Lack of legal and emotional support— for individuals with lived experience of modern slavery.

Modern slavery, such as forced labour and trafficking, continues to affect an increasing number of people. However, access to good quality legal advice for survivors of modern slavery in the UK is limited, with deficiencies in the legal aid system resulting in a shortage of practitioners specialised in modern slavery issues. In addition, the narrow window of opportunity for support workers to identify clients' legal needs within the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) exacerbates these challenges.?

Long-term support is crucial for survivors to recover from their exploitation, according to research analysing Causeway's LifeLine program, which provides ongoing assistance through initiatives like drop-in sessions, phone calls, and signposting. The study found that 78% of survivors were satisfied with the support provided by LifeLine, but expressed concern about the reduction of support when transitioning from the NRM to LifeLine, indicating that government-provided support should be expanded [1]. In addition, the research emphasises the need for robust government support to prevent survivors from experiencing a "cliff edge" when NRM support ends.

Accessing legal advice is a significant challenge for those who have experienced modern slavery due to factors such as the supply of legal aid, awareness of rights, and support in accessing legal advice. Access to legal advice is critical to the well-being of survivors, with the quality of advice being a key factor in its impact. The technical expertise of the legal service provider, a "holistic approach" to advice provision, effective and trauma-informed communication with the client, and timeliness all affect the quality of legal advice.

The lack of access to quality legal advice can contribute to ongoing uncertainty, anguish, and anxiety for survivors, affecting their recovery and well-being. Promising practices to address this issue include dedicated legal advice programs, collaborations between NGOs and legal service providers, and training for legal practitioners. For example, Justice in Fashion's collaborative bottom-up approach with Wesley Hall provided essential support to Leicester garment workers and individuals with lived experience of modern slavery through drop-in advice clinics that assisted individuals with housing, immigration, and mental health-related issues.?

The following two research examples follow significant recommendations on proper support for adults with lived experience of modern slavery.

?? The University of Liverpool's "Delivering Effective, Long-Term Support and Integration for People with Lived Experience of Modern Slavery" research offers recommendations on the vital need for long-term emotional support for survivors of modern slavery with the help of the LifeLine service [2].?

The LifeLine service is highly focused on prevention and has successfully prevented serious risks for survivors of modern slavery exiting the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The service has built a network of connections and involved those with lived experience in its development. Still, partnerships with other service providers, including NRM sub-contractors, are crucial to expanding its reach and improving prevention. LifeLine also empowers its service users to learn and demonstrate independence, but discussions about longer-term aspirations may be needed to support users' forward progress. LifeLine's influential signposting links users to appropriate services, but further investment is required in training, databases, and mental health support, including early access to trauma counselling.

?? The British Institute of International and Comparative Law and Unseen UK research "Impacts of a lack of legal advice on adults with lived experience of modern slavery" offers a wide array of recommendations for several legal bodies, including the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office [3]. This section will focus on general recommendations for support workers and the legal community.

Support workers must offer tailored legal advice to the specific and complex needs of people with lived experience of modern slavery, including cultural disorientation, lack of trust, trauma and broader mental health issues, and language barriers. In addition, legal representatives should manage client expectations, explain the legal process and their role, and be subject to more transparent complaint processes to ensure greater accountability in the quality of service provided. Finally, support workers may need to assist clients in accessing and benefiting from legal advice effectively.

Justice In Fashion has been supporting garment workers in Leicester in line with the recommendations above on an ongoing basis. With Wesley Hall, we can offer a range of support to individuals with experienced modern slavery and hold drop-in clinics in a trusty location in their mother tongue with the help of volunteer translators. Both research findings and recommendations provide a window for real-life scenarios and situations the Justice In Fashion legal team experiences when conducting drop-in clinics at Wesley Hall in Leicester. According to our experience and in line with research suggestions, individuals with lived experience of modern slavery suffer from cultural disorientation, lack of trust, trauma and broader mental health issues, and language barriers.?

JIF is interested in developing partnerships with organisations eager to work with us while providing these essential legal and emotional support systems in the long term for individuals with lived experience of modern slavery.

Contact us at [email protected] to discuss partnership opportunities.