Slavery: Victims
(asked on 19th December 2017) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Home Secretary, with reference to Section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, what the timetable is for her Department to issue guidance to (a) public authorities and (b) people on the sort of things that indicate a person may be a victim and arrangements for providing assistance and support.
On 26 October 2016 the Government announced its plans for reform of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) confirming the Government’s commitment to markedly improving the identification of, and support provided to, victims of modern slavery. This includes under section 50 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 setting out in regulations the support that victims will be entitled to, and the publication of statutory guidance, under Section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, on identification and support for victims of slavery.
This now forms part of an implementation programme to ensure effective delivery and sequencing of the full range of NRM reforms. No specific date has yet been set for publication of new guidance.
In the interim there are multiple resources hosted on the Gov.uk website aimed at assisting the general public to spot the signs of modern slavery and ensure potential victims have access to support, and guidance to Competent Authorities on formally identifying victims through the NRM.
NRM Reform Announcement:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2017-10-26/debates/D9B8BD1A-F0D6-42D5-9490-741950800859/ModernSlaveryAct2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/modern-slavery-victims-to-receive-longer-period-of-support
Gov.uk Resources:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-slavery-training-resource-page/modern-slavery-training-resource-page
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-slavery-awareness-booklet
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/victims-of-trafficking-guidance-for-competent-bodies