Co-production · King’s College London, Survivor Alliance, Helen Bamber Foundation, University of East London and University of Nottingham; funded by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre / AHRC
Modern Slavery Core Outcome Set
““Finding purpose in life and self-actualisation.” — one of seven survivor-defined core outcomes”
The challenge
Services could claim success without agreement on what recovery and wellbeing actually meant to survivors
Human-trafficking services, researchers and policymakers measured many different outcomes, making programmes difficult to compare and leaving fundamental questions about recovery unresolved. Outcome measures were also often selected by professionals. The project needed to establish a shared minimum set that was methodologically rigorous and grounded in what survivors themselves considered important.
What we did
Survivor researchers combined evidence reviews, consensus methods and stakeholder workshops to define priority outcomes
Open Routes Research helped lead the qualitative and participatory strands of the Modern Slavery Core Outcome Set. The team conducted systematic, quantitative and grey-literature reviews before using a survivor-driven consensus process with survivors, service providers, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders. People with lived experience contributed as active researchers and advisers, shaping the longlist, descriptors and interpretation of the final outcomes.
What changed
Seven survivor-driven outcomes created a common framework for research, policy and service evaluation
he final Core Outcome Set identifies seven outcomes that should be considered as a minimum: safe and suitable housing; safety from traffickers and other abusers; long-term consistent support; compassionate trauma-informed services; purpose in life and self-actualisation; access to medical treatment; and access to education. The project also developed practical descriptors and a toolkit to support uptake across services and research.
Outputs
Modern Slavery Core Outcome Set; peer-reviewed paper in Trauma, Violence, & Abuse; research summary; toolkit; Community of Practice