This statistical bulletin provides a summary and breakdown of the number of potential victims of modern slavery referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) or via the Duty to Notify (DtN) process from 1 January to 31 March 2023 (quarter 1).

Key results

• 4,746 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office in January to March 2023, representing a 7% increase compared with October to December 2022 (4,416) and a 26% increase from January to March 2022 (3,773)
• the number of referrals received this quarter is the highest since the NRM began in 2009
• 79% (3,768) were sent to the Single Competent Authority (SCA) for consideration and 21% (978) to the Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA)
• Albanian nationals were the most commonly referred nationality, followed by UK nationals, and both recorded their highest quarterly numbers since the NRM began
• 3,528 reasonable grounds and 2,275 conclusive grounds decisions were issued this quarter; of these, 58% of reasonable grounds and 75% of conclusive grounds decisions were positive
• the proportion of positive reasonable grounds decisions has decreased from the previous quarter; this is likely to be a result of the change in the test for reasonable grounds decisions
• the Home Office received 1,420 reports of adult potential victims via the DtN process, the highest since the DtN began in 2015