Faster support for child exploitation victims in UK as pilot scheme widened

Child victims of exploitation and human trafficking in Northern Ireland Birmingham and Edinburgh are to get support sooner, in an expanded scheme to protect young people across the UK from modern slavery.

They are among eight new areas being brought under a pilot which the Government said is reducing lengthy waiting times for children to get the help they need.

The pilot launched in June 2021 and moves responsibility from the Home Office to specially-trained local safeguarding teams, on decision-making about classing a child a victim of exploitation and therefore someone who qualifies for specialist support.

It is so far said to have resulted in waiting times being cut to just over three months, compared to more than a year in areas outside of the pilot.

The five other areas being brought into the pilot scheme are Hampshire, Shropshire council area, Southwark in south London, Telford and Wrekin council area, and West Sussex.

Decision-making will begin in all eight new areas this autumn, the Government said.

Edinburgh’s inclusion makes it the second Scottish site to be part of the pilot, joining Glasgow.

Two pilot sites have also operated in Wales – Cardiff and Newport – since 2021.

Modern slavery can include forced labour, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and domestic servitude.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said “time is of the essence” for child victims to get the specialist support they need.

She said: “When a child falls victim to modern slavery, whether through human trafficking or in the vile county lines drug trade, they can face unimaginable trauma and lasting damage.

“Time is of the essence when it comes to getting them the specialist support they need to heal and be children again.

“This devolved decision-making pilot is delivering remarkable results, cutting waiting times by over a year means vulnerable children get the support they desperately need much faster.

“By expanding to eight new areas, we’re building the evidence to roll this successful approach out nationally and improve how we protect all children in our country from modern slavery.”

The latest Government figures, published last month, showed the number of potential victims – adults and children – of modern slavery referred to the Home Office is at a record level, having risen by almost a third in a year.

There were 5,690 people referred between April and June this year, a 7% increase on the previous three-month period and a 32% rise from the same quarter last year.

Among child referrals, 79% (or 1,364) were boys and 20% (or 351) were girls.

For the most recent period, 457 county lines referrals were flagged, of which the majority were for boys.

To access support and have recognition of their circumstances in the UK, most victims of slavery and human trafficking have to be assessed under national referral mechanism (NRM).

The Government has vowed to clear the backlog of cases awaiting a conclusive grounds decision by the NRM by December 2026, and has hired more than 180 new staff in a bid to help achieve this.