For more information about
Programme Challenger please email:
info@programmechallenger.co.uk
In an emergency, where there is a
threat to life or a crime in progress,
always phone 999
This takes many forms, and covers many specialisms and disciplines, including safeguarding, community safety, trading standards, mental health and social care, to name a few. By better informing you as a practitioner around trends, threats and models of serious and organised crime, as well as developments in the support and approaches available to prevent and tackle the issue, we can better equip the workforce across Greater Manchester, and beyond.
We need practitioners to be the eyes and ears for communities, as well as delivering the excellent work they do to contribute to tackling organised crime. Practitioners will have access to a range of communities, individuals and spaces, and when we consider the totality of this, we can not only start to spot more of the signs of serious organised crime and exploitation, but put more meaningful interventions and disruptions in place, because we will be better informed of the whole picture of serious and organised crime.
The information contained on these pages will give you the knowledge and awareness about this type of criminality, and information to support you to be better informed about what your service or agency can do to prevent and disrupt it.
Following consultation, the Home Office has updated the NRM referral form and published a prompt sheet and guidance document to support First Responders in completing the new version of the form, which will go live on 30th April 2025.
Download the prompt sheet here
Download the guidance document here
During 2023, there has been a national increase in reports of concern regarding potential modern slavery, human trafficking, labour abuse and organised immigration crime in the care sector. This guide has been produced for staff working in provider organisations, commissioning bodies, voluntary sector organisations and other public sector bodies who may come into contact with individuals working in the care sector.
The Home Office Sponsorship Compliance Team have provided a set of FAQs around the sponsor licence process, particularly around suspension and revocations of licences.
Download the Sponsorship Licence FAQ document here
Sandwell Anti-Slavery Partnership have produced a Local Authority specific resource, part of which sets out checklists and other useful tools for local response development.
Download the Sandwell Anti-Slavery response to modern slavery and human trafficking resource here
The University of Nottingham Rights Lab and the Local Government Association have developed a guide for commissioners in the care sector regarding modern slavery risk assessments and due diligence.
Establishing modern slavery risk assessment and due diligence in Adult Social Care
The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 introduced changes to first stage decision making for potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. We saw an immediate impact in Greater Manchester, with a decrease in the number of positive first stage decisions, and increase in appeals and decisions taking longer to be made. At the end of June 2023, it was announced that these changes were to be reviewed and new guidance was published in July 2023.
The sector specific information sheets below have been updated to reflect these changes.
Local Authority NHS Department for Work and Pensions/Job Centre Plus Voluntary and Community Sector/Non-Governmental Organisations
In February 2021, a collaboration between the Human Trafficking Foundation's National Network Coordinators Forum and the national Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit produced this guide setting out enforcement powers held by a range of agencies working to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT). Whilst there have been some changes to the legislative framework around MSHT (see changes to NRM decision making above), this guide remains relevant and useful to support multi-agency activity in this space.
The National Crime Agency has published new industry information to inform and support the construction sector to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) from supply chains. The document provides an overview of MSHT in the sector, risk factors and potential indicators, and the role industry can play in tackling the issue by strengthening processes.
The Business Services Association's Modern Slavery Council has published a new toolkit providing guidance on understanding and mitigating Modern Slavery in the construction and Facilities Management Sector. It provides businesses of all sizes with the best-practice guide to addressing the risks of modern slavery within their organisations and beyond. The practical guidance spans from HR to Operations teams, from Procurement to frontline staff and is a valuable resource for any organisation operating in this sector
In response to the conflict in Ukraine and the opening of the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme in the UK, the anti-slavery and trafficking sector have worked collaboratively to develop and make available resources to highlight, mitigate and prevent the risk of trafficking and exploitation for those using the scheme. Practitioners implementing the scheme, supporting individuals on the scheme, or working in this area in any other way can access available resources at
Under Programme Challenger there are various teams or projects which seek to target a specific aspect of serious organised crime, which are as follows: Programme Challenger is Greater Manchester’s partnership response to serious and organised crime. We...
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For more information about
Programme Challenger please email:
info@programmechallenger.co.uk
In an emergency, where there is a
threat to life or a crime in progress,
always phone 999