On 11th September 2017 the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Kevin Hyland OBE, wrote to the Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, Sarah Newton MP, regarding the UK's National Referral Mechanism.

Through a consultation with stakeholders the Commissioner found that the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK's system of support for victims of modern slavery, does not achieve the objectives it initially set out to and therefore requires urgent reform. The Commissioner has called for reform based on recommendations detailed in his previous letter to the Minister, sent in January 2017.

Based on the Commissioner's recommendations, the UK Government recently announced improvements and changes to the NRM.

The Commissioner's letter includes details of pre-NRM support, improved decision making, long-term care and greater data collection. You can read the full letter here and access this on our Resources page, together with an annex containing information on stakeholders and case studies.