Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2024/25

Published in accordance with Section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015

Financial Year Ending: 31 March 2025

About Changing Lives

Changing Lives is a national charity supporting people facing some of the most challenging circumstances. We work across areas including homelessness, recovery, women’s services, criminal justice, and employability. As a values-driven organisation, we are committed to creating inclusive, safe, and empowering environments for the people we serve and our staff.

Our Commitment to the Modern Slavery Act 2015

Having recently exceeded the £36 million turnover threshold, Changing Lives now falls within the scope of Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We are committed to upholding the principles of the Act and to developing a transparent and effective approach to identifying and addressing the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chains.

We recognise that we are at the early stages of developing a mature and embedded response, and this first statement reflects the beginning of our journey. We are committed to improving our practices year-on-year.

Organisational Structure and Supply Chains

Changing Lives operates across the UK, delivering services through a range of commissioned and charitable projects. Our supply chains primarily involve UK-based providers in areas such as property maintenance, staffing (including zero-hour and agency workers), IT, facilities, and professional services.

We assess the direct risk of modern slavery in our operations as low, but we recognise that risks may arise through sub-contractors, staffing agencies, and services involving manual or low-paid labour.

Policies in Relation to Modern Slavery

We have developed a Modern Day Slavery Policy which outlines our zero-tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking and sets expectations for our staff, contractors, and suppliers. This policy is supported by related policies and procedures, including:

Safeguarding Policy
Whistleblowing Policy
Recruitment and Selection Policy
Code of Conduct
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy

Our safeguarding responsibilities are particularly robust given the vulnerability of the individuals we support, including survivors of sexual exploitation, people with lived experience of the criminal justice system, and those in crisis.

Assessing and Managing Risk

We are in the early stages of developing a framework for risk assessment, including:

Mapping of suppliers and identifying high-risk areas
Reviewing supplier contracts and onboarding processes
Exploring due diligence checklists and declarations for suppliers

This will be embedded into our procurement and contract management processes over the coming year.

Due Diligence

At present, we are reviewing and refining our approach to due diligence with suppliers and third parties. This includes:

Developing a supplier code of conduct
Considering modern slavery clauses in new contracts
Encouraging suppliers to provide evidence of anti-slavery measures

Training

We have begun integrating modern slavery awareness into our staff training and induction processes. This includes:

Exploitation training module for all operational staff
Safeguarding awareness sessions
Targeted training for procurement and recruitment teams planned for 2025

Monitoring and Evaluation

We are developing a set of internal indicators and reporting mechanisms to help monitor the effectiveness of our approach, including:

Tracking staff training uptake
Monitoring safeguarding concerns and whistleblowing reports
Reviewing supplier compliance and audit outcomes over time

Approval and Publication

This statement has been approved by the Board of Trustees of Changing Lives and signed by the Chief Executive Officer. It will be reviewed and updated annually and published on our website with a link clearly marked from the homepage.