Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement 2026 to 2027

Introduction

This is the Council’s Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement for 2026/27. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our relationships and activities, to preventing opportunities for modern slavery from occurring within our operations and supply chains, and to safeguarding people who receive our services and may be at risk of exploitation.

The Council recognises that modern slavery is a serious and growing issue both within the UK and globally. As a local authority, we have a responsibility not only to ensure that public money does not inadvertently fund exploitation, but also to identify and support victims through our statutory services.

This statement supports and complements the London Borough of Barnet Modern Slavery Strategy 2024 to 2027 (PDF 0.3Mb), which sets out our borough‑wide approach to tackling modern slavery through the priorities of Prevent, Protect and Prosecute, in partnership with key bodies.

What is Modern Slavery?

Modern slavery, as defined by the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“The Act), includes the criminal offences of slavery, servitude, compulsory labour and human trafficking. Modern slavery encompasses 1) human trafficking and 2) slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. Modern slavery is a complex crime but can be understood as deception or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This means someone tricking or forcing a person into doing something they wouldn’t do willingly, all for the sake of taking advantage of them (this could be for financial, sexual or other wrong reasons). The most common types of exploitation are labour exploitation, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation or domestic servitude.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires commercial organisations with an annual turnover of more than £36 million to publish an annual statement setting out the steps they have taken to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place within their business or supply chains. While the Council is not legally required to publish a statement under the Act, it has chosen to publish its first Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement to promote transparency, demonstrate ethical leadership, and clearly set out its commitment to tackling modern slavery.

This statement supports the delivery of the London Borough of Barnet Modern Slavery Strategy 2024–27, which establishes a boroughwide, partnership led approach to preventing modern slavery, protecting victims, and supporting the pursuit of perpetrators.‑wide, partnership‑led approach to preventing modern slavery, protecting victims, and supporting the pursuit of perpetrators.

Organisation and supply chains

The London Borough of Barnet recognises the responsibility that comes with its purchasing power and the importance of ensuring that ethical, social and lawful considerations are embedded within all commissioning and procurement activity. The Council is committed to ensuring that its supply chains operate responsibly and that suppliers act in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and all relevant anti‑slavery and human trafficking legislation. This approach is not only to ensure legal compliance, but also to support and safeguard vulnerable people and contribute to making Barnet a safer borough.

Mandatory modern slavery requirements are embedded within the Council’s commissioning, procurement and contract management processes. The Council’s standard terms and conditions require suppliers, in performing their obligations under any agreement, to comply with all applicable anti‑slavery and human trafficking laws, statutes, regulations and codes in force from time to time, including but not limited to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (as amended).

For contracts that meet the relevant financial thresholds, suppliers are required to confirm whether they are required to publish a Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement and, where applicable, to provide a link to their published annual statement as part of the procurement process. This supports transparency and enables the Council to assess supplier compliance with statutory requirements.

Modern slavery risks are considered as part of ongoing contract management arrangements. The Council’s approach to procurement and contract management is aligned with its wider ethical and safeguarding responsibilities and supports the delivery of the Modern Slavery Strategy 2024–27, particularly the prevention of exploitation within supply chains.

Policies and procedures

We have a range of policies, procedures and controls in place to reduce the risk of modern slavery occurring within the Council and to ensure that any concerns are identified and addressed appropriately. These include:

Recruitment and employment practices

The Council operates robust recruitment policies and processes that comply with UK employment legislation. These include pre‑employment checks such as verification of identity and right to work in the UK, references, review of employment history and gaps, and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for relevant roles.

Corporate governance and conduct

Mandatory corporate governance training is in place for employees and those working on behalf of the Council. This includes the Employee Code of Conduct, standards of behaviour, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion requirements. These standards apply to all workers, including agency staff, interims and employees on secondment.

Whistleblowing and raising concerns

The Council’s Whistleblowing Policy enables employees, contractors and others to report any knowledge or suspicion of modern slavery through confidential reporting routes, including a dedicated hotline. This ensures concerns can be raised safely and without fear of reprisal.

Training

The Council recognises the importance of training and awareness in enabling staff to identify and respond to modern slavery. Modern slavery awareness training is available through the Council’s learning management system and supports employees to understand the nature of modern slavery, recognise indicators of exploitation, and follow appropriate safeguarding and reporting procedures. This training sits alongside broader safeguarding training and reflects the Council’s commitment to protecting vulnerable adults and children.

Safeguarding vulnerable adults and children

The Council recognises modern slavery as a serious safeguarding issue. As a local authority, we have a statutory responsibility to protect vulnerable adults and children and to identify, report and respond to concerns of abuse, neglect and exploitation, including modern slavery and human trafficking.

Many Council employees come into regular contact with residents and clients through frontline services such as housing and homelessness, adult social care, children’s social care, education, community safety and regulatory functions. Through these interactions, there is a possibility that staff may encounter individuals who are at risk of or experiencing modern slavery.

The Council operates within established safeguarding frameworks for both adults and children, and modern slavery is embedded within these frameworks. Employees are required to follow safeguarding procedures and escalate concerns promptly through appropriate referral routes. Where there are reasonable grounds to believe that a person may be a victim of modern slavery or human trafficking, referrals are made through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) or, where consent is not provided, via the Duty to Notify process, in line with statutory requirements.

Safeguarding responses are supported by close partnership working with the police, health services, housing providers, voluntary and community sector organisations, and regional and national agencies. The Council’s Modern Slavery Strategy 2024–27 sets out a clear referral pathway, and a partnership led approach to protecting victims, ensuring that individuals are supported in a trauma-informed and proportionate way.‑led approach to protecting victims, ensuring that individuals are supported in a trauma‑informed and proportionate way.