Training

"ECPAT UK helped me view life from the victim's perspective, making the reality of our job worthy." Social worker, London

ECPAT UK’s multidisciplinary team provides a wide range of training courses in relation to modern slavery, trafficking and exploitation for individuals and organisations. As well as the training courses offered below, we can provide bespoke training to your organisation to ensure it is tailored and relevant to your work.

Our comprehensive training programme has been created in line with National Occupational Standards and many of our courses are CPD accredited. ECPAT UK has delivered training courses for more than 20 years to build frontline workers' capacity and help improve responses to child trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation across the UK.

Please note that due to Covid-19, our training courses have been postponed until a later date when it is safe to hold them again. We will update these pages as soon as we know more.

Please contact Phil by emailing [email protected] to register your interest for future course dates or to discuss your organisation's needs.

An Overview of Child Trafficking, Exploitation and Modern Slavery

Our full-day face-to-face training will support participants to develop a clear understanding of how to recognise child trafficking, exploitation and modern slavery, as well as provide up-to-date skills to respond to these abuses and better support trafficked children. Read more

Child Criminal Exploitation and Trafficking

In this full-day training course, participants will gain an understanding of the causes and dynamics of forced criminality amongst children in the UK. This course will build participants' capacity to identify the various forms of forced criminality and provide best practice guidance and tools to support participants to respond appropriately and safeguard children in their work. A more specific and specialist version of this course can be provided for those working in the Youth Justice System. Read more

Accommodating trafficking victims: Missing from care

After providing an overview of trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation this course focuses on the specific challenges of accommodating victims of trafficking and separated children seeking asylum. This course will give participants an understanding of the pervasive problem of vulnerable children going missing from care and will support participants with the best practice guidance and practical tools to care for trafficking victims and prevent them from going missing and being re-trafficked. Read more

Child trafficking through ritual and spiritual abuse

After giving an overview of the issue of trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation this course focuses on the particular issue of ritual and spiritual abuse and its relationship to trafficking and modern slavery. Read more

Child Trafficking and Exploitation in Tourism

This training is designed for those working across the tourism industry and aims to give participants an understanding of the relationship between tourism and trafficking, as well as equip them with policies and best practice to protect children from exploitation. Training is available to hotels, tour operators, travel agents and others interested in ethical and sustainable tourism. Read more

The Modern Slavery Act 2015

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 makes provisions for the protection of child victims of trafficking. This course assists frontline professionals to understand their responsibility under the Act and use it to improve identification, responses and care of child victims of trafficking. In this course other key legislation relevant to frontline workers will also be covered. Read more

Bespoke training for professionals

We deliver bespoke training courses across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (or even further afield). Each course is tailored to your organisation’s needs. Read more

Register now for our FREE child trafficking webinars!

Calling all lawyers, advocates, social workers and more! ECPAT UK, as part of the European Commission funded ReACT Project, is offering two free online tutorials for those working with trafficked children. Read more

E-learning

ECPAT UK hosts online training courses to supplement our face-to-face training for those who may work with children who have been victims of exploitation. Read more

Hire a speaker

We are keen to share our experience and expertise in promoting the rights of children. In addition to providing training, we can also offer expert speakers for events and activities, tailored to your organisation’s needs and events. Read more

Latest

More children than ever identified as potential victims of trafficking

The number of children identified as potential victims of trafficking has risen dramatically according to official statistics released today, raising concerns about the ability of UK authorities to appropriately respond to these children in light of unnecessary delays to decision making in their cases, funding constraints for local authorities and lack of specialist support for child victims.

Office for National Statistics publishes first report on modern slavery in the UK

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released its first publication into modern slavery offences in the UK. While ECPAT UK welcomes the publication of data on these harmful crimes, there is a clear need to ensure children are visible within the current data in order to support effective policy making.

5th anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act: 42 MPs urge Home Secretary to act on promises made to children

As the Covid-19 crisis exposes the importance of protecting vulnerable groups, over 42 MPs have written to the Home Secretary demanding that the government meet its promises made to child victims 5 years ago in the Modern Slavery Act. Led by Alex Norris MP, MPs from all the political parties expressed that they are ‘deeply concerned’ that the provisions in the Act had still not been implemented.

ECPAT UK launches free learning webinars for professionals home-working due to coronavirus

ECPAT UK is delighted to launch a series of free learning webinars for home-working and self-isolating professionals to build their knowledge and capacity to support children who may be victims of trafficking. From Monday, we will be delivering free 45 minute courses open to professionals across the UK who may come into contact with children who have been trafficked.

The Secret Gardeners: New film on child trafficking from Vietnam

The Secret Gardeners aims to inform professionals about the plight of children who are forced by organised crime gangs to grow drugs in houses across the UK but who often face criminalisation and prison.

The National Referral Mechanism

The National Referral Mechanism is a process set up by the Government to identify and support victims of trafficking in the UK. It was born out of the Government's obligation to identify victims under the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Human Trafficking, which came into force on 1 February 2008.

Demand specialist support for trafficked children

In 2018 we worked with Care2 to call on the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid MP, to overhaul the current system of identification and support for victims of trafficking – the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

Urgent action needed: Independent guardianship for all trafficked, unaccompanied and separated children

Last October, an incredible 120,535 supporters called for specialist support for all trafficked children. However, the fight is not finished. Make sure your voice is heard by contacting the Home Secretary asking him to provide guardianship for all trafficked, separated and unaccompanied children

Volunteer

ECPAT UK relies on committed volunteers to support the work that we do. Without their help, we would not be able to campaign as effectively against child exploitation.

Before the Harm is Done: Examining the UK's response to the prevention of trafficking

The UK Government is failing to protect thousands of children from exploitation by lacking a plan to prevent child trafficking, according to a new report by the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG), a coalition of twelve UK-based charities, including ECPAT UK. The report Before the Harm is Done, stresses that the UK has no specific strategy in relation to preventing trafficking in children, putting thousands of children at risk.