Case study: AFRUCA County Lines Child Trafficking Family Support Service

different jurisdictions and the individual needs of the child. In addition to this, the experiences of British nationals from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic background will ultimately differ from the experiences of migrant children. Both groups are in need of further consideration and will be discussed in this report.

AFRUCA’s County Lines Trafficking Family Support Programme, operating in Manchester, is an early intervention service offered to children and families from ethnic minority backgrounds. The service provides one-to-one, tailored, non-judgemental support for parents of children at risk of county lines trafficking and criminal exploitation, as victims of child criminal exploitation might experience trauma, frequently go missing from home, and might not disclose to their parents or siblings their experiences of abuse, coercion and exploitation. The Family Support Programme supports parents to identify the indicators of exploitation to which their children are exposed, and provides them with tools to access early help. In addition to this, the service offers assistance to young people and their families to navigate the complex legal, immigration, criminal justice and social service systems; something which is especially important when families have shared past experiences of condescending intervention, where they became disengaged and dispirited after not being listened to. The programme fills a gap for Black, Asian and minority ethnic youth and their families who are not receiving support elsewhere, often due to the inaccessibility and mistrust of core organisations. AFRUCA offers a culturally sensitive provision which acknowledges and addresses gaps in equality, diversity and inclusion. Currently, the programme is working with 15 families and 45 children, as multiple children within a single family can be vulnerable to exploitation. The service was established in partnership with Manchester City Council and began operating

in November 2020. It is being externally evaluated by the University of Sheffield, with the potential for scaling up the service in the future.

Recommendation 2: training in cultural competency should be introduced for all practitioners working on child trafficking and modern slavery. • An external evaluation mechanism must be embedded within all training to monitor impact and continually improve future training.