CARE has been concerned for some time over the high numbers of trafficked children that are reported missing from care, and a new report published this week has highlighted the extent of the problem.

‘Still in harm’s way’, published by Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (ECPAT UK) and Missing People aims to show an updated picture of the scale of trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing in the UK.

The latest figures:

1 in 4 (24 per cent) of trafficked children were reported as going missing from care (246 of 1,015)

Almost 20 per cent of the total number of trafficked and unaccompanied children reported missing had not been found (190 of 975)

In 2017, each child trafficking victim that was reported missing went missing on average 7.2 times, compared to around 2.4 times in 2014-15. Repeat missing episodes are an indicator of heightened vulnerability.

1,015 children were reported by local authorities as identified or suspected victims of trafficking, an increase of 58 per cent (up from 590) from 2014–15

This data shows that the safeguarding response of local authorities to these very vulnerable children may be getting worse.

The report concludes that immediate action must be taken to urgently improve the response at a local level so all children suspected of being trafficked are properly protected. This includes mandatory training for all front-line workers.

The charities also re-affirm recommendations they made in 2016 for better data collection about child victims of trafficking. At present there is no systematic reporting or recording of this sort of information at the local authority level nor any central Government data collection. This makes it difficult to assess how effective efforts are in protecting this group of children.

Independent Child Trafficking Advocates

The ‘Still in harm’s way’ report also states that every child trafficking victim should be supported by an independent, legal guardian to protect them from harm.

Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, children thought to be victims of trafficking were supposed to be assigned an Independent Child Trafficking Advocate (ICTA) to help support them although the Government has yet to bring this part of the law into force.

Child victims of trafficking have many needs. They need safe accommodation, legal advice, help with asylum applications or consular support. They of course need education and medical care and may need help accessing other specialist services.

These multiple needs mean they have to engage with an array of different state agencies which can be extremely traumatic. An ICTA is a single-point of contact for the child, who liaises with the different agencies on behalf of the child and supports and advocates for them. Interim findings from the early adopter sites that are trialling the ICTA schemes have demonstrated their immense value.

However, this provision is yet to be fully implemented. The project began with just three sites and an expansion announced this summer will still see only one third of England and Wales covered by April 2019.

MPs heard evidence recently that support for child victims of trafficking were on a ‘cliff edge’ and this new report adds pressure for urgent action to be taken to safeguard child victims of trafficking in the UK properly.

CARE’s Senior Policy Officer – Human Trafficking, Louise Gleich comments on the report

“Trafficked children are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. The Government should take note of this report and implement new procedures to protect child victims of trafficking in the UK.

“Once a child escapes from exploitation it is a complete failing of the state if they then end up missing from care, and at worst end up back in the hands of their traffickers.

"Trials of child trafficking advocates have been overwhelmingly positive. The advocates play a vital role highlighting potential risks, pushing local authorities to provide safer accommodation and tracing children who have gone missing.

“The Government must move quickly to roll out the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate Scheme across the whole country. The advocates not only provide specialist support, clarity and continuity for the child but also provide an extra layer of safeguarding, helping to prevent them from going missing.

“Government delays to rolling out this scheme are unnecessary. All the trials have demonstrated the necessity of them and the invaluable support they provide.”

Read the report in full here.