Introduction

Several studies have investigated the support necessities of victims/survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) and have highlighted the need for bespoke support and trauma informed care (Oram et al, 2016; Okech et al, 2018). Understanding the trafficking ‘journey’ (Zimmerman et al, 2011) can enhance knowledge of recovery trajectories and propose evidence-based solutions. Gaps in long-term support in the UK and the negative impact on outcomes for survivors identify the requirement for more tailored and well-resourced support (Murphy, 2018). To improve service delivery and remedy gaps, guidance for needs assessment, service evaluations and care standards for service providers have been developed to support specific interventions informed by practitioner experience and other research evidence (Robjant et al, 2017; Bundock and Hodges, 2020). This chapter aims to extend this knowledge base and contribute to a greater understanding of interventions in situ in a safe house and identify its relevance to policy and practice.

Between March and June 2018, 31 qualitative interviews were conducted with safe house staff (n= 6), current and former guests (n= 11), volunteers (n= 13) and partners (n= 2) for the purposes of evaluating service provision and the ability to meet service aims and objectives. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006: 5). Descriptive and analytical codes were developed that are representative of predetermined themes originating from concepts evident in the literature, following the approach taken by Farrell and Pfeffer (2014). In this case, themes based on concepts that were prevalent within and across all or most interviews were identified, many of which reflected the values of the service. A second level of analysis was conducted in preparation for this chapter using the framework of psychological capital (Luthans et al, 2007). Ethical approval was obtained from St Mary’s University Ethics Committee.

The first author proposes that applying theoretical/conceptual frameworks could inform a deeper understanding of implicit approaches used in supporting survivors and how they operate to assist recovery. This chapter has two key interrelated aims: to offer examples of practice interventions through an examination of data collected as part of a service evaluation (Murphy et al, 2018) and to provide insights to practitioners about the application of theoretical and conceptual frameworks to practice.