Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, ‘First Responders’ have a ‘duty to notify’ the Secretary of State (Home Office) if they come across suspected victims of modern slavery. This duty is carried out by making a referral to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for children and consenting adults, or by completing the NRM form anonymously if an adult victim does not give informed consent.

In October 2023, the Human Trafficking Foundation held an online conference for over 700 First Responders accross the UK, which took an in-depth look at what makes a good NRM referral and how the decisions are made, explored how to take a trauma-informed approach to making a referral, and took a look at the importance of partnership working.

RECORDING

PRESENTATIONS

(Where slides were used in the webinar, these can be accessed by clicking the links below)

What the NRM is & Role of the First Responder - Ann-Marie Douglas, Contract Director, The Salvation Army

NRM Referral Process - Russell Bramley, Modern Slavery Unit, Home Office

Decision-Making Process in the NRM - Charlotte Tovey, Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority

Trauma Informed NRM Referrals - Dragana Wright, Counter-Trafficking Casework Manager, Helen Bamber Foundation

RESOURCES

Glossary & Useful Resources
A glossary of key terms and links to resources that you may need to be able to submit a good quality NRM referral

Q&A
A list of commonly asked questions that were not answered during the Q&A session