Staff shortage: Modern slavery has surged in social care
According to unpublished figures, modern slavery has skyrocketed in the social care sector since ministers relaxed immigration rules to fill thousands of vacancies.
Figures, which haven’t been made available to the public and were first reported by The Guardian, have displayed that at least 800 people working in care were charted as potential victims last year, more than 10 times the number recorded before the government’s visa scheme.
Some workers have been reported sleeping in cold, cramped rooms (if they can even be described as such) or only receiving a fraction of their pay. In addition, others have said they paid exorbitant fees to agents for visa costs worth only a fraction of the price.
This tragic news has come as the government have appointed an independent anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, and she has said she is ‘deeply concerned about the risk of exploitation and modern slavery for workers in the adult social care sector, particularly those from overseas who have come to the UK on short-term visas.’
Against this backdrop, this barbaric problem was also experienced last year. Unseen, a Bristol-based anti-slavery charity have explained that last year they recorded at least 800 potential victims of modern slavery based on calls to its helpline – an increase of more than 1,100% on the 63 in 2021. The hike comes after the Home Office added care workers to the shortage occupation list in 2022.
‘We have seen year-on-year rises in the number of cases indicating modern slavery – the most serious end of exploitation,’ said Justine Carter, director of Unseen. ‘Social care is fundamental to communities. You want to know, if you need care and support, that the people giving that care are not being exploited or, even worse, are victims of modern slavery.’
Carter added that people are overpaying agents and care companies to come to the UK for work. Individuals are regularly offering £11,000 when the actual cost of flights and visas are unlikely to be much more than £1,500.
In response to this, Carter is calling on commissioners in councils and the NHS to demand evidence from care operators bringing people from abroad about their pay, hours, accommodation, and fees.
Images: StarGladeVintage and A.J Francis
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