Coquet Trust Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement 26/27 

This statement is published in accordance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and reflects the UK Government's updated Transparency in Supply Chains guidance issued in March 2025. Coquet Trust is committed to preventing modern slavery and human trafficking throughout our organisation and supply chains

About Coquet Trust 

Coquet Trust is a registered charity set up in 1995 to provide support to people with learning disabilities to enable them to live as independently as possible in their own homes. 

Find out more about Coquet Trust. 

Our commitment

Coquet Trust is committed to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the abolition of modern slavery and human trafficking. 

We recognise that modern slavery can take many forms including forced labour, debt bondage, human trafficking, domestic servitude, criminal exploitation and labour exploitation.

We adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards modern slavery and expect the same standards from all contractors, suppliers, volunteers and partners

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we're committed to creating and ensuring a non-discriminatory and respectful working environment for our staff. We want all our staff to feel confident that they can expose wrongdoing without any risk to themselves. 

Our recruitment and people management processes are designed to ensure that all prospective employees are legally entitled to work in the UK and to safeguard employees from any abuse or coercion. We do not enter into business with any organisation, in the UK or abroad, which knowingly supports or is found to be involved in slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. 

Our supply chains 

Due to the nature of our activities as a provider of support services for people with learning disabilities, we assess our direct risk of modern slavery as low. However, we acknowledge that risks may exist within wider supply chains.

Areas of procurement which may present a higher risk include:

• Agency staffing
• Facilities and maintenance services
• Cleaning and catering services
• Information technology equipment
• Uniforms and other manufactured goods

We seek to work with reputable UK suppliers who share our commitment to ethical employment practices and compliance with relevant legislation. We expect suppliers to maintain appropriate safeguards against modern slavery within their own operations and supply chains.

Our policies in relation to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 

The following policies are available to all staff through the Coquet Trust intranet: 

• Code of Conduct 
• Ethics Policy 
• Whistleblowing Policy 
• Bullying and Harassment Policy 
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy 
• Recruitment and Selection Policy 
• Safeguarding Adults Policy 
• Safeguarding Children Policy (if applicable) 
• Grievance Policy 
• Dignity and Respect Policy

Due Diligence and Risk Management

We seek to:

• Verify the legitimacy of suppliers before engagement.
• Review supplier practices where concerns are identified.
• Undertake right-to-work checks for all employees.
• Promote safe recruitment practices.
• Encourage staff to report concerns through established whistleblowing and safeguarding procedures.
• We review potential modern slavery risks as part of our governance and policy review processes.

Effectiveness and Performance Measures

Measuring Effectiveness:

To assess the effectiveness of our actions, we monitor:

• Completion of mandatory safeguarding training.
• Staff awareness of modern slavery.
• Number of concerns reported through safeguarding or whistleblowing processes.
• Compliance with recruitment and right-to-work verification procedures.
• Policy review and governance activity relating to modern slavery

Embedding the principles 

We will continue to embed the principles through: 

• providing awareness training to staff on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and informing them of the appropriate action to take if they suspect a case of slavery or human trafficking 
• ensuring that consideration of the modern slavery risks and prevention are added to Coquet Trust's policy review process as an employer and procurer of goods and services 
• reviewing modern slavery risks annually; 
• promoting awareness among managers and employees; 
• ensuring safeguarding concerns are escalated promptly; 
• working collaboratively with commissioners and partner organisations to identify and respond to risks

• making sure Coquet Trusts procurement strategies and contract terms and conditions include references to modern slavery and human trafficking 
• continuing to take-action to embed a zero-tolerance policy towards modern slavery 
• ensuring that staff involved in buying or procurement and the recruitment and deployment of workers receive training on modern slavery and ethical employment practices. 

If you believe a person may be a victim of modern slavery or human trafficking, you should:

• Report concerns to your Line Manager.
• Follow Coquet Trust safeguarding procedures.
• Contact the police by calling 101.
• In an emergency where there is immediate danger, call 999.
• Contact the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline on 08000 121 700.
• Submit a report online via the Modern Slavery Helpline website.

The Helpline remains the recognised UK reporting and advice service for modern slavery concerns.