Modern slavery policy

Modern Slavery Statement;

UPDATED: January 2022

1. Introduction

Thrive Childcare and Education Limited are committed to protecting and respecting human rights and have a zero-tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking in all its forms. This statement is made pursuant to Section 54Part 6 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes Thrive Childcare and Education ’s slavery and human trafficking statement. It sets out the steps that we have taken and will take across our management team, development team and general operational activities in relation to slavery and human trafficking.

2. Our Structure

We are a Private Limited Company (Ltd). We have two majority shareholders. We comply with all legislation and governance that a Limited company is required to do.

3. Our Commitment

We recognise that modern slavery is a significant global human rights issue and includes human trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced and bonded labour, some forms of child labour and domestic servitude.

Our commitment starts from protecting and respecting human rights and taking action to prevent slavery and human trafficking in all its forms. We will act ethically and with integrity in all our relationships, and use all reasonable endeavours to take action within our direct operations and our wider sphere of influence to ensure slavery and human trafficking are not taking place. We are committed to continue researching, teaching and raising awareness on modern slavery issues.

4. Modern slavery risks in our supply chain

We buy a wide range of goods and services. These include supplies, furniture and stationery, electronics (computers, audio visual equipment, phones etc.), food and catering supplies, travel services, books and printing. We will act ethically and with integrity in all our relationships, and use all reasonable endeavours to take action within our direct operations and our wider sphere of influence to ensure slavery and human trafficking are not taking place.

We aim to work collaboratively with other likeminded companies and organisations to share information and mitigate risks.

5. Our Policies

Our Human Resources Policies set out our workplace rights. We are rigorous in checking that all new employees have the right to work in the UK. Where it is necessary to hire agency workers or contractors, our staff are directed to specified and reliable agencies through our Partner programme within The Landing.

We adhere to The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and we will whistleblow on any Code of Practice regarding concerns about potential corruption, fraud or other unlawful practices within our industry.

6. Managing risk in our supply chains

We recognise there are risks of modern slavery in the supply chains for all types of goods and services, and that in many cases, whether exploitation is taking place or not is unknown. However, we have also identified some key known risk areas related to our supply chains, highlighted by research and media reports, and are using these tools and procedures to mitigate these risks.

The risk of modern slavery is reported to have marginally increased in the UK and rest of Europe, particularly in relation to migrant workers.

7. Specific steps we have taken to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks

We are working to establish and address any associated risks in our supply chains, working in collaboration with partner organisations and suppliers. We will continue to develop our approach to supply chain monitoring, including undertaking Sustain verifications of relevant direct suppliers.

8. Overseas employment practices

While we have limited HR resources, we work hard to mitigate any risks regarding our employment process and we vet every applicant to ensure they are who they say they are and that they hold the relevant qualifications for the role.   We will continue our work on improving this continually.