The Salvation Army is pleased to announce the appointment of Ashiana as a specialist partner to provide support to adult victims of modern slavery in England and Wales through the Government’s new Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC).
The new and extended contract goes live in Winter 2020/2021, following a period of transition from the current service. It enables The Salvation Army and Ashiana to build on relationships and expertise developed since 2011 when the church and charity was first appointed to manage the wide-ranging support services needed to help survivors of slavery as they begin to recover and move on with their lives.
The organisations are now working together to be ready to transfer and extend the support existing survivors already receive to all stages of their recovery from the point of rescue and as they journey towards independent living.
Major Kathy Betteridge, Director of Anti Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland, said:
“We are pleased to welcome Ashiana, who has played a key role in helping us to support thousands of victims of modern slavery as they rebuild their lives, bringing important expertise and a shared passion to change the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“We are looking forward to working together in the coming months and years as we introduce new services to meet the increasing numbers of people being referred to us for help.
“Together we will ensure that services are delivered to the highest standards, with the needs and voices of survivors at the centre of all we do.”
Ashiana has worked with victims of trafficking since 2009 providing accommodation to women and their children as well as high level outreach support to male and female victims of trafficking living in the wider community. They have been a sub-contractor to The Salvation Army services since 2011. Ashiana workers have an in-depth knowledge and experience of the issues facing this group. They recognise the sensitivity and intensive support needed from within Ashiana and external agencies to work with individuals who have experienced significant amounts of trauma to enable them to move on successfully. Ashiana have also delivered support to clients outside the National Referral Mechanism and were involved in the STEP project, in partnership with the British Red Cross and Hestia, as well as being instrumental in setting up the South Yorkshire Modern Slavery Partnership and are lead partner driving this forward.
Ashiana Chief Executive, Nicola Lambe said: “Ashiana are pleased to continue working alongside The Salvation Army to offer accommodation, services and support for survivors of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. We welcome an opportunity to further develop these services, enabling survivors to recover and achieve safe, stable and safe futures.”
For more information, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/modern-slavery and www.ashianasheffield.org
