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<p>The Government acknowledge that where children are found to be trafficked, their
safety and welfare needs must be addressed as a priority and that child victims require
tailored support which addresses their specific needs and vulnerabilities. <br><br>All
local agencies have statutory duties to safeguard children as part of their local
responsibilities regardless of nationality or immigration status. A <br>child’s welfare
is always the overriding consideration. <br><br>Responsibility for the care, protection
and accommodation of all child trafficking victims rests with local authorities that
have well-established <br>child support arrangements and a statutory duty under the
Children Act 2004 to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in need of
protection, including trafficked children regardless of their nationality or immigration
status. Under these arrangements, looked after children are provided with access to
services to meet all their needs be they in relation to education, accommodation,
psychological or health.<br><br>Information as to the location of victims of trafficking,
including children, is not held centrally once their status as a victim has been confirmed.
<br>This is because the National Crime Agency's UK Human Trafficking Centre has no
further role in the process and support is provided by other partners, most notably
local authorities in relation to children. The Review of the National Referral Mechanism
recommendsthat the Government introduces improved arrangements for tracking victims
following an NRM decision and the Government is currently considering its response
to the review.<br><br>In January 2014 the Government announced proposals to trial
specialist independent advocates for trafficked children. The trial, which began on
8 September 2014, will last for a period of 12 months across 23 local authorities
in England. <br><br>The Modern Slavery Bill gives these advocates a statutory basis
and the status they need to effectively support and represent the child. The Bill
commits the Government to lay a report before Parliament setting out the steps the
Government will take in relation to advocates for victims of child trafficking under
these powers. Lessons learned from the trials will be detailed in the report, at which
point we will be in a better position to assess what works best in supporting and
protecting these vulnerable children.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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