day slavery; and if she will make a statement.

The recent announcements on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) reform indicate the Government’s commitment to markedly improve the identification of, and support provided to, victims of modern slavery. This includes the adoption of the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Trafficking Survivor Care Standards as a minimum standard of victim support in all future contracts providing support to adult victims of modern slavery.

The Government is working with key stakeholders to ensure the standards reflect current best practice and to look at options for monitoring compliance. These will then be incorporated into the retendering of the Victim Care Contract in due course.