Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish all correspondence between her Department and the contract provider for the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract on the inclusion within that contract of support services for victims of domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds.

All adults referred in to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and who are in receipt of a positive reasonable grounds decision are eligible to receive support through the Victim Care Contract (VCC) to assist with recovery from their modern slavery experience(s).

Support through the VCC is provided to meet the needs of an individual as linked to their modern slavery experience(s) and will not be provided to an individual who is not a potential or confirmed victim of modern slavery.

This support is available to all potential victims of modern slavery, irrespective of their immigration status and including individuals with no recourse to public funds.

Decisions about VCC support provision will take into account the individual’s eligibility to access other support services outside of the VCC.

The type of support received through the VCC is tailored, at each stage, according to the potential victim or confirmed victim’s needs. Support provision may include any combination of subsistence payments, support worker contact and assistance, and accommodation provision.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015: statutory guidance for England and Wales, outlines the different forms that modern slavery can take and its links with other forms of exploitation. However, this is not an exhaustive list - Modern Slavery is an umbrella term, to reflect the evolving nature of this heinous crime and we fully recognise that the guidance can apply to victims of modern slavery who are also victims of domestic abuse.

Support provided through the VCC to meet an individual’s needs related to modern slavery will always take into account wider circumstances or vulnerabilities faced. For example, in the context of a victim of modern slavery also being a victim of domestic abuse, support workers may signpost that individual to local domestic abuse services to receive specialist support or guidance.

The statutory guidance can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/896033/July_2020_-_Statutory_Guidance_under_the_Modern_Slavery_Act_2015_v1.01.pdf