Child trafficking advocate scheme faces further delays
Joe Lepper
Thursday, February 2, 2017
An initiative designed to support vulnerable child trafficking victims is unlikely to launch until 2019 at the earliest, more than four years behind schedule, it has been claimed.
Legislation requiring local authorities to provide independent child trafficking advocates to all children who need them was among provisions in the 2015 Modern Slavery Act, but is yet to be enacted.
The initiative had already been trialled in 23 areas between September 2014 and September 2015, but in December 2015 the Home Office announced that the national launch would be delayed as there was "work still to be done", particularly around preventing children going missing and engaging with justice officials.
In June last year the government announced that it was going to launch the initiative in three "early adopter" areas, prior to national rollout.
It has now emerged that the early adopter phase - taking place in Hampshire, Greater Manchester and Wales, will run until March 2019.
Child trafficking and exploitation prevention charity Ecpat UK told CYP Now that the scheme is unlikely to be implemented nationally until at least this date.
Chloe Setter, head of advocacy, policy and campaigns at Ecpat UK, said: "What we don't understand is why it needs to take so long for a full rollout. As we understand it the early adopter sites are going to be in place until March 2019 so it will be mid-2019 before we can see that rolled out. It is an unnecessary delay in our opinion.
"Our concern is that in areas where there is no service, children will be without an advocate and be at risk of re-trafficking, further exploitation and not being able to access the right support."
Guidance for the three early adopter sites was published last week in a Home Office document that Ecpat UK helped to draft.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Modern slavery and trafficking are despicable crimes. We have taken world-leading action through the Modern Slavery Act - giving law enforcement the tools they need, toughening up sentences and enhancing support and protection for victims.
"We carried out a trial of independent child trafficking advocates and we are committed to rolling this out nationally".
