The local authority has a statutory duty to identify and respond to all forms of modern slavery.

Please read Camden’s Modern Slavery Guidance, which has been developed for all staff and includes information on:

• The local authority’s duties and responsibilities as a First Responder organisation
• The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)
• The process of reporting and responding to concerns about potential modern slavery, and the intersect with safeguarding processes
• Best practice on contacting and working with victims
• How to respond to child victims or children of victims

All workers must ensure they follow the safeguarding process and raise a safeguarding concern if they suspect a person they are working with is a victim of modern slavery.

Informed consent must be gained for adult referrals to the National Referral Mechanism; children must be referred regardless. For adult victims who do not consent to enter the NRM, an anonymous version of the form should be completed to discharge the ‘Duty to Notify’ requirement under the Modern Slavery Act 2015

A flow chart has also been developed showing the process of reporting and responding to modern slavery concerns.

Practitioners should also read the Adult Modern Slavery Local Authority protocol, and be aware of the Camden Safeguarding Adults Board’s Cuckooing Guidance,  as modern slavery can often be linked to other forms of exploitation and crime, such as cuckooing, and they share similar indicators.