Modern Slavery Act 2015 Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 

Introduction 

This statement sets out Amethyst Care & Support Group's actions to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to its business and to put in place steps that are aimed at ensuring that there is no slavery or human trafficking in its own business and its supply chains. 

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and relates to actions and activities for the financial year 2021-2022. 

As part of the health and social care industry, we recognise that we have a responsibility to take a robust approach to slavery and human trafficking and we continue to take our responsibility very seriously during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Organisational structure and supply chains 

This statement covers the activities of Amethyst Care & Support Group Limited, which operates as a care provider across the UK and works with reputable Registered Providers in order to provide high quality properties via a Supported Living setting for its tenants, who have a variety of support needs including mental health, learning disability, acquired brain injury and physical disability. 

Amethyst currently operates only in England and is absolutely committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in its corporate activities, and to ensuring that its supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking. 

Amethyst sources the provision of its goods and services including the supply of its staff from reputable organisations who share the same work ethics and values as the business. Our anti-slavery policy forms part of our agreements with any suppliers we engage with and we expect high standards of all our suppliers and that they work to all relevant requirements under the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Act. 

Our policies on slavery and human trafficking 

Where the organisation identifies any indications of forced labour, this would be addressed via the internal serious untoward incident process and reported as required. Considering the obligation to report on measures to ensure that all parts of our business and supply chain are slavery free, we continually review our workplace policies and procedures to assess their effectiveness in identifying and tackling modern slavery issues. Our workplace policies and procedures demonstrate our Modern Slavery Act 2015 Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 

commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implement effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains. 

We operate the following policies that describe our approach to the identification of modern slavery risks and steps to be taken to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations; namely, 

• Whistleblowing policy- We encourage all our workers, customers and other business partners to report any concerns related to the direct activities, or the supply chains of, our organisation. This includes any circumstances that may give rise to an enhanced risk of slavery or human trafficking. Our whistleblowing procedure is designed to make it easy for workers to make disclosures, without fear of retaliation. 
• Safer Recruitment policy- We use only specified, reputable employment agencies to source labour and always verifies the practices of any new agency it is using before accepting workers from that agency. 
• Equal Opportunities policy 
• Anti-Bribery policy 
• Corporate Gifts and Hospitality policy 
• Professional and Personal Boundaries policy 
• Dignity at Work policy 
  

All our policies are reviewed annually to ensure they adhere to both statutory and regulatory requirements. 

Due diligence 

As part of our initiative to identify and mitigate risk we: 

• We have implemented a risk assessment to identify potential areas of required improvement, this is monitored regularly to maintain compliance. 
• We will work closely with our suppliers to ensure that they have taken all reasonable measures to comply with the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Act 
• We are committed to confronting this crime through effective due diligence and risk assessment, raising awareness of modern slavery and collaborating to protect the most vulnerable groups of people. 
• Operate and promote a Whistleblowing policy, providing an open, transparent and confidential opportunity for employees to raise any concerns where slavery or human trafficking might be suspected. 
• Provide an additional open communication with Company Chief Executive Officer, Tom Parramore supported by the Senior Leadership and HR Teams. 
  

We have in place systems to: 

• Identify and assess potential risk areas in our supply chains. 
• Mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring in our supply chains. 
• Monitor potential risk areas in our supply chains. 
• Protect whistle blowers. 
• Investigate any reports of modern slavery practices. Should any such practices be proven, Amethyst Care & Support Group Limited will terminate applicable contracts accordingly. 
  

We have zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking. To ensure all those in our supply chain including contractors comply with our values we have in place a supply chain compliance programme. 

• The percentage of suppliers who sign up to an appropriate code / provide their own modern slavery statements. 
• We will remove any supplier or organisation from our supplier list should any reports of modern slavery be notified. 
• Our Recruitment Policy includes verification of Right to Work Eligibility, DBS checks and UKBA (UK Border Agency) compliance ensuring that we safeguard against human trafficking and forced labour. 
  

Training

We require senior managers and HR professionals within our organisation to complete training on modern slavery. In addition, to ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we provide awareness training to all staff via the Induction process. 

This covers the following areas: 

• how to assess the risk of slavery and human trafficking in relation to various aspects of the business, including resources and support available; 
• how to identify the signs of slavery and human trafficking; 
• what initial steps should be taken if slavery or human trafficking is suspected; 
• how to escalate potential slavery or human trafficking issues to the relevant parties within our organisation; 
• what steps our organisation should take if suppliers or contractors do not implement anti-slavery policies in high-risk scenarios, including their removal from our supply chains. 
  

Amethyst has reported no instances of modern slavery during 2020.

This statement was approved on 29th April 2021 by our Board of Directors, who review and update it annually.