Benefits must be flexible if victims of slavery are to secure jobs

20 June 2019

With an annual increase of more than a third in the number of survivors of modern slavery, a scheme set up to provide jobs for victims will only really succeed if the Government adopts a more flexible approach to benefits, a summit of charity and business leaders in Manchester were told today.

The innovative Bright Future programme, devised by the Co-op in conjunction with the charity City Hearts, has provided scores of job opportunities for those rescued from slavery but the audience was told that it will only be truly successful if the Government takes a more flexible approach in relation to the benefits system for victims.

An integral part of the Bright Future scheme is that candidates are offered a four-week paid work placement before to a non-competitive interview. However, this can lead to some participants losing benefits which is problematic, especially if it does not lead to a permanent job.

An independent review of Bright Future by the University of Liverpool makes several recommendations to streamline the scheme, which now involves 48 charities and some of the UK’s largest businesses, including urging the Government to clarify the benefits position for participants in Bright Future.

In 2017, there were 5,143 potential victims referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the system of support for people where there are grounds to suspect they have been a victim of modern slavery. In 2018 the number rose to 6,993, an increase of 36 per cent.

Paul Gerrard, Director of Campaigns at the Co-op, told the summit, which was attended by the new Anti-Slavery Commissioner Sara Thornton, that there must be a more flexible and creative approach to how benefit are assessed for those on the Bright Future programme.

He said: “The benefits system remains a challenging area but there has to be ways to mitigate some of the disadvantages experienced by those who have experienced modern slavery which is a wicked crime and a blight on our society.”

“For example, could a Bright Future placement be considered 'therapeutic work'? If so, it would be exempted from affecting benefits until the candidate was in a stable position.”

Anti-Slavery Commissioner Sara Thornton: “The Co-op is leading the way by demonstrating the positive impact business can have in supporting victims of modern slavery. The Bright Future programme gives participants the opportunity to engage in paid work and develop essential skills which helps them to recover from their traumatic experience.”

Since it was first established in 2018, the scheme has attracted the support of 28 local charities that work with the victims of modern slavery and 20 UK businesses that together have given 100 vulnerable survivors a chance to rebuild their lives by providing them with a job.

The latest companies to join Bright Future are Fresca Group and Sir Robert McAlpine who join the John Lewis Partnership, Dixons Carphone and The Body Shop, in partnership with Single Resource, along with twenty others, including independent Co-op societies, food suppliers and construction company Marshalls Plc.

Sarah Fitton Corporate PR & Media Manager
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