Many of the people we support in our modern slavery services were targeted by traffickers due to some kind of vulnerability. This could have been a lack of education, poverty, an unstable background, or simply the desire to escape a lack of opportunities at home.

These vulnerabilities are exacerbated by the trauma of exploitation, and they often arrive at our safe houses and outreach programmes with anxiety, low self-confidence, and unsure of how to navigate their futures.

One of our goals at Causeway is to help the people who come to us remain resilient to re-trafficking, and this means being able to move forward with their lives with confidence and independence.

So, as well as our services which focus on the practical needs of survivors, such as legal support, secure accommodation, accessing healthcare, we also offer an emotional support package known as LifeLink.

These weekly sessions support male and female survivors with their holistic needs, and focus on the smaller everyday issues they face. The sessions, which cater for parents with children, as well as single adults, focus on communication skills, building community, raising confidence, and learning new skills.

LifeLink coordinator Hope Johnson said: “One of the things we noticed amongst our male service users was they kept mentioning struggling to cook for themselves since arriving in the UK. They said they had never been shown how to, because in their various cultures, men simply didn't cook.

“A lot of them wanted to learn for themselves, so we decided to start hosting cooking lessons. We show them things which they can make at home easily and cheaply, and after the class they eat together and chat, which is lovely to see as many don't get the chance to socialise much, and it really boosts their confidence, and gives them something to look forward to.”

You can help us run these LifeLink sessions by donating here:  https://causewaycharity.enthuse.com/Donate#!/