June 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference is bringing together key stakeholders including those on the front line with policy officials to examine the next steps for tackling modern slavery in the UK.
Areas for discussion include:
- legislation and policy initiatives - including the review of the Modern Slavery Act, the National Referral Mechanism and the Recovery Needs Assessment,
- latest research and priorities for evidence gathering,
- new approaches to prevention, detection, enforcement and victim support, and
- next steps for tackling modern slavery in business and globally.
At a time when the COVID-19 lockdown has created new challenges for both service providers and users - and resulted in many support workers delivering services to victims remotely - the seminar will also be a timely opportunity to consider the policies and processes in place for tackling modern slavery offences and protecting victims - and what can be learned for the future.
Context for the discussion:
Policy developments:
Research findings and initiatives:
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Emergency government support, with:
- more than £1.7m for charities impacted by COVID-19,
- £1.4m for the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Programme to supporting prosecutions for modern slavery offences,
- development of an action plan to support victims at greater risk of exploitation due to lockdown measures during the Government’s Hidden Harms Summit, and
- confirmation that those supported by the modern slavery victim care contract will be allowed to continue residing in government safe accommodation until at least July.
- Warnings from the International Rescue Committee and the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner of the heightened risk of human trafficking and worker exploitation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, due to an increasing number of people being forced out of jobs - particularly in lower paid industries.
The discussion in detail:
The National Referral Mechanism
- Implementation of reforms to the Mechanism, including the impact of government attempts to simplify and digitalise the process; and
- How the process is likely to be affected by further reforms.
Support for victims
- What more can be done to provide support for victims and ensure those offering front line services have all the information they need to provide good quality, tailored support;
- Assessing the new victim support scheme, including recovery needs assessments (RNA) for victims, and whether further changes are needed to reduce the risk of re-trafficking; and
- The future of the Independent Child Trafficking Scheme designed to provide one to one support for young victims.
Collaboration
- Development of anti-slavery partnerships, and improving effective multi agency working, including: What form and structure partnerships should take, the types of organisations that should be involved, and how progress can be measured.
Data and evidence
- The role of the Policy and Evidence Centre on Modern Slavery; and
- How more data can be gathered on what happens to people once they have passed through the National Referral Mechanism and whether they have been successful in rebuilding their lives.
Supply chain transparency
- Practicalities and likely impact of proposals in the transparency in supply chains consultation aimed at improving compliance and reporting quality;
- Extension to public sector organisations of the requirement to report - and how to ensure that an increased burden is not placed on local authorities and other organisations; and
- Whether the UK should follow the EU with mandatory due diligence legislation for companies in order to reduce negative impact for workers, including sanctions for non-compliance.
The role of the private sector and international collaboration
- The proposed introduction of modern slavery statements, and how to ensure that good working practices are embedded in organisations for the long term;
- Are government proposals enough to address concerns that businesses can sometimes regard the statements simply as tick-box exercises - and options for non-compliance sanctions; and
- Whether government is doing enough to collaborate with other countries and regulate the labour conditions involved in the production of imported goods.
The Migration and Modern Slavery Envoy
- The role of the UK's first modern slavery envoy and their future role in co-ordinating the UK’s efforts with other nations in the fight against modern slavery.
The agenda:
- Evidence and research gathering to improve the legal and policy framework for modern slavery - establishing the Centre for Modern Slavery and Human Rights
- Next steps for tackling modern slavery in the UK - data gathering, ensuring better victim support, and the National Referral Mechanism
- Understanding the nature of modern slavery in the UK
- The global dimension to tackling modern slavery
- Towards the eradication of modern slavery in business - supply chain transparency, reporting illegal practices, and modern slavery statements
- Assessing emerging issues for enforcement
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders.
It’s certainly the case with this one. Places have been reserved by officials from the Home Office; the Border Force; the Ministry of Justice; the National Crime Agency; the Crown Prosecution Service; the Sentencing Council; the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; ; HM Revenue & Customs; HM Passport Office; the Government Legal Department; the Crown Commercial Service; and HMPPS.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
