Resource

In 2025, the doctors, clinical psychologists, lawyers and caseworkers across the Helen Bamber Foundation Group have stood alongside our clients as they rebuilt their lives with safety, dignity and hope in the UK. Together, we supported 1,705 survivors of trafficking and torture, stateless people and unaccompanied young children fleeing violence and persecution in 2025. Drawing on over 20 years of expertise, we delivered training to statutory agencies including police forces, NHS practitioners and frontline support organisations in our 'Trauma Centre'. Through our strategic partnerships and evidence-led advocacy - and informed by the lived experience of the survivors we support - we continued to drive systemic change.

For many survivors of human trafficking, recovery does not begin when exploitation ends. It begins when they know they are safe. Without secure immigration status, survivors can spend years unable to rebuild their lives. That is why the new Guidance Note published last month by GRETA, the expert body monitoring implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT), is so important.

This study finds that immigration detention has negative mental health consequences across a variety of immigration detention facilities and detainee characteristics. Recommendations based on findings are presented, including eliminating child detention, imposing upper limits to the duration of adult detention, improving mental health screening pre-detention, and providing evidence-based psychological care during detention.