Charity to provide specialist support for child victims of trafficking
5 Jun 2014 10:24 AM
Children’s charity
Barnardo’s to deliver trials of new child advocates for victims of child
trafficking, Modern Slavery Minister Karen Bradley has
announced.
Under the Home Office funded
scheme, child victims will be allocated a specialist advocate trained in the
unique needs facing these children. The advocates will provide each child with
a single point of contact to guide them through children’s services and
the criminal justice and immigration systems. This new network of support,
announced in January, will be trialled across 23 local authorities in England
from mid-August.
Modern Slavery and Organised
Crime Minister Karen Bradley said:
Child victims of trafficking are
a particularly vulnerable group in need of individually tailored support.
Specialist advocates will help give these children a voice and ensure they
receive the protection they need and deserve.
Barnardo’s strong track
record of supporting children makes them ideally qualified to deliver these
trials which we intend to run alongside the passage of the Modern Slavery Bill.
Giving child victims of trafficking the help and protection they need should
not have to wait for legislation if there are practical steps we can take
now.
As part of the trial the charity
will also deliver a dedicated network of volunteers to work alongside the
specialist advocates and assist with lower level support, a 24-hour helpline
for children and professionals looking for immediate support from the service
and bespoke training for local professionals.
The move is part of the
government’s wider commitment to stamp out slavery and protect victims
through legislative and non-legislative work, including a comprehensive
programme of activity which will improve the support and protection for
victims.
At the end of the trials an
in-depth evaluation of the system will take place to ensure it is giving
children the specialist support they need. It was announced earlier this month
that the Modern Slavery Bill will include a power allowing the Home Secretary
to enable child trafficking advocates to be appointed to child victims. The
power will give future advocates a recognised legal status, the details of
which will be based on a thorough assessment of the results of the
trials.
Barnardo’s CEO Javed Khan
said:
Barnardo’s is delighted to
have been chosen to deliver the child advocacy scheme. It will help provide
support to exceptionally vulnerable children so they don’t have to
journey alone through our complicated legal systems. Instead they will now have
an expert advocate with them every step of the way.
I am very pleased the Government
is focussed on tackling child trafficking, including moving to strengthen the
role of advocates by giving them a legal status in future as part of the Modern
Slavery Bill. Our specialist services have long helped young victims of modern
slavery cope with the practical and emotional traumas of being trafficked. We
look forward to providing a lifeline of support for many more in the future
through this child advocacy scheme.