Exploitation of Adults/Modern Slavery
Page updated May 2025
The University of Nottingham have published research about Exploitation of Adults with Cognitive Impairment in England. looking at the impact of cognitive impairment on its impact on verbality to exploitation.
National Referral Mechanism(NRM) Changes April 2025
Changes to the National Referral Mechanism can into force at the end of April 2025, and the Home office have issued the following guidance:
First Responder guide for England and Wales, provides first responders with details of the NRM process.
First Responder Offline prompt sheet provides the questions that first responders will be guided to ask during an interview.
The Home Office has produced two high level e-learning modules for use by all first responders.
The First Responder e-learning training covers: 20-056 - Home Office - Modern slavery
- indicators of modern slavery
- what to do when you encounter a potential victim of modern slavery
The Child Victims of Modern Slavery e-learning covers: Modern Slavery: Child Focus
- child-specific indicators of modern slavery
- forms of exploitation that are particularly prevalent.
- safeguarding and NRM referral processes
- specific knowledge required to respond to child cases of modern slavery.
Modern Slavery
Modern slavery is a serious crime. It encompasses slavery, servitude, and forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking. Modern slavery victims can often face more than one type of abuse and slavery, for example if they are sold to another trafficker and then forced into another form of exploitation. A person is trafficked if they are brought to (or moved around) a country by others who threaten, frighten, hurt and force them to do work or other things they don’t want to do. Victims of this type of abuse can be exploited in their own home. A summary of exploitation in the home (Cuckooing) can be found here
Specified public authorities have a duty to notify the Home Office about any potential victims of modern slavery they encounter in England and Wales. This is known as the NRM (National Referral Mechanism) notification
15 minute learning Training Slides
The following slides are aimed to take no more than 10 -15 mins!! So grab yourself a cuppa and catch up on all the latest Modern Slavery information and resources below:
Useful links:
Summary of support available in Slough
Modern Slavery Helpline. Call 08000 121 700 to get help, report a suspicion or get advice.
How to report modern slavery