New Slavery and Trafficking Survivor Care Standards

The Slavery and Trafficking Care Standards have undergone a comprehensive update to ensure that adult survivors of modern slavery receive appropriate, high-quality care across the UK.

Over the past year, the Human Trafficking Foundation has collaborated with over 150 individuals with lived and learned experience of modern slavery to revise the Care Standards, ensuring they remain an anchor for best practice. Commonweal is pleased to have provided funding to support the Human Trafficking Foundation with this important process.

The update reflects changes to the modern slavery landscape since 2018, when the Standards were aligned with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, following their initial release in 2014.

Central to the new Care Standards is the inclusion of survivors' voices, leading to a new chapter to help survivors access employment and educational opportunities.

The 2025 update also expands care for survivors in various accommodation provisions, such as asylum accommodation and emergency housing, in response to the influx of individuals supported outside of National Referral Mechanism (NRM) safe houses. Previous research from the Human Trafficking Foundation, funded by Commonweal, noted that in September 2023, only 13% of adult survivors were housed in government safehouses, while 87% received outreach support.

Additional features include a Children's Annex, clarifications on the differences between UK jurisdictions – with the new standards now applicable across Scotland and Northern Ireland – and information on supporting survivors with disabilities.

The new Care Standards were launched at a recent webinar hosted by the Human Trafficking Foundation.

The UK Government adopted the 2018 Care Standards as a blueprint for best practice, and ministerial leaders have responded positively to the new standards.

*These quotes were originally shared on the Human Trafficking Foundation's website.

Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls said: “On the topic of supporting survivors, I would like to congratulate everyone involved in the frankly weighty tome of the development of the updated Care Standards. They set a clear, compassionate benchmark for the care and recovery of victims and I am proud to express on behalf of the Government our support for the standards and the principles which will continue to guide our support provision. This is just another example of what can be achieved of when we all work together.”

Siobhian Brown, Minister for Victims and Community Safety (Scotland) said: “I welcome the revised Care Standards as an important contribution and want to acknowledge the significant endeavour this has been for you and your colleagues over the past 12 months... I welcome the six principles set out in the Standards and note their alignment with the underpinning principles in Scotland’s recently published Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy. The revised Slavery and Trafficking Survivor Care Standards will be an excellent resource for practitioners across the UK in this regard. I support the introduction of the revised Care Standards and my officials will ensure the human trafficking victim support network in Scotland is fully aware of the launch later this month.”

Naomi Long, Minister of Justice (Northern Ireland) said: “This is a significant milestone in improving victim care and support. I am pleased to confirm my commitment to the adoption of these Care Standards and, once published, will ensure staff from my Modern Slavery, Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Team share these with those who provide support to victims of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT) under the Department of Justice MSHT contract. Those organisations will then incorporate them into their own policies and procedures.”