Medaille Trust is a designated First Responder organisation. This means that we have specially trained staff who can identify and support potential victims of modern slavery.
Medaille Trust is one of only a small number of NGOs designated as First Responders. Although it’s a vital role, we receive no funding for it. We acted as a First Responder 25 times in 2021-22.
As first responders we use the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to:
- report cases of modern slavery
- refer potential victims for support and protection
The government assesses every new NRM case to determine if the person has been a victim of modern slavery. Referring a potential victim can give them access to support, such as counselling, legal advice and housing. Our caseworkers can also request emergency housing and medical care immediately. Other benefits will only be given once their status as a potential victim has been confirmed.
To help make a formal decision, their personal information is shared with organisations such as the police and Home Office.
Decisions are made in two stages:
- Stage 1 - Reasonable Grounds (RG) decision
- Stage 2 - Conclusive Grounds (CG) decision