§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they require social services departments to report to a central point any evidence of trafficking of—
and whether such a requirement is in accord with international obligations. [HL4512]64WA
- (a) children under 18; and
- (b) adults;
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland)There is no specific requirement on the part of social services departments to report evidence of the trafficking of children under the age of 18 or the trafficking of adults.
We understand a number of successful multi-agency protocols have already been developed and are in use at points of entry to help identify persons who may have been trafficked.
This work has been complemented by the Government's publication of a toolkit providing advice on trafficking. This is a comprehensive resource to prevent trafficking that will serve to raise awareness and provide guidelines to practitioners, including social workers, who are likely to come into contact with victims of trafficking.