Funding call - effectiveness of interventions to prevent modern slavery

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC) has issued a funding call for research into effective approaches to preventing of modern slavery.

Aims and objectives

To generate new evidence on effective approaches to preventing modern slavery. We expect to fund up to two projects to assess or evaluate the intervention and demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions, one to look at the prevention of modern slavery before it occurs, or at an early stage and the second on prevention of re-exploitation/re-trafficking. Projects will aim to enhance the understanding the effectiveness and impact of interventions and consider the contextual factors that make an intervention effective and replicable/scalable.

The essential objectives are to:

1. Assess the effectiveness an intervention/s that aim(s) to prevent exploitation before it occurs, or at an early stage, or interventions that specifically aims to prevent re-exploitation/re-trafficking.
2. Describe the underpinning theoretical framework (e.g. a theory of change/log frame) for the intervention(s), including relevant research and development that underpins the intervention, and define how effectiveness will be measured using insights from previous research on prevention, in particular the Before, Early, Treatment, Re-exploitation (BETR) continuum of prevention and associated pathways (see background below)
3. Employ rigorous and robust methodologies to consider how an intervention could be replicated and scaled up and what the impact of doing so would be, including feasibility in different geographies or sectors.
4. Generate impactful insights and recommendations for practice and UK policymakers on the effectiveness of prevention interventions and the effectiveness of the underlying theoretical framework.
5. We would welcome reflections on the EDI considerations of an intervention and potential prevention inequalities. We would also welcome reflections on the engagement of affected populations and survivors in the development, delivery and any assessment of the intervention, linking this to the measurement of the effectiveness of the intervention.

Desirable objectives:

1. Explore innovative and creative methods of engaging lived experience in the assessment of interventions that are appropriate, meaningful and non-tokenistic.
2. If assessing multiple interventions, this needs to be done on the basis that these interventions all share sufficient characteristics such that they are already comparable. Projects assessing multiple interventions should consider how these might demonstrate replicability/scalability, and how the impact of these could be estimate/quantified.

Background

Prevention of modern slavery is complex and central to the UK’s strategic approach to addressing modern slavery. There is a growing evidence base on what works or looks promising to prevent modern slavery. Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC funded research by Such et al. defined prevention as:

[A]n on-going process of avoiding and minimising exploitation and harm. This can be achieved by intervening before exploitation and harm occurs, by intervening early and by treating harms. It also includes action to prevent re-exploitation/re-trafficking. Prevention includes enabling people to exercise choice, control over their lives and to thrive.

Within this definition, a dynamic prevention continuum is presented, exploring the different stages at which trafficking and exploitation, and their associated harms, might be prevented. This research suggests that each stage on the continuum of prevention can be addressed through a variety of pathways, these include:

• Access to the fundamental things in life (e.g. financial resources, safe and securing housing, access to services, dignity and rights).
• Literacy, including an in-depth understanding of exploitation and rights within statutory and non-statutory agencies, the general public, within communities and organisations.
• Community power and control, including resilience and having the opportunity to thrive.
• Deterrence and disruption, for example through law enforcement and early detection.
• Building partnerships coordination and pooling of resources to enhance preventative responses.

Following the publication of this research, the Centre funded a portfolio of prevention focused research, and two studies to synthesise the Centre’s portfolio of funded projects against this continuum (forthcoming). This found that much of the existing evidence focusses on the treatment of harms experienced as a result an individual’s experience of modern slavery, identifying the need for further evidence to explore what can/could work to in prevention before exploitation occurs, early interventions and in the prevention of re-trafficking.

In this funding call, we are looking for projects that can evidence the effectiveness of interventions which seek to prevent harm before it occurs/early prevention and interventions to prevent re-trafficking.

Type of funding

This call is part of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC Responsive Research mechanism that has been created to fund responsive and agile research projects. It is led directly by the Modern Slavery PEC, but is funded and actively supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC is part of the University of Oxford.

Working with the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC

In accordance with the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC’s strategic objective of facilitating collaboration, successful teams will work in collaboration with the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC throughout the project to ensure alignment with our objectives and to maximise impact. This will include developing the research methodology and developing outputs such as the full report and summary briefing, as well as their dissemination.

Budget and eligibility

A maximum budget of £100,000 at 100% full economic cost (FEC) is allocated per project for these projects. Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC expects to fund up to two projects for this work, one with a focus on interventions that look to prevent harm before/early and a second that looks to prevent re-exploitation.

• The project may be led by either a UK higher education institution, an approved research organisation eligible to receive UKRI funding or a charity registered in the UK with a focus on modern slavery.
• Charities registered in the UK may apply for up to 50% of the project’s budget, they will be funded at 100% FEC (for every £1 spent, they receive £1 of funding, so the Modern Slavery PEC covers 100% of the full economic cost of the project)
• The combined UK registered charity and international costs can account for a maximum of 50% of the total budget of the project

For full budget details, see the call document.

How to apply

You can find the full details and specification of the call in the call specification document below, as well as the project costing template and examples of funding scenarios. We will shortly be uploading a sample contract so that you can understand the terms and conditions of the grant.

Applications to this call must be made through our online form.

All applications will be reviewed by an assessment panel convened by the Modern Slavery PEC that will include external independent reviewers. Funding decisions will be made on a portfolio basis.

The deadline for applications is 4pm (UK time) 11 November 2024.

The decision on the award of the funding will be made by the end of December 2024, with the project due to start in January 2025 (at a time suggested by the applicant) and finish by March 2026.

Call webinar

The call webinar was held on 15 October to go through the scope of the call and answer questions from potential applicants. You can watch a recording of it below. The Q&A from the session was unrecorded but you can read the recording of it in a written format below. You can also access the presentation used in the webinar.