August 14, 2024
Kalayaan and non-statutory First Responders call for Government action
Kalayaan and many non-statutory First Responders have signed a joint statement asking for the Home Office to implement solutions to resolve the ongoing First Responder capacity crisis.
The joint statement comes as Kalayaan and ATMG publish a briefing that provides an updated overview of the challenges faced by non-statutory First Responders in referring potential survivors to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) between December 2023 and June 2024, building on previous findings by Kalayaan in 2023 and February 2024.
The briefing sets out the findings from a survey of organisations in the anti-trafficking and modern slavery sector. The results of the survey show that it is increasingly difficult for organisations to help survivors to appropriate First Responders, thus causing a bottle neck for potential survivors of trafficking and modern slavery to access identification, support and protection in the NRM.
Referring to the findings in the briefing, in the joint statement, Kalayaan and other non-statutory First Responders highlight the vital role that non-statutory First Responder organisations play in referring potential survivors into the NRM due to their independence and their expertise. They point out their extremely limited resources and the unsustainability of the current situation, calling for urgent reform, including:
- Providing funding for organisations to carry out their First Responder roles
- Considering and deciding on existing applications from specialist front-line organisations to become non-statutory First Responders
- Establishing a recruitment process without further delay for prospective organisations to apply
- Developing and maintaining a nationwide training programme with minimum standards for both statutory and non-statutory First Responders
- Revising the digital NRM referral form in consultation with First Responders to enable a more efficient referral pathway.
The briefing and the joint statement have been sent to Jess Phillips MP and The Modern Slavery Unit, and Kalayaan hopes that the Home Office will agree to meet with the signatories to begin working towards the proposed solutions.
For further information or media enquiries, please contact Sophie Levack, Policy Officer: sophie@kalayaan.org.uk.