Statement on Modern Slavery

Safer London is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee which operates across Greater London, with links outside the capital. Our mission is to create lasting change by preventing violence and exploitation from negatively impacting young Londoners, their families, peers and communities.

Modern slavery is a real problem for millions of people around the world, including many in developed countries, who are being kept and exploited in various forms of slavery. Every organisation is at risk of being involved in this crime through its own operations and its supply chain.

At Safer London we have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity, and we are fully committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our own operations and in our supply chain.

As an organisation working with young Londoners, families and communities impacted by exploitation we may through the course of our direct practice encounter incidences of modern slavery and our policies and procedures around safeguarding, whistleblowing and recruitment are critical underpinnings of a robust, safe and ethical response.

Our approach

As an employer which strives for equity, we are committed to creating and ensuring a non-discriminatory and respectful working environment for our employees. We want all our employees to feel confident that they can expose wrongdoing without any risk to themselves.

Our recruitment and people management processes are designed to ensure that all prospective employees are legally entitled to work in the UK and to safeguard employees from any abuse or coercion.

We do not enter into business with any organisation, in the UK or abroad, which knowingly supports or is found to be involved in slavery, servitude and/or forced or compulsory labour.

We have not been made aware of any allegations of human trafficking/slavery activities against any of our current suppliers, but should we become aware of this we will act immediately against the supplier and report the allegations to the appropriate authorities.

Policies

Modern slavery is hard to detect and is often hidden in plain sight even within seemingly legitimate industries. By its nature, we recognise that there are risks of modern slavery in our supply chains for all types of goods and services. This risk is considered low, however, due to our relatively small-scale supply chains and in light of the controls and systems that we have in place to manage these. However, a risk does remain, and the policies and procedures outlined below help us mitigate this:

Whistleblowing Policy – we encourage all employees, service users and suppliers to report any suspicion of slavery or human trafficking without fear of retaliation and this policy allows them to do so in confidence.

Code of Conduct and Behaviours Framework – our code of conduct and behaviours framework encourage employees to do the right thing by clearly stating the actions and behaviours expected of them.

Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy and Procedures – we have protocols in place to ensure that appropriate checks are carried out when seeking out new suppliers or entering contracts which will help us identify possible issues of concern.

Procurement Policy and Procedures – this sets out the checks required of any potential supplier to help us identify any issues of concern.

Supplier due diligence

We require all suppliers to confirm that:

• they don’t use any form of forced, compulsory or slave labour;
• they meet or are working towards meeting the Living Wage criteria;
• their employees work for them of their own free will and are entitled to leave their job at any time;
• they provide each employee with an employment contract that contains a reasonable notice period for terminating their employment;
• they don’t require employees to post a deposit/bond and don’t withhold their salaries for any reasons;
• they don’t require employees to surrender their passports or work permits as a condition of employment;
• their sub-contractors and supply chain meet the same criteria.
  

Awareness

Safer London ensures that all its employees and volunteers are aware of this issue by sharing this Statement with them and publishing it on our external website.

Employees working directly with young Londoners and families are encouraged to look for any signs that they may be the victims of modern slavery – including as part of a County Lines operation – and to take appropriate actions to safeguard any such child or young person.

*Last Updated January 2024