Modern slavery
statement 2024.

Ethical practice is at our core.

This statement sets out the steps that Wellburn Care Homes has taken and is continuing to take to ensure that modern slavery or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain.

Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. Wellburn Care Homes has a zero- tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery and human trafficking. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within the business or our supply chains.

We are a care home provider providing care to 503 Residents, with 613 number of staff at 15 locations. We work with the following local authorities:

Northumberland

East Riding

City of York

North Yorkshire

Sunderland

Newcastle

Gateshead

Wellburn Care Homes implements its business strategy in an ethically, socially and environmentally responsible manner. We fully acknowledge our responsibility to respect human rights as set out in the International Bill of Human Rights. The IBHR informs all of our policies related to the rights and freedoms of every individual who works for us, either as a direct employee, agency worker or indirectly through our supply chain. We are also committed to implementing the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights throughout our operations. Respect for the dignity of the individual – and the importance of each individual’s human rights – form the basis of the behaviours we expect in every workplace nationally.

We will not accept any form of discrimination, harassment or bullying and we require all of our managers to implement policies designed to increase equality of opportunity and inclusion for all employees including agency workers. We have also developed and implemented policies and processes which are intended to extend these commitments through our supply chain.

Policies.

We have several internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business ethically and transparently. These include:

Human Rights policy and our Ethics Policy where we confirm that we will not tolerate or condone the abuse of human rights within any part of our business or supply chains and will take seriously any allegations that human rights are not properly respected

Whistleblowing Policy, aimed principally at our employees but also available to others working in our supply chains which encourages staff to report any wrongdoing which extends to human rights violations like Modern Slavery. All reports will be fully investigated and appropriate remedial actions are taken and we will work closely with social care and health providers ensuring that our policies and procedures dovetail with local procedures and best practice

A robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees to safeguard

Employee Code of Conduct consistent with any professional codes of conduct

Direct Communication.

The Company encourages members of the public or people not employed by us to write, in confidence, to raise any concern, issue or suspicion of modern slavery in any part of our business.

Suppliers.

We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to become a preferred supplier. We include an online search to ensure that particular organisations have never been convicted of offences relating to modern slavery and we include our modern slavery policy as part of our contract with all suppliers. Suppliers are required to confirm that no part of their business operations contradicts this policy. As part of our contract with suppliers, they confirm to us that:

1. They have taken steps to eradicate modern slavery within their business

2. They hold their suppliers to account over modern slavery

3. For UK based suppliers, they pay their employees at least the national minimum wage/national living wage (as appropriate) and to ensure that within their supply chains, where UK based suppliers have overseas supply chains, that their employees' pay is consistent with their national minimum wage requirements, working conditions are safe and fair, there is no child labour and working hours are not excessive

4. We may terminate the contract at any time should any instances of modern slavery come to light

This Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement has been approved and authorised by:

Susan McKinney, Director of Operations, Wellburn Care Homes

25th October 2024