WALSALL HOUSING GROUP LIMITED modern slavery statement summary (2021)

Organisation address
100 Hatherton Street,
Walsall,
WS1 1AB

We asked the organisation a series of questions about its modern slavery statement. Its answers are published on this page as a statement summary.

This statement provides information for 5 of 6 recommended topics

What is a modern slavery statement?
UK law requires certain organisations to publish an annual modern slavery statement on their website, setting out the steps they are taking to address modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains. Read more in the government guidance on publishing modern slavery statements.
Link to full statement
Go to full modern slavery statement on organisation’s website

PDF version of the statement (optional)

There is no PDF version of this statement.

PDF statements were first introduced to the registry for the 2023 statement year.

About this statement summary

All answers relate to the financial year covered by the statement. The organisation is responsible for all the information it provided. Some of our questions are optional, so organisations may not have answered all of them. The statement summary does not replace the full modern slavery statement – below we provide a link to the full statement on the organisation’s website.

Contents

Organisations covered by the statement

WALSALL HOUSING GROUP LIMITED modern slavery statement for 2021 is a group statement covering 7 organisations. See the full list of organisations covered by this statement

Statement period and sign-off details

The statement covers the following period:
1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021

The statement was signed off by:
Danielle Oum (Chair of the whg Board)

It was approved by the board (or equivalent management body) on:
27 May 2021

Recommended topics covered by the statement

Government guidance encourages organisations to cover a range of topics in their modern slavery statements, setting out the steps they’re taking to address modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains. Read about the recommended topics in the statutory guidance.

We asked the organisation to tell us which topics its statement covers.

Topics recommended by government guidance Organisation’s response
The organisation’s structure, business and supply chains Covered
Policies Covered
Risk assessment Covered
Due diligence (steps to address risk) Covered
Training about modern slavery Covered
Goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of the organisation's actions and progress over time Not covered

The organisation’s sectors and turnover

Sectors

The organisation operates in the following sectors:

  • Charitable / not-for-profit activities
  • Construction, civil engineering and building products
  • Consumer services, including accommodation, hospitality, tourism and leisure

Turnover

Its turnover in the financial accounting year of this statement was:

£100 million to £500 million

If the organisation is a public body, this amount is based on the organisation’s budget for the year of the statement.
What does 'turnover' refer to in group statements?
If this is a group statement, this includes the total turnover for all the organisations covered by the statement.

Number of years producing statements

The organisation has been producing modern slavery statements for the following number of years:
More than 5 years
How does this work for group statements?
If the statement is for a group of organisations, this answer applies to the organisation with the longest history of producing statements.

Policies (optional)

We asked the organisation whether its policies include the following provisions in relation to its domestic and international supply chains, as well as its own operations.
Organisation’s response
The organisation did not answer this question.

Training (optional)

We asked the organisation whether it provided training on modern slavery, and who it was for.
What counts as training?
We explained that by ‘training’ we meant anything designed to increase knowledge and skills around identifying, addressing or preventing modern slavery risks. This could range from formal training courses to broader awareness-raising activities such as workshops or webinars.
We asked who the training was for Organisation’s response
Your whole organisation No
Your front line staff No
Human resources No
Executive-level staff Yes
Procurement staff No
Your suppliers No
The wider community No
Other
Colleagues with safeguarding responsibilities

Monitoring working conditions (optional)

Engaging with others

We asked the organisation to tell us who it engaged with to help monitor working conditions across its operations and supply chains.
Organisation’s response
The organisation did not answer this question.

Social audits

We asked the organisation to tell us about any social audits it used to look for signs of modern slavery.
What are social audits?
A social audit is a review of an organisation’s working practices from the point of view of social responsibility, and should include an evaluation of working conditions in the organisation’s operations and supply chains. By their nature, audits of supplier workplaces represent a snapshot in time.
Organisation’s response
The organisation told us it did not carry out any social audits during the period of the statement.

Grievance mechanisms

We asked the organisation how workers in its operations or supply chains could raise concerns or make complaints.
We asked if workers could raise concerns this way Organisation’s response
Using anonymous whistleblowing services, such as a helpline or mobile phone app Yes
Through trade unions or other worker representative groups Yes

Other ways of monitoring working conditions

We asked the organisation whether it had any other ways of monitoring working conditions across its operations and supply chains:
Organisation’s response
The organisation did not answer this question.

Modern slavery risks (optional)

Warning Identifying modern slavery risks is a vital step towards eradicating it. The government encourages organisations to be as open and transparent as possible, to improve understanding, collaboration and best practice around tackling this worldwide problem.
We asked the organisation to describe up to 3 priority risks it focused on during the period of the statement, including details of the affected workers, the activity involved, and the location.

Priority risks for this organisation (1 of 3)

In our supply chains - modern slaves could be employed by our suppliers or contractors
Questions we asked about this risk Organisation’s response
Where it was most likely to occur Organisation’s response: Within your supply chains.
  • Tier 2 suppliers
    Provide products and services to your organisation via your Tier 1 suppliers.
  • Tier 3 suppliers and below
    Provide products and services to your organisation via your Tier 2 suppliers or the next higher level in the chain.
Who was it most likely to affect Organisation’s response:
  • Women
  • Migrants
  • Refugees
In which country Organisation’s response: United Kingdom
Actions or plans to address this risk Organisation’s response: Our Procurement Team manages risks through supplier sourcing and selection processes in accordance with Public Contracts Regulations 2015, and ongoing contract management. We have in place a supply chain compliance programme which includes: • Questions on compliance within tender selection questionnaires • Incorporation of terms requiring adherence to the Modern Slavery Act into contracts • Due diligence of existing contractors to achieve assurance

Priority risks for this organisation (2 of 3)

In our homes - our homes could be used to house the victims of modern slavery
Questions we asked about this risk Organisation’s response
Where it was most likely to occur Organisation’s response: Within your own operations.
Who was it most likely to affect Organisation’s response:
  • Women
  • Migrants
  • Refugees
In which country Organisation’s response: United Kingdom
Actions or plans to address this risk Organisation’s response: Robust sign up process for new tenants including background & ID checks. We investigate allegations of tenancy fraud, which could be a sign of slavery/trafficking. Majority of our homes are in Walsall, we understand our neighbourhoods & have partnership links with Police, Local Authority and other local agencies, with data sharing arrangements in place. Our Anti-Money Laundering Policy mitigates risk of homes being used to house victims or being sold to criminals to house victims.

Priority risks for this organisation (3 of 3)

Through our recruitment activities - the risk is that we recruit modern slaves to vacant positions
Questions we asked about this risk Organisation’s response
Where it was most likely to occur Organisation’s response: Within your own operations.
Who was it most likely to affect Organisation’s response:
  • Women
  • Migrants
  • Refugees
In which country Organisation’s response: United Kingdom
Actions or plans to address this risk Organisation’s response: All recruitment is managed by our experienced and professionally qualified, in-house HR Team who ensure robust pre-employment checks, incl. proof of eligibility to work in UK, employment references, and DBS checks. We do not engage casual workers and do not operate zero hours contracts. We only use reputable recruitment agencies, required to demonstrate their modern slavery policies. Mechanisms in place to support staff include Safeguarding Policy, Safeguarding Officers, Whistleblowing Policy,

Indicators of forced labour (optional)

We asked the organisation whether its statement refers to finding any International Labour Organization (ILO) indicators of forced labour.
What are ILO indicators of forced labour?
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has produced a list of the most common signs of forced labour. They’re based on the definition of forced labour as ‘all work or service which is extracted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.’ More details and guidance are available on the ILO website, and in their publication ILO indicators of forced labour
Organisation’s response
The organisation told us its statement does not refer to finding any International Labour Organization (ILO) indicators of forced labour.

Demonstrating progress (optional)

We asked the organisation how its statement demonstrates progress over time in addressing modern slavery risks. They provided the following answer:
We have introduced further controls: Introduction of enhanced standard question for contract tenders with an obligation to notify us of any non-compliance; Procurement Policy updated to be more explicit about contractor/supplier obligations of contractors and suppliers; Standard consultancy appointment terms and conditions updated to include Modern Slavery; & Begun investigating contract management software which provides certification that contractors are complying with Modern Slavery Act.