Contents
- Introduction To The Modern Slavery and Exploitation Strategy
- Our Commitment
- What is Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking?
- Vulnerabilities and Risks
- Context and Impact
- Local Trends and Data
- Our Statutory Duties and Obligations
- Our Strategy and Objectives
- Our Partnership Approach
- Governance and Financial Implications
- Modern Slavery Toolkit
- Decision Making Process
- Awareness and Training
- Modern Slavery Partnership Action Plan
- Year on Year Reflection
Our Partnership Approach
Modern Slavery is not inevitable. It is happening here, in the borough of Bexley, tainting the items we buy and impacting our communities and the people in them. No one agency can end modern slavery alone. Every organisation and individual must take responsibility for their part. That’s why we take a partnership and community-focused approach to our prevention, identification, and response to modern slavery.
The London Borough of Bexley Response Group has been recognised as being very proactive and responsive to modern slavery locally, and we continue to do so and improve on our preventative and responsive partnership approach.
To achieve our aims, we need to understand what is happening in our Borough and connect that information with our partners, have robust information sharing and support for staff to intervene and make referrals. We need to spot the signs and connect our information effectively. To do this, we need to ensure there is a central place to hold information and evidence and ensure that this is discussed with our local strategic partnership to bring together a Bexley picture of Modern Slavery. We need to quality assure our response and ensure this is embedded into everyday activity. This is why we collate the data for referrals and notifications made and hold partner strategy and review meetings to improve efficiency, prevention and response to local trends and cases.
We must ensure there is a whole system of understanding of our statutory responsibilities. This means keeping abreast and aware of the national agenda and new emerging laws, policies, and duties, and to ensure consistent and continuous understanding of each partners’ duties and responsibilities in tackling modern slavery. Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking is an organised crime and that means it takes a coordinated effort to tackle it, and greater awareness to uncover it.
The victim, and if appropriate, their parent or guardian, need to be central to the work done. They must be kept informed the whole way through the process and as far as possible, consent and contribute to the steps taken.
The Bexley modern slavery partnership includes: