The LGA has produced new guidance on tackling modern slavery
Modern slavery is a heinous crime that blights our communities and exploits some of the most vulnerable people in society.
Tackling modern slavery is a key area of focus for the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, which I chair, and in my own authority, Enfield London Borough Council, where we have set up a dedicated modern slavery team to focus on the issue.
The LGA has recently published an updated ‘Council guide to tackling modern slavery’. This replaces the original LGA and Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner council guide from 2018, and is supported by a ‘maturity matrix’, a framework for councils to assess their current progress and plan future activity on modern slavery.
These documents are fully accessible and supplement our 2019 ‘Councillor guide to tackling modern slavery’.
“There is a need for clarity on support victims are entitled to”
As well as general sections on modern slavery, the guide is split into targeted sections for officers working in different council services, including children’s services, adult social care, housing, community and regulatory services, and procurement.
The ‘maturity matrix’ identifies four progress levels: basic first steps; early progress; substantial progress; and mature practice.
The first two sections focus on the leadership, resources and capacity needed to manage modern slavery work across a council effectively. Subsequent sections focus on the three broad themes of council activity highlighted in the LGA guidance: identifying, referring and supporting victims; disruption and prevention; and mitigating the risk of modern slavery in council supply chains.
I am sure these will be helpful documents for all councils, and I would encourage you to share them with the relevant teams within your council. The maturity matrix may also be a useful benchmark for your own council’s work on this issue.
This year, we are expecting significant developments in the Government’s work to tackle modern slavery.
In last May’s Queen’s Speech, the Government announced that it would bring forward a Modern Slavery Bill. This has not been published yet, but when it is, it will be a priority piece of legislation for the LGA and we will ensure we engage with it as it progresses through Parliament.
It is expected to bring councils within the scope of the existing requirement to produce a ‘transparency in supply chains’ statement, which sets out the measures organisations have taken to tackle modern slavery risks in their supply chains.
The Bill is also expected to clarify in domestic law the support to which victims of modern slavery are entitled, something in which the LGA will take a close interest.
There is a need for clarity, and therefore consistency, on what support victims are entitled to. However, we are aware that councils have never received dedicated funding to support victims of modern slavery, and we will continue to make the point to Government that there are real challenges for under-pressure services supporting victims of modern slavery without additional capacity for this.
Alongside the Bill, we are expecting an updated modern slavery strategy from the Government.
We anticipate that this will outline the Government’s expectations of modern slavery partnerships, and the LGA has been working with the Government on what councils would like to see in the strategy.