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Trussell Trust
Case Study Details
Client : Trussell Trust
Sector: NGO
Services: Food bank
Functions: Safeguarding
Duration: Ongoing
Challenge
​Food banks are often one of the first community touchpoints for individuals at risk of exploitation, yet staff and volunteers typically lack structured tools, training, and confidence to identify and respond to modern slavery concerns. Trussell needed a comprehensive approach to build awareness, strengthen safeguarding responses, and ensure informed, survivor-centred action when signs of exploitation are identified.
Our Approach
Working closely with Trussell’s safeguarding and learning teams, Align developed a multi-layered training and support model that integrated seamlessly with existing branding and communication channels. The training package included interactive video content, facilitator guides, and digital and face-to-face learning options designed to embed recognition and practical response into everyday foodbank operations.
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An annual action plan — combining webinars, in-person sessions, and refreshed learning materials — supports continuous improvement. All content is reviewed annually to address evolving threats, reflect lived experience insights, and align with performance indicators monitored by safeguarding leads and the board.
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To help volunteers move from awareness to action, we introduced a dedicated support line for team leaders, providing live tactical advice when encountering potential signals of exploitation. This direct link complements monthly safeguarding meetings that assess emerging risks and manage cases identified through the training. Collaborative partnerships with police, NGOs, and statutory agencies ensure survivor-centred outcomes and robust case management.
The Impact
Over three years, 85 individuals have been safeguarded from exploitation through the partnership. Hundreds of volunteers have been empowered to spot and share signs of modern slavery within their communities, strengthening the foodbank network’s role as a national early-warning system.
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In 2024, Trussell food banks saw a 750% increase in indicators identified by front-line workers in communities all over the UK, compared to 2023. This equates to one potential victim identified every seven days, compared to once every 60 days previously. Cases were reported across England, Scotland, and Wales, spanning forced labour, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and domestic servitude, across sectors such as care, car washing, hospitality, and organised crime.
Participation in the support line doubled that year, highlighting its growing importance as a practical safeguarding tool.
Looking Ahead
Align and the Trussell Trust continue to build on this partnership, deepening the integration of modern slavery awareness within core training and volunteer engagement. Future updates will further embed survivor-informed design, strengthen data-driven evaluation, and expand capacity across the foodbank network — keeping more people safe from harm and reinforcing the vital safeguarding role of community-based support.