To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assistance his Department is providing to the London borough of Hillingdon to support the borough's role in caring for trafficked children. (313059)

My ministerial colleague, the Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, met officials from the London borough of Hillingdon in March last year to discuss work they are undertaking on child trafficking at Heathrow airport in partnership with officers from the Paladin Team. It is for each local authority to provide services to meet the needs of their local population, including the needs of children who may have been trafficked. To support local authorities the Government published multi-agency guidance targeted specifically at safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children who may have been trafficked in December 2007. This contains a comprehensive strategy to improve the identification and safeguarding of child victims of trafficking. Furthermore, in 2009 DCSF also published revised guidance on sexual exploitation and children missing from care and young runways guidance, which include details of how services must work to protect children from trafficking.