Developing and Implementing a Modern Slavery Core Outcome Set (MS-COS)

This research aims to help survivors of modern slavery to recover from their experiences, by improving how we collect and analyse data from programmes that work to support survivors.

We know that survivors of modern slavery experience serious and long-term health, social, and economic consequences. We know much less about what works to help survivors recover from their experiences. This holds back efforts to improve services for survivors of modern slavery. This is an important problem for survivors, as well as for the professionals delivering the services and the policymakers deciding what services to commission and pay for.

If we want to understand what works to support the recovery of survivors of modern slavery, we first need to agree on what recovery means and how it should be measured - i.e. what are the core outcomes and indicators of recovery? We then need researchers and professionals to agree to collect data on the same outcomes and indicators. Doing this means that we can compare the effectiveness of different programmes and services.

This is what we will do during this project, by developing a Modern Slavery Core Outcome Set (MS-COS). The MS-COS will set out a minimum standard set of outcomes that should be measured and reported when assessing the effectiveness of programmes that support survivors. Items included in the MS-COS will have been identified as important to the recovery of survivors of modern slavery.

They will also have been prioritized for inclusion by survivors, service providers, researchers, and policymakers.

This project builds on methods developed by the COMET initiative, which brings together people interested in the development and application of agreed and standardized sets of outcomes, known as "core outcome sets". The project is divided into two phases:

(1) In phase one, we will identify possible recovery outcomes and indicators. We will do this in three ways. First, we will examine previous research, to identify the outcomes that they measured.

Second, we will interview survivors of modern slavery about what recovery outcomes are most important to them. In particular, we will want to speak to survivors who have been under-represented in previous research. Third, we will hold a workshop with survivors, professionals, academics, and policymakers, to discuss outcomes of interest together.

(2) In phase two, we will prioritize outcomes and indicators for inclusion in the MS-COS. First, we will use an e-Delphi to ask people to rate the importance of outcomes and indicators. In a Delphi study, multiple rounds of questionnaires are sent to panels of experts.

The anonymous responses are combined, and shared with the panels after each round. Panelists are allowed to change their answers after each round, based on what they think about the group responses. This study will use a two-round, three-panel online Delphi.

Our three panels will be made up of survivors, professionals and policymakers, and academic researchers. Second, we will bring together survivors, professionals, academics, and policymakers in a consensus workshop to discuss, vote, and agree on the final MS-COS.

Alongside this, we will be doing work to raise awareness of the MS-COS and embed it into research and practice, including through our national and international links with academics, practitioners, and policymakers, and a new group, called a "community of practice".

The project is led by Dr Sian Oram, at King's College London, who has over ten years' experience of collaborating with survivors, professionals, policymakers and other academics to conduct modern slavery research. Members of the research team (from Uni. Nottingham, Uni.

East London, Helen Bamber Foundation, and Survivor Alliance) have expertise in research, practice, and clinical care in relation to the recovery of survivors of modern slavery; survivor leadership and engagement; and expertise in core outcome set development.