Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2014 to question 209897, how many of the 88 minors who are non-UK nationals and were recorded as victims of sexual trafficking in the most recent figures still reside in the UK.

The Government acknowledge that where children are found to be trafficked, their safety and welfare needs must be addressed as a priority and that child victims require tailored support which addresses their specific needs and vulnerabilities.

All local agencies have statutory duties to safeguard children as part of their local responsibilities regardless of nationality or immigration status. A
child’s welfare is always the overriding consideration.

Responsibility for the care, protection and accommodation of all child trafficking victims rests with local authorities that have well-established
child support arrangements and a statutory duty under the Children Act 2004 to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in need of protection, including trafficked children regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Under these arrangements, looked after children are provided with access to services to meet all their needs be they in relation to education, accommodation, psychological or health.

Information as to the location of victims of trafficking, including children, is not held centrally once their status as a victim has been confirmed.
This is because the National Crime Agency's UK Human Trafficking Centre has no further role in the process and support is provided by other partners, most notably local authorities in relation to children. The Review of the National Referral Mechanism recommendsthat the Government introduces improved arrangements for tracking victims following an NRM decision and the Government is currently considering its response to the review.

In January 2014 the Government announced proposals to trial specialist independent advocates for trafficked children. The trial, which began on 8 September 2014, will last for a period of 12 months across 23 local authorities in England.

The Modern Slavery Bill gives these advocates a statutory basis and the status they need to effectively support and represent the child. The Bill commits the Government to lay a report before Parliament setting out the steps the Government will take in relation to advocates for victims of child trafficking under these powers. Lessons learned from the trials will be detailed in the report, at which point we will be in a better position to assess what works best in supporting and protecting these vulnerable children.