Greater Manchester combined authority

Project Details

Client : Greater Manchester combined authority (GMCA)

Partners: The university of Manchester, Align, GMCA

Objective: Improve understanding of partnership strengths and areas of development. Embedding survivor perspectives in policy and practice across Greater Manchester's response to modern slavery and human trafficking

Duration: 9-months

*Photo credit Causeway Charitable Services*

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Valuing lived experience as a catalyst for meaningful change and smarter outcomes

"Including a Lived Experience Consultant transformed our review from theory into real-world impact. Jane's involvement shaped our objectives, informed our methods, and challenged our assumptions—ensuring survivor realities guided every decision. With Align Ltd's ethical inclusion framework, we embedded safeguarding, reflective practice, and co-analysis throughout the process.
The result was a review that not only delivered deeper insight into modern slavery and migration challenges but also produced recommendations that genuinely respond to people's needs. This approach proves that meaningful LEC engagement isn't just ethical—it drives smarter, more human-centred outcomes."

Dr. Jon Davies - Programme Director, BA Global Social

Challenge

Addressing gaps in partnership effectiveness through authentic survivor inclusion

The GMCA commissioned The University of Manchester to assess how local partnerships address modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT). The review sought to evaluate the effectiveness of coordination and identify new ways to improve outcomes for victims and survivors.

While Greater Manchester's partnership model was strong, there was growing recognition that closer integration of survivor perspectives could help shape a wider partnership vision or strategy at the city-region level.

Without such inclusion, research and recommendations risked being detached from the complexities survivors face when navigating exploitation, migration, and housing vulnerabilities.

Our Approach

Integrating survivor consultancy at every stage for deeper, real-world insights

To address this, The University of Manchester engaged Align Ltd, a consultancy specializing in survivor engagement and human rights innovation. Align identified and supported Jane Lasonder, A senior consultant with extensive lived and learnt experience.

Jane contributed at every stage of the review—from setting objectives and shaping methodology to analysing findings and co-authoring recommendations. Her input grounded the team's investigations into the lived realities behind policy and partnership decisions, adding depth to analyses of how national legislation such as the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and Illegal Migration Act 2023 impacts survivors at local level.

Research methods combined partnership interviews, data reviews, and social network analysis. The integration of lived experience within this framework ensured that survivor voices informed not only ethical considerations but also the interpretation of evidence and the design of future actions.

The Impact

Transforming partnership review ethics and outcomes with survivor engagement

Involving a Lived Experience Consultant meaningfully improved the ethical quality, impact, and integrity of the review. Survivor engagement:

Enhanced the emotional and ethical connection across research and partner discussions.
Strengthened the real-world applicability of findings and recommendations.
Reinforced collaboration between statutory, voluntary, and academic partners.
Created a tested model for integrating survivor voice into regional strategy and evaluation work.

Through facilitation by Align, this collaboration set a new benchmark for ethical co-production in anti-slavery research. By uniting academic rigour with survivor insight, the review delivered a more holistic understanding of Greater Manchester's partnership landscape—helping ensure future decisions are grounded in both evidence and lived reality.