The Anti-Slavery Coordinator has submitted to the Scrutiny Committee to provide an update on the Council’s work with Adult Exploitation and Modern Slavery.

Councillor Lubna Arshad, Cabinet Member for a Safer Oxford, and Nicole Bell, Anti-Slavery Coordinator will present the report and answer any questions.

The Panel is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations.

Councillor Lubna Arshad, Cabinet Member for a Safer Oxford, Nicola Bell, Anti-Slavery Coordinator, and Richard Adams, Community Safety Service Manager, were present to answer questions form the Committee.  

Councillor Arshad introduced the report, providing context regarding the role of the Anti-Slavery Coordinator which was established in January 2022 using funding from the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to lead the County’s response to adult exploitation and modern slavery. The Committee heard that a central recording system now captures referrals, data, and risk factors which then inform interventions and resource allocation across Oxfordshire. Councillor Arshad summarised the extensive data provided within the report relating to the cases, locations, and trends and explained that a multi-agency working group has been established to support work to tackle the rising trend of young people transitioning into the adult pathways. Members learned that the Anti-Slavery Coordinator leads work on developing proactive responses underpinned by the ‘4Ps Principle’ (Prepare, Protect, Prevent and Pursue). Councillor Arshad concluded by summarising the actions, meetings, and training that are ongoing.  

The Anti-Slavery Coordinator described the increase in referrals to the adult pathway which has demonstrated increased awareness around the issues of adult exploitation and modern slavery recently. The Committee heard that at a previous Scrutiny Committee meeting, data was presented for a 24-month period which showed 126 referrals in Oxford city in comparison to the 126 noted in this report which had been recorded over a shorter 10-month period. The Anti-Slavery Coordinator explained that the increasing trend is consistent across Oxfordshire and that it represents an improved handle on the prevalence of the issue. The Community Safety Service Manager commended the work of the Anti-Slavery Coordinator and noted the partnerships which she has built with hospitals, the Department for Work and Pensions, and various statutory bodies across the County. 

Councillor Qayyum queried whether the 126 referrals in Oxford demonstrate an accurate reflection of the matter, or whether the number of cases could be higher but are unknown due to lack of reporting. She also asked whether the figure includes cases which feature migration patterns across geographical regions. 

Councillor Mundy asked whether there is data relating to people exploited by businesses operating under licenses from Oxford City Council. 

The Anti-Slavery Coordinator explained that the 126 cases are understood to be a good representation of the trend as it is inevitable that some cases go unreported. The Committee heard that the development of partnerships is targeted at encouraging more referrals, but that the issue is nationally challenging as it relies on the willingness of people and victims to come forward. In regards cross-border migration, it was clarified that the report provides statistics on this. In response to Councillor Mundy’s question, the Anti-Slavery Coordinator noted that work is ongoing to tackle exploitation within businesses and disruption activities could include licensing enforcement.  

Councillor Jarvis queried why there has been a decrease in referrals from the care sector.  

Councillor Ottino noted that the report does not reference prosecutions and queried firstly, whether these are being achieved, and secondly, if they are not, whether it is due to issues with police resourcing. It was also recommended to officers that future reports could include some personal stories to provide the Committee with more narrative and qualitative insights alongside the data.  

The Anti-Slavery Coordinator explained that the strategic management group is working to tackle cases in the care sector and an action plan has been developed to raise awareness of modern slavery and adult exploitation amongst local care providers. In regards Councillor Ottino’s query on prosecutions, it was clarified that there been few in Oxford City or nationally due to issues including victim willingness to persist with the requirements of the criminal justice system, noting fear as a considerable factor. The Committee was assured that prosecution would always be the ideal outcome, but in place of that, the Council is focusing on disruption against exploiters. Additionally, it was explained that the CPS threshold for prosecution is a lot higher than that used to identify victims by the Council which creates a barrier. Finally, the Anti-Slavery Coordinator committed to including more case studies in future reports to the Committee, noting that confidentiality would be imperative.  

The Chair queried the definitions used in relation to criminal exploitation and also asked whether the report considers cases which would be included in County Lines. Secondly, she asked what data is collected on transitions from the under 18’s to adult pathways. Finally, clarity was requested on the classifications of gender within the statistics reports and whether data could be presented to show the severity of increases according to gender. The Anti-Slavery Coordinator clarified criminal exploitation as the act of coercing a person to perform criminal acts, for example, shoplifting, and confirmed that it does include county lines where the victim has been forced to deal drugs, or their property has been taken over by drug dealers. In regards data on the under 18s pathway, the Committee heard that this is managed by Oxfordshire County Council who focus on the transitional process from age 17 but that the Anti-Slavery Coordinator could also include this data going forwards. Finally, in regards gendered statistics, it was explained that the categorisations show variance in the types of exploitation experienced according to gender; women experience mostly sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. The Anti-Slavery Coordinator committed to making further gender-based comparisons in future reports but clarified that an increase in referrals does not necessarily correlate to an expansion of the issue, just that there is more awareness and reporting of cases. The Community Safety Service Manager further explained that under reporting is a significant issue which is highlighted through ongoing campaigns and project work. The Committee heard that financial support from the Council to support communications and delivery of information. In regards resources, he noted that the ability to expand communications as far as possible would be most critical to galvanizing communities to report cases. 

Councillor Ottino asked whether their work with Turning Point produces referrals to which the Anti-Slavery Coordinator clarified that the charity is always invited to multi-agency meetings and works closely with partners to identify cases of exploitation.  

Councillor Arshad informed members that a year ago, the discussion at the Scrutiny Committee focused on the importance of expanding communications and the team has worked on this significantly since; a new project is nearing completion.  

Councillor Ottino asked how many referrals come from ODS as a result of their work with housing associations. The Anti-Slavery Coordinator clarified that no direct referrals have come from ODS but that their staff do utilise MyConcern as a means of reporting concerns. These are then picked up by the safeguarding coordinator. The Committee also learned that the housing associations are invited to multi-agency meetings and have been offered relevant training which is yet to be accepted. The Community Safety Service Manager emphasised that the system is in place to ensure that information regarding possible cases is flagged.  

Councillor Corais suggested a recommendation to expand communications on adult exploitation and modern slavery, however Councillor Arshad assured the Committee that further work on this is already underway. The Anti-Slavery Coordinator emphasised that internal work is ongoing to offer training at team meetings, produce content for social media to raise awareness but noted that further efforts could be made to put pressure on housing associations to engage. The Community Safety Service Manager informed members that the Anti-Slavery Coordinator post is currently funded by the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and suggested that he would welcome a review of the sustainability of the funding to ensure the role continues, noting the benefit it brings across the County.  

The Chair thanked the officers and the cabinet member. 

The Committee resolved to make the following recommendation(s) on the report to Cabinet: 

1. That Cabinet assesses the sustainability of funding in advance of the next budget setting round to ensure continued support for the role and ongoing work on adult exploitation, should external funding become unavailable.