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Getting help for debt bondage

There are many varied and diverse ways in which debt bondage can be used as a means to control children and adults at risk, as a concerned parent or carer you need a multi-agency response to support you in safeguarding your child and disrupting the exploitation.

How to report your concerns:

  • Information and concerns where your child or other individual is not in immediate danger should be reported to the police directly via 101. If you would rather remain anonymous, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online via www.crimestoppers-uk.org or call 0800 555 111.
  • If you suspect that your child or other individual may be a victim of debt bondage, you should report your concerns to your local children’s or adults safeguarding team at the council.
  • For children, you can find your local council’s children’s social care department via https://www.gov.uk/report-child-abuse
  • For adults at risk, you can contact your local council via https://www.gov.uk/report-abuse-of-older-person.
  • You can contact the NSPCC helpline online or call 0808 800 5000 which is staffed by trained professionals who can provide expert advice and support if you’re concerned about a child.
  • You can contact Ivison Trust by calling 01132403040. Ivison Trust supports affected parents and carers of children at risk of exploitation.

Responses you should expect when you report debt bondage and exploitation concerns.

    • A multi-agency meeting is held at the earliest opportunity to share information, assess risk, develop a safety plan for your child and consider disruption opportunities.
    • Debt bondage should be considered under ‘trafficking’, ‘child criminal exploitation, ‘child sexual exploitation and ‘physical abuse’ in assessments. This should be used to inform decision-making.
    • Assessments of risk and safety planning need to be ongoing and regularly reviewed, particularly after significant events e.g. an arrest and/or seizure of drugs or money; at the time of school exclusion; disclosure of exploitation and involvement in court cases.
    • Relocation may be considered a necessary action to protect your child and family. If it is, consideration should be given to; risks which may follow such as offenders tracking on social or online networks; the loss of support networks and alerting agencies in the proposed new area such as police and children and youth services.
    • Online engagement, including social media and gaming risks, must be considered in any assessment, safety planning and relocation.
    • A multi-agency referral to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) should be made for any child or individual being or suspected of being exploited. Debt bondage should be clearly detailed as a form of exploitation on the NRM referral. NRM referrals should include all relevant information which indicates the potential exploitation of your child or another individual. (The NRM referral is made by ‘first responders’. First responders are responsible for identifying potential victims, gathering information and referring the victims to the NRM. First responders in the UK are the police force, the UK Border Force, Home Office Immigration and Visas, social services and certain non-governmental organisations including The Salvation Army and Barnardo’s).
    • In some areas of the UK, professionals and children can access the support of the Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) Service. If you live in, or have links to Wales / Cymru, East Midlands, West Midlands Combined Authorities, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire (including Bristol), Warwickshire, all London Boroughs, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Greater Manchester, North & West Yorkshire, Lancashire or Merseyside, submit an online ICTG trafficking referral form.
    • When assessing risk and safety planning in relation to debt bondage yours and your child’s views and wishes should be listened to and taken into consideration.

It is important that you and your family are considered as valuable partners in preventing and disrupting exploitation where safe and appropriate to do so. Please refer your safeguarding team to the Commitment to Friendly Practice which sets out a framework for developing an equitable partnership between parents and safeguarding professionals.