Hope for Justice, the British Red Cross and The Snowdrop Project are preparing to pilot the Independent Modern Slavery Advocate® (IMSA) model across the UK. The aim of the IMSA model is to ensure that all survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking have access to a trained independent advocate.
This is the next stage of the Independent Modern Slavery Advocate (IMSA) model development project, which we previously shared about here, explaining how the model responds to a well-documented gap in advocacy for survivors.
Building the infrastructure for a national pilot
There have been a number of developments in the project, including developing a new IMSA qualification, welcoming new team members and our first co-opted board member, SOHTIS.
Bethan Hunt joined Hope for Justice in July 2024 and is taking this next phase of the project forward in her role as IMSA Model Development Manager.
Bethan is leading the current partnership of organisations, who are focusing on building the infrastructure to enable delivery of the multi-year pilot, whereby IMSAs are hosted in a range of organisations throughout the UK, rigorously testing the IMSA model in a diverse range of settings and locations, capturing key learnings and preparing for national roll out.
An accredited IMSA postgraduate certification
A core pillar of the project is developing a specific qualification to become an Independent Modern Slavery Advocate®. Critically this enables survivors of modern slavery to feel confident in the advocacy they receive, which is standardised, regardless of where they are in the UK.
IMSAs have been working alongside survivors of modern slavery for over 13 years at Hope for Justice. Each individual survivor’s journey is unique, dependent on their experiences and driven by what they want to happen in their future. From previous IMSAs’ casework, independent advocacy can span across housing, immigration, asylum, education and access to justice. These areas can be extremely complex, requiring an IMSA to remain up to date with domestic and international legislation, policy frameworks and systems.
Hope for Justice IMSAs
It is vital for an IMSA to have nuanced understanding of modern slavery and intersectional issues, with the ability to advocate independently, working in a trauma-informed, person-centred manner. It is for these reasons that a specific post-graduate qualification for individuals to train as an IMSAs is being developed. On this course, students will learn and apply the knowledge and skills that are required to fulfil the role of IMSA.
The Bakhita Centre for Research Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse, of St Mary’s University, have been leading the IMSA model project team on the development of the Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education IMSA training, and have submitted an application for validation of this training, with the aim of being ready to deliver the course from 2025. The project board is working in collaboration with survivors with lived and learnt experience to design and shape the course content. We are also ensuring there are pathways for survivors to train as IMSAs.
Adapting the IMSA model for devolved nations
Our initial piece of work in this area saw the IMSA project board welcome SOHTIS, (Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland) as the first co-opted member from the devolved nations.
SOHTIS bring their experience of working with trafficking survivors within Scotland to support this next critical phase of the project. Alongside the IMSA project board, SOHTIS hosted a constructive consultation workshop in Glasgow, which brought together more than 40 experts from across the trafficking sector in Scotland (pictured below). This event enabled open discussions on the opportunities, barriers and essential next steps in ensuring that the IMSA model is fit for purpose within Scotland. We are currently considering all feedback from this event, which took place in September 2024.
If you have any specific feedback or expertise in relation to the IMSA project in devolved areas, please contact our team: advocacy.imsa@hopeforjustice.org
What next?
The IMSA project board is working to secure the funding required for the multi-year pilot. As part of this, we will be looking to partner with organisations who are passionate about employing and supporting Independent Modern Slavery Advocates to work alongside survivors of human trafficking.
If you are interested in training to become an IMSA or are an organisation who would like to employ IMSA(s) then please do get in touch and we can keep you updated as we progress into the pilot phase.
Please email advocacy.imsa@hopeforjustice.org and provide details about your area of interest and expertise.
