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Annual Modern Slavery Statement published


 12/05/20

Cardiff Council has published its annual modern slavery statement, setting out its commitments to ensuring modern slavery and human trafficking have no place in its business and supply chains.

 

The annual statement was signed by Council Chief Executive, Paul Orders, and the authority'sAnti-Slavery and Ethical Employment Champion andCabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance, Cllr Chris Weaver, on May 1, which wasInternational Workers Day.

 

The statement is incorporated within theCouncil's over-arching Corporate Safeguarding Policy, which sets out its duty and commitment to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of children, young people and adults at risk and to ensure that effective practices are in place throughout the Council and its commissioned services. It outlineswhat the Council has achieved to date to tackle modern slavery and commitments it is making to manage and minimise the risk of slavery or trafficking occurring within its day to day operations.

 

Cllr Weaver said: "Cardiff Council spends £430m annually with over 8,000 suppliers who provide goods and services to us and while more than  99% of our spend is with UK-based companies, we recognise that our supply chains spread across the world, and there is a risk that parts of the supply chain could be engaged in modern slavery.

 

"We're committed to doing everything we can to minimise that risk and by working with our suppliers and partners, we can raise awareness of Modern Slavery to prevent it from occurring.

 

"There is no typical victim of modern slavery and some victims do not even understand they are being exploited and are entitled to help, so it's essential then that our own staff do understand the issue, know how to spot incidences and know what to do to help victims of exploitation. This is another key strand of the work we're doing to safeguard vulnerable people.

 

"By signing this statement, we are committing to keep this issue high on our agenda to ensure modern slavery and human trafficking have no place in the business and operations of Cardiff Council."

 

Cardiff became thefirst public body to sign the Welsh Government's Code of Practice: Ethical Employment in Supply Chains in 2017 and is fully committed to providing visibility to the annual Modern Slavery Statement and ensuring transparency in supply chains.

 

The Council's progress includes an ongoing review of supply chains to identify high risk areas and the development of its Socially Responsible Procurement Policy. Modern slavery training has been developed for all staff via an online module to help raise awareness, ensure employees understand their duty to notify if they suspect cases and how to report them.

 

The 2020/21 statement sets out how the Council will continue to identify any high risk suppliers and monitor for human rights abuses and unethical employment practices, as well as seek opportunities to further engage suppliers to encourage transparency in the supply chain. The Council is also committed to sharing learning and best practice across its services as well as with other public sector bodies.

 

To read the Modern Slavery Statement for 2020/21, please visit: https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/Business/Tenders-commissioning-and-procurement/social-responsibility/Modern-Slavery/Documents/Modern%20Slavery%20Statement%20Apr2020-21%20Signed.pdf