Modern slavery and human trafficking statement

The council has a range of policies and plans in place that reflect its commitment to acting ethically and with integrity to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations.

These include:

The strategic plan 2020-2024

A key shaping place priority is that Lichfield District is safe and this includes reducing crime and anti-social behaviour and increasing feelings of safety in our communities. In working towards this objective, the council is working, individually and with partner agencies, to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour; using statutory powers to improve public safety, for example, enforcement of licensing requirements; raising awareness of services available; and encouraging victims to report incidents to access the support they need.

Safeguarding policies

The council’s children and adults safeguarding policy sets out the steps the authority is taking to safeguard and protect the welfare of children and adults at risk who come into contact with or use its services and activities. The policy includes the council’s responsibilities in respect of modern slavery and human trafficking and its legal obligation to notify the Home Office of suspected victims of these offences. We have a statutory duty to work in partnership with a number of agencies to identify, refer and respond to suspected abuse and to provide additional support.

Whistleblowing policy

The council encourages all its employees, councillors, contractors, their agents and/or subcontractors, consultants, suppliers and service providers to report concerns about any aspect of service provision, conduct of officers and others acting on behalf of the council. The whistleblowing policy is intended to make it easier to disclose information without fear of discrimination and victimisation.

Code of conduct

The council makes clear to all its employees that there are expected standards of behaviour to which they must adhere when they are representing and acting on its behalf. Employee conduct and behaviour that fails to meet these standards is fully investigated and appropriate action taken.

Recruitment and selection policy

This sets out procedures followed to vet new employees to ensure that confirmation of their identities and qualifications is obtained. To comply with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, prospective employees are asked to supply evidence of their eligibility to work in the United Kingdom. References are sought and followed up for all employees and relevant checks, for example Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, are carried out where relevant to the position.

The council only uses reputable vendors to source agency workers and as part of the procurement, the council verifies the practices of any new agency it is using before accepting workers from that agency.

Anti-money laundering policy

This sets out the council’s commitment to the prevention, detection and reporting of money laundering.

Commissioning and procurement policies

The procurement strategy sets out the aim and guiding principles of procurement activity, including the principles that the council follows in the acquisition of goods, works and services from suppliers. The council is committed to ensuring that its suppliers adhere to the highest standards of ethics. This may include the use of specific tools to assess the level of risk related to modern slavery in the supply base.

Equalities and diversity

Each year we publish an equality statement which demonstrates how we take into account the varying needs of people who live, work or visit our district. In particular our focus is on the nine protected characteristics and demonstrating how equality considerations are embedded in our decision making processes, and how they can influence both our service delivery and employment practices. Our equality & diversity policy sets out our aim to ensure our workforce represents all sections of society, our customers and that each employee feels respected and able to give their best. The principles set out in this policy should be adopted by all contractors, suppliers and partners who work on our behalf.

Procurement strategy

The strategy sets out the council’s approach to procurement of goods and services. There is a specific guiding principle that where appropriate key contractors are required to have safeguarding policies, procedures and training in place, in addition to providing confirmation of compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015