National Referral Mechanism (NRM)

The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is administered by the Home Office. Home Office guidance for first responders explains that they 'can use the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to report cases of modern slavery' and 'refer potential victims for support and protection', and that 'the government assesses every new NRM case to determine if the person has been a victim of modern slavery'. Referrals are made using an online referral form, and decisions are made in two stages: 'stage 1 - reasonable grounds decision' and 'stage 2 - conclusive grounds decision'.

At stage 1, 'a caseworker will look at the potential victim's case within 5 working days, whenever possible, and decide if there are reasonable grounds to believe they are a victim'. If reasonable grounds are found, the potential victim 'will receive a recovery period of at least 30 days' before a conclusive grounds decision is made. A positive conclusive grounds decision leads to 'a minimum of 45 calendar days' move-on support', while a negative one gives 'move-on support for up to 14 working days'. Designated organisations in England and Wales also have a 'Duty to Notify (DtN) the Home Office when they encounter a potential victim of modern slavery', separate from the NRM referral itself.