Family Welfare is committed to preventing modern slavery and human trafficking and to promoting the safety, dignity and wellbeing of everyone who uses our services and works with our organisation.
As a charity providing counselling and advocacy services, we recognise that people who experience modern slavery, human trafficking, exploitation, coercion or abuse may face significant barriers to seeking help. Individuals may be particularly vulnerable due to fear, isolation, financial dependency, threats, trauma or lack of access to appropriate support.
Our commitment
Family Welfare has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and exploitation. We are committed to ensuring that concerns are recognised, responded to appropriately and escalated to the relevant services where necessary.
Our staff are expected to remain alert to indicators that a service user may be experiencing exploitation or modern slavery. Where concerns are identified, staff follow our safeguarding procedures and consider the individual’s immediate safety and support needs.
Where a concern is beyond the level of support that Family Welfare can safely provide, we will work with or refer to the appropriate statutory or specialist service. This may include safeguarding services, the Police, health services or specialist organisations supporting victims of trafficking and exploitation. Any action taken is appropriately documented, including relevant referrals, advice received and actions agreed.
Safeguarding and support
Modern slavery concerns are considered as part of our wider safeguarding responsibilities. Staff receive safeguarding training and are expected to understand their responsibilities for identifying and reporting concerns.
Our Clinical Governance Working Group provides oversight of safeguarding and quality assurance activity. Learning from safeguarding concerns, incidents, audits and reviews is used to strengthen practice, staff training and organisational procedures.
We also recognise the importance of providing people with information about where they can access further support. Where appropriate, service users are provided with information about relevant statutory and specialist services.
Staff and volunteers
We expect all staff, volunteers and people working on behalf of Family Welfare to act ethically, respectfully and in accordance with our safeguarding policies and procedures.
Concerns about modern slavery, human trafficking, exploitation or unsafe working practices can be raised through our internal safeguarding and reporting procedures. Concerns will be taken seriously and appropriately investigated or referred.
Our ongoing responsibilities
Family Welfare will continue to:
- Maintain appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures relating to abuse, exploitation and modern slavery.
- Provide staff with appropriate safeguarding training and opportunities to refresh their knowledge.
- Promote awareness of the indicators of modern slavery and exploitation.
- Ensure safeguarding concerns are appropriately recorded, escalated and referred.
- Review safeguarding learning through our clinical governance arrangements.
- Work with relevant statutory and specialist agencies where concerns are identified.
- Ensure that service users are treated with dignity, respect and without discrimination.
- Review our approach regularly to ensure that it remains appropriate to the services we provide.
Family Welfare is committed to creating an environment in which people feel safe to disclose concerns and where potential exploitation is recognised and responded to appropriately.
