Introduction by the Chairman, Joanne Hindle
This statement, made pursuant to section 54 (1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, sets out the approach taken by Shepherds Friendly to understand & minimise the potential risk of modern slavery in our business or supply chain.
What is modern slavery?
Modern slavery or sometimes called Human Trafficking is an international crime, affecting around an estimated 21 to 45 million people around the world. It is a growing global issue that transcends age, gender and ethnicities. It includes victims who have been brought from overseas and vulnerable people in the UK, who are forced to illegally work against their will across many different industry and service sectors.
About Shepherds Friendly Society
Shepherds Friendly Society is a modern mutual specialising in the provision of savings, investments and protection policies and is authorised and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority.
Our Commitment to the Principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015
Shepherds Friendly has a zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking. We aim to conduct our business in an ethical and transparent manner.
Our suppliers are primarily UK based providers of goods & services. Due to the nature of our business and supplies, as well as our approach to governance, we consider our risk of slavery and human trafficking to be very low. However, we continue to periodically review the effectiveness of the relevant policies and procedures that we have in place.
Our internal policies & procedures are:
- Supply of Goods and Services
Any purchasing activity must adhere to all applicable UK laws and regulations and all applicable European laws, directives and regulations. The application of European legislation may potentially change after Brexit. - Staff
Our Corporate Social Responsibility policy reiterates our commitment to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and ensuring that we run our business with integrity, protecting the interests of our members and staff.
The Society’s recruitment and people management processes are designed to ensure that all prospective members of staff are legally entitled to work in the UK and to safeguard staff from any abuse or coercion once in our employment.
The Society’s dignity at work policy allows staff to raise concerns about harassment or bullying. We also operate a whistleblowing policy so that all staff know that they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated.
This statement will be reviewed and updated annually.