Modern slavery commitment

The Forward Institute is a Not for Profit organisation with a small team of people, based in London. We work with Senior leaders across private, social and public sectors to develop responsible leadership. Our supply chains are modest in scale and primarily consist of ICT and office supply providers, and building and venue service providers.

We value and respect the human rights of every individual, everywhere. We're committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking, expecting the same of our associates, suppliers and partner organisations, acting in accordance with the expectations laid out in the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

We expect any and all members of the Forward Institute to report any concerns relating to slavery or human trafficking to our Director of People, Finance & Operations or any other director. Any concerns raised will be duly investigated with action taken as necessary. These expectations are also echoed in our Supplier Code of Conduct.

Due diligence

In practice, this includes reviewing supplier contracts to ensure ethical clauses are in place, conducting periodic check-ins with key service providers, and assessing any new suppliers prior to engagement. Any concerns identified are raised with our Head of People, Finance & Operations and escalated where appropriate.

We commit to taking all reasonable efforts to ensure slavery and human trafficking isn't taking place with any companies we work with.

Managing risk

The Forward Institute team should be made aware of possible signs of exploitation that may be indicative of slavery, forced labour or human trafficking offences, including:

  • spotting signs of physical or psychological abuse, such as lacking self-esteem, seeming anxious, bruising or untreated medical conditions;

  • restricted movement – victims may not be allowed to travel alone and may not be in possession of their passport;

  • poor standards of living, hygiene or a lack personal belongings;

  • unusual behaviour or distrust of authorities.

Effectiveness

As a small organisation, we recognise that our approach to tackling slavery and human trafficking will evolve over time. We assess our effectiveness primarily through the quality of our relationships with suppliers and the openness of our reporting culture - ensuring that anyone with a concern feels able to raise it without hesitation. We commit to reviewing this on an ongoing basis, reflecting on any concerns raised, actions taken, and whether our supplier relationships and contractual protections remain appropriate.

  • Contracts - when securing contracts with substantial suppliers, the team should operate in an ethical, auditable, transparent way, paying attention to potential areas of exploitation in the supply chain. The Forward Institute reserves the right to terminate any supplier agreement if there's any slavery or human trafficking involved.

  • Reporting - we take all allegations of slavery and human trafficking seriously and any allegations of slavery and human trafficking can be raised in accordance with our Whistle Blowing Policy.

Training

We ensure all members of the Forward Institute team receive guidance on identifying and responding to signs of slavery and human trafficking, and ethical suppliers. This includes awareness of the indicators of exploitation set out in this statement, and clarity on how to report concerns through our Whistleblowing Policy. We are committed to reviewing and strengthening this guidance on an ongoing basis.

Ongoing commitment

We believe the principal areas that are likely to carry material risks in our area of operations are:

ICT/office supplies and building/venue services such as cleaning, catering and security. For the latter, we commit to periodic check-ins with our service providers as we renew contracts. However, to ensure we're successful in preventing slavery or human trafficking in any of our supply chains, we'll continually review relationships with all suppliers and will assess any concerns of slavery or human trafficking on a case-by-case basis. Material concerns should be raised for attention on our Risk Register.