6
A multi-agency approach Another core idea at the heart of conference discussions was the need for collaboration and multi-agency working between academics, civil society, the police, policymakers and the children themselves. The policy landscape in particular is a complex one involving Government actors across a range of departments including the Home Office, Department for Education, Ministry of Justice, Department for Health and Social Care, and Department for Work and Pensions. Key problems occur when sectors work in silos, as a joined-up approach is vital to tackle the nuances and complexities around modern slavery. The best practice examples cited throughout this report all demonstrate the effectiveness of strong multi-agency working. Yet it is important to consider which voices are being privileged in these partnerships; often authority figures listen to local knowledge and lived experience with the intent to reply or react, but these experiences do not inform top-level decisions. For policy to be effective and up-to-date with current practice, we need to situate systems into the real lives of young people to highlight the impact they may have. Practitioners called for institutions to humble themselves and work with ‘on the ground’ organisations. Multi-agency working involves recognising different pathways and visions for responding to modern slavery. Collaboration requires hard conversations, with stakeholders needing to listen to one another and see opportunities for growth. For researchers and academics, there should be increased opportunities for collaboration via ‘trespassing’: when researchers explore different areas and disciplines to view the response to child trafficking through different lenses. For those in policy and government, partnerships with business, trade unions and commercial enterprises should be developed to provide guidance and to raise awareness of modern slavery and child trafficking. Through offering multi-agency training within such partnerships, an opportunity for two-way learning is available. This learning needs to be shared across Government departments to ensure better join-up in policy creation. This 25
