Freedom of information response

Q1. Do you as a local authority have a specialist lead/single point of contact on issues relating to modern slavery? Yes 

Q2. If relevant, what team is the specialist lead/single point of contact based within? (e.g. adult social care, children’s services, community safety etc.). Adult Social Care.

Q3. If relevant, does the specialist lead/single point of contact coordinate responses for both children and adults? If not please specify which group they respond to. Coordinate responses for adults only and referred to Childrens if under the age of 18 years old, or there are children linked to the adult. 

Q4. If relevant, is this specialist lead/single point of contact employed specifically to carry out this role relating to modern slavery, or are these duties carried out on top of other professional duties? Yes, this duty is carried out on top of other professional duties.

Q5. If relevant, in what year did you begin to employ a specialist lead/single point of contact on duties relating to modern slavery? 2018

Modern Slavery Funding

Q6. For each of the following years, please indicate how much money your local authority invested in identifying and supporting potential victims of modern slavery (if data is only available in financial years please provide in this format):

Data for financial year:

• 2023/24 Nil
• 2022/23 £200
• 2021/22 Nil
• 2020/21 Spend was nil however please note we had allocated £5142 for events which had to be cancelled due to COVID
• 2019/20 Nil
• 2018/19 £270

Where relevant, please examples of what these funds were invested in (i.e. training, commissioning survivor support services etc.)

This was aimed at awareness raising

Modern Slavery Training

Q7. What specialist training do you provide for employees to carry out their duties as First Responders in carrying out referrals of potential victims of modern slavery to the National Referral Mechanism? Where possible please provide examples –

In conjunction with Essex Police, Thurrock Community Safety Partnership and Thurrock Adult Safeguarding Board offer free awareness training on the topic of Modern Day Slavery & Human Trafficking which covers the following:-

• Organised Crime Groups
• Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Overviews
• Types of exploitation
• Signs of exploitation
• Victim barriers
• National Referral Mechanism/reporting concerns

This is delivered by Essex Police

Q8. What specialist training do you provide for employees to better understand the rights of modern slavery survivors when it comes to issues of housing and accommodation for survivors of modern slavery? Where possible please provide examples.

Officers and managers within Housing Solutions are provided with training annually which relates to statutory duties and powers which can or must be used when dealing with victims of modern slavery and domestic abuse,  where these relate to residency criteria, local connection, and potential vulnerability in priority need assessments.

In recent times, these sessions have included those from Shelter at Beginner, Intermediate, and Higher level relating to Homelessness and Allocations Law and Practice, and about the various Priority Need for Accommodation statutory orders, as well as the Domestic Abuse Act, case law relating to this area, and the relevant statutory tests.