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<p> </p><p>In January 2014 the Home Office announced proposals to trial specialist,
<br>independent advocates for trafficked children which is due to begin this <br>summer.
This trial forms part of the Government's work to eradicate modern day <br>slavery
and as such there are no plans for this trial to be extended to <br>unaccompanied
children. <br><br>The Child Trafficking Advocate will be fully independent from the
local <br>authority, but will need to work with the existing structures around the
Child <br>Trafficking Victim, such as children's services, education, criminal justice
<br>system and immigration system.<br><br>The advocate role is intended to deliver
the best outcomes for children. The <br>advocate's role will include the following
activities but this is not an <br>exhaustive list and we expect the advocate to respond
to the specific needs of <br>the child. <br><br>• being a consistent point of contact
for the Child Trafficking Victim;<br>• assisting the local authority to assess the
needs of the Child Trafficking <br>Victim as a victim of trafficking, thereby promoting
the safety and wellbeing <br>of the Child Trafficking Victim (in particular in light
of the risk of <br>re-trafficking);<br>• making recommendations for referrals to other
services (e.g. mental health <br>services) to ensure the Child Trafficking Victim
receives educational, medical, <br>practical and legal support they need and deserve;<br>•
accompanying the Child Trafficking Victim to certain meetings - e.g. with an <br>immigration
lawyer;<br>• supporting the Child Trafficking Victim in any age assessment process;<br>•
supporting the Child Trafficking Victim in overcoming language and cultural <br>barriers;<br>•
supporting witnesses through the criminal justice system;<br>• supporting looked after
children and children in need through the care <br>system, in particular in safety
planning, age assessment and future planning;<br>• assisting the local authority to
plan for the Child Trafficking Victim's <br>future and receive any compensation that
they may be entitled to;<br>• helping prevent the Child Trafficking Victim from facing
further exploitation <br>or harm from traffickers (and the risks of going missing);<br>•
providing advice on immigration, criminal justice and welfare matters to the <br>Child
Trafficking Victim and arranging effective legal representation;<br>• involvement
in the key decisions relating to the Child Trafficking Victim <br>(but final decisions
would remain the responsibility of the local authority or <br>Home Office, where relevant).<br><br>The
Home Office is commissioning an independent evaluation of the trial which <br>will
report six months after the trial commences. The evaluation will include <br>the terms
of reference for the trial.</p><p> </p>
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