Modern Slavery Statement

1. Our commitment

Hope for the Future has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking. We are committed to acting ethically, responsibly and with integrity in all of our activities and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place anywhere within HFTF or within our supply chains.

We recognise our responsibility to be alert to the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking, however low those risks may be, and to take appropriate steps to prevent, identify and address them. We are also committed to making our expectations clear to our suppliers, partners and other organisations we work with.

Although Hope for the Future is not currently required to publish a modern slavery statement under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we have chosen to adopt and publish this statement voluntarily as part of our ethical approach. This statement will be reviewed and updated annually and published on our website.

2. Organisation structure and activities

Hope for the Future is a UK-based charity working to support effective climate advocacy and policy engagement. Our operations are based in the UK, and our workforce consists of directly employed staff and, where necessary, temporary staff engaged on freelance contracts or through recruitment agencies.

We carry out appropriate employment checks, including verifying that all staff have the legal right to work in the UK. We are committed to paying at least the Living Wage and to providing fair terms and conditions of employment in line with UK employment law and good practice.

3. Supply chains

Our supply chains are relatively limited and primarily UK-based. They include providers of professional services, training, IT and digital services, office facilities, events, communications, and other operational goods and services. Where we use third-party suppliers, we seek assurance that their employment and labour practices meet our standards and align with our commitment to preventing modern slavery.

4. Policies and governance

We are committed to reviewing and strengthening our related policies and documents following the approval of our procurement policy, to ensure they clearly demonstrate the robustness of our approach to identifying and reducing the risk of modern slavery.

Our policies apply to

• all staff members, trustees and volunteers (hereafter referred to as staff);

• consultants, contractors and anyone acting on behalf of HFTF (hereafter referred to as representatives);

5. Risk assessment and management

Given the nature of our activities, we consider the overall risk of modern slavery within HFTF and our supply chains to be low. However, we recognise that modern slavery can occur in all sectors and supply chains, and we do not consider ourselves immune to risk.

We take a proportionate, risk-based approach to assessing and managing potential modern slavery risks, focusing in particular on:

• the use of third-party suppliers and contractors;

• recruitment and employment practices;

• supply chains involving outsourced or temporary labour.

6. Due diligence

As part of our commitment to preventing modern slavery, Hope for the Future will:

• require suppliers of goods or services with a value of more than £5,000 to demonstrate that they have taken appropriate steps to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains, for example through relevant policies, statements or contractual assurances;

• include modern slavery provisions in partnership and supplier contracts;

• review suppliers’ compliance where concerns are identified;

• take appropriate action where risks are identified, which may include working with suppliers to improve practices or, where necessary, terminating relationships.

7. Awareness of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Slavery

We are committed to raising awareness of modern slavery among our staff. We will:

• provide updates to staff on relevant policies and procedures;

• ensure staff involved in procurement, recruitment and partnership management understand the risks of modern slavery and how to identify and report concerns;

• promote a culture in which concerns can be raised safely and without fear of detriment.

8. Reporting concerns

Staff, volunteers, suppliers and partners are encouraged to raise any concerns related to modern slavery or human trafficking. Concerns may be reported through line management, HR, or via our whistleblowing arrangements [insert link] All reports will be taken seriously and investigated appropriately.

9. Effectiveness and review

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to preventing modern slavery. We will keep this statement under review, monitor the effectiveness of our policies and procedures, and update our practices as necessary to reflect changes in legislation, guidance and best practice.

List of linked policies