Written question asked by Jimmy Wray (Labour) on Wednesday, 12 March 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 21 March 2003. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Friday, 21 March 2003 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding is in place for specialist agencies to provide assistance and support to child victims of trafficking. - Includes no figures.

Answer: Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding is in place for specialist agencies to provide assistance and support to child victims of trafficking. [103405] Jacqui Smith: We expect that the provision of assistance and support to child victims of trafficking will be secured by local statutory services in response to identified needs, whether provided directly or through specialist agencies. The relevant statutory agencies include the immigration service, the police, social services and health, which have a responsibility to safeguard vulnerable children and to prevent and detect crimes against them. Child victims of trafficking are likely to be in need of welfare services and in many cases, protection under the Children Act 1989. Social services have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of these children following an assessment of their circumstances.

Secondary information