Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2024-2025

7. Training and Guidance

The Scottish Government recognises the critical role of training in preventing human trafficking and exploitation, and in embedding ethical, human rights-based practice across public and private sectors. Sector-specific guidance has been developed to equip frontline health and social care professionals and businesses with the tools needed to identify risk, support victims, and build safeguards into supply chains and services.

As part of our ongoing commitment to broaden awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking, the Scottish Government has begun work on an internal training package for Scottish Government staff. This training will cover the forms that exploitation may take, common indicators of trafficking, and the importance of identifying and reporting concerns. This supports our wider efforts to build organisational awareness and strengthen our ability to identify and respond to modern slavery risks.

The DG Economy Centre of Expertise in Equality and Human Rights continues to support economic policy officials with embedding intersectional equality and human rights in their economic policy-making work. Specifically, the Centre continues to work with the Directorate for Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights, as well as with external experts, to build capability, knowledge and experience across the portfolio, and to improve the quality and consistency of equality impact assessments.

The following sections outline core training and awareness resources that underpin our modern slavery prevention work.

Guidance for Businesses

The Scottish Government’s Slavery and Human Trafficking: Guidance for Businesses in Scotland, published in 2018, sets out tailored advice for companies of all sizes. It outlines both legal and ethical obligations, encouraging businesses to undertake risk assessments, develop due diligence procedures, and train staff to recognise signs of exploitation. The guidance stresses that even smaller businesses – those not legally required to publish a Modern Slavery Statement under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act – should be proactive, especially when operating within higher-risk sectors or supply chains. The guidance also highlights investor expectations, reputational risks, and tendering implications for businesses that fail to address human trafficking. Specific examples include incorporating labour rights checks into supplier selection and fostering open reporting cultures within commercial operations.

Health and Social Care Professionals

The guidance, Human Trafficking and Exploitation: What Health Workers Need to Know, equips NHS and care staff with a trauma-informed framework to identify and support potential victims. It covers clinical indicators, how to approach disclosure, and steps to refer patients safely without compromising trust or personal safety. The document also acknowledges that healthcare workers may encounter victims with complex trauma, poor mental and physical health, and extreme distrust of authorities.

Fair Work and Construction

Fair Work is a cornerstone of Scotland’s approach to tackling labour exploitation. Employers are encouraged to use the Fair Work Employer Support Tool. The Fair Work Employer Support Tool helps employers understand and embed the principles of Fair Work across their organisation. By promoting fair treatment, job security, respect and effective worker voice, it supports good employment practices that can help address factors associated with labour exploitation. Public sector clients are expected to implement Project Bank Accounts (PBAs) and whole life costing to promote ethical procurement.

Local Authority Support

COSLA's Human Trafficking and Exploitation Guidance for Scottish local authorities was published in 2019 and provides a training framework for identifying, referring, and supporting victims. It details the role of various local authority departments – from housing and licensing to education and regulatory services – in spotting signs of trafficking and engaging in disruption and prevention activity. The guidance includes factsheets, case studies, and flowcharts to support operational delivery. It also promotes partnership working with Police Scotland, the Crown Office, third sector services, and multi-agency networks, while encouraging councils to assign trafficking leads, develop protocols for National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals, and embed human rights approaches in their safeguarding practice.