More than 200 adult survivors of modern slavery have received access to accredited, independent advocacy in the first year of a national pilot.
Spearheaded by Hope for Justice, and delivered in partnership with The Snowdrop Project, SOHITS, Bawso, Flourish and St Mary’s University, the IMSA® Model Development Project has brought together practitioners and survivor leaders across the UK, to create the role of an Independent Modern Slavery Advocate® (IMSA).
IMSAs® are employed by organisations to help survivors understand their rights and access the support they are entitled to, often at a time when they are recovering from the trauma of human trafficking.
Between September 2025 and August 2026 – the first year of the pilot – a total of 234 adult survivors were helped.
The most requested areas of advocacy included securing status, accessing suitable housing, and sourcing legal representation.
Survivors of complex crimes such as domestic abuse and sexual abuse have long had access to accredited professionals to advocate alongside them. However, this provision did not exist for survivors of modern slavery prior to the pilot.
IMSAs are required to complete a special Postgraduate IMSA Certification at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. They are then supported by a central hub hosted by Hope for Justice.
IMSAs attending a special event at St Mary’s University, Twickenham
Bethan Hunt, IMSA Model Development Manager at Hope for Justice, said: “Reaching the one-year mark is a significant milestone for everyone involved in the IMSA pilot.
“The project was developed alongside survivors to address a clear need for independent advocacy, and it has been inspiring to see the impact that IMSAs are already having.
“Over the past year, we have seen survivors better able to understand their rights, secure safe housing, and navigate complex systems with greater confidence.
“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far – 31 individuals have completed the IMSA qualification and 15 different organisations are employing IMSAs across all four UK nations.”
A special celebration and learning event to mark the one-year anniversary was held at St Mary’s last week, with the latest cohort of IMSAs attending.
Made possible thanks to a £1 million National Lottery award, the IMSA pilot will run until January 2029, after which the programme will be independently evaluated to recommend next steps.
