South Yorkshire council workers to be trained to spot modern slavery victims
It's part of efforts by a new partnership to tackle the problem here
Frontline council workers across South Yorkshire are going be trained to help uncover hidden victims of modern slavery.
All four local authorities here are going to have so-called 'points of contact' to help spot people being forced into work and refer them for support.
They'll be trained by experts on what to look out for.
Last year ninety nine victims were identified in our county but experts think the true number is much higher.
Megan Bethell's from the South Yorkshire Modern Slavery Partnership:
"We'll be able to really equip those front-line staff with good practice responses, spotting the signs like having no identification documents or not knowing what their address is, helping front line staff to actually pick up those signs and trust their instincts.
"We're very concerned that we are not seeing all those victims out there who are experiencing modern slavery - and domestic servitude in particular which is a really difficult form of exploitation to uncover. Part of the Partnership's work is to increase the identification of potential victims."
The announcement's come as part of Anti-Slavery Day today which aims to raise awareness of the problem.
A new South Yorkshire Modern Slavery Partnership was set up back in May to bring charities, the police and councils together to help tackle it.
Rachel Mullan-Feroze runs Sheffield charity Ashiana who support victims - she says the council workers can really help efforts to spot more victims:
"Many front-line workers are in a brilliant position if they're trained in the indicators or potential indicators of trafficking and modern slavery. So health, midwifery services, social care, housing providers and also people who deal with those who don't have settled immigration status.
"We don't have to be working in the anti-trafficking sector to have a responsibility towards this group of people. The car wash you're using, the nail bar you might be frequenting, on your street lots of visitors to one particula rhouse. It may be, that house where men are going in and out might be a pop-up brothel. Don't ignore it."
There's more on Modern Slavery, and what to look out for, here.