Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment.

Recommendations

That Cabinet:-

1.    Notethe progressmade todate.

2.    Approve the Modern Slavery Transparency Statement 2024/25 and it is published on the Council’s website.

Consideration was given to the report which provided the annual update in relation to the activities of the Council and its partners, in seeking to both address and prevent modern slavery. The report focussed on actions following the resolution passed by Council to adopt the Co-operative Party Charter against Modern Slavery on the 25 July 2018 and in-particular on actions since the last annual report presented to Cabinet on 20 March 2023.

On the 1 November 2022, the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (OSMB) held a ‘Spotlight Review’ into the Council’s and partners responses to tackling Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in Rotherham. This was supported by a wide range of partners. At the time of submission of the last annual report to Cabinet on 20 March 2023, the findings, and recommendations from the OSMB review had not been received. They were subsequently received, considered, approved and incorporated into the current Modern Slavery Action Plan as seen at Appendix 2.

A recommendation from the OSMB review was for the Council to establish an internal governance group, including representation from services that may encounter modern slavery. A Modern Slavery Steering Group had been established, was chaired by the Head of Service, Community Safety and Regulatory Services and managed the Councils Modern Slavery Action Plan.

Between April 2019 and December 2023, a total of 207 referrals from Rotherham were made by the Council and other First Responder Organisations to the National Referral Mechanism. All referrals were reported to the Safer Rotherham Partnership Board via the Performance Management framework.

Resolved:-

That Cabinet:-

1.    Note the progress made to date.

2.    Approve the Modern Slavery Transparency Statement 2024/25 and it is published on the Council’s website.