This Statement has been prepared for the purpose of Section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It sets out the position and steps taken by We Are With You (WithYou) to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to its activities, and to help prevent modern slavery and human traffi cking in its business and supply chains. We recognise that slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking are serious crimes committed across the UK, in which victims are exploited for someone else’s gain. We have a zero tolerance approach to these crimes. Where people who use our services are suspected of being the victims of modern slavery or traffi cking, they will be supported and encouraged to contact the relevant agencies and take the necessary actions to break free.
WithYou is a charity registered in England, Wales and Scotland. We are governed by our Articles of Association and our objects are to prevent dependency by providing treatment and rehabilitation and relieving poverty or sickness among those affected by addiction. In pursuing these purposes, we also provide a range of mental health support services.
During 2024/25, we employed over 1,700 staff, delivering services from approximately 50 locations across England and Scotland. During the year we worked with over 100,000 people, ranging from young children to older adults. We recognise that many of our clients are very vulnerable and we work to ensure that all our staff members are aware of the dangers that people who use our services face. Our Board of Trustees has overall responsibility for ensuring this Statement complies with our legal and ethical obligations, and that it is reviewed on an annual basis. Management is responsible for raising awareness and implementing the relevant policies.
Our supply chain includes clinical supplies, utilities, IT and technology, consumables, pharmaceuticals, support services, consulting and professional services. We procure our products and services from predominantly domestic suppliers. When evaluating a supplier, we take into account a number of factors including and not limited to: social value, the environment and achieving best value for our organisation. While we rely primarily on domestic markets , we recognise that certain lower-wage sectors within our supply chain (such as facilities support, utilities, and consumables) carry inherent risks of exploitation , including indirect recruitment fees or debt bondage. To proactively mitigate these risks, we are committed to reviewing and improving our due diligence processes to ensure we meet high professional standards and utilise technology in order to assist us in ethical hiring and partnerships.
We carry out person-centred, individual, risk assessments to inform the support and clinical treatment delivered to all who use our services. The risk assessment includes safeguarding, which encompasses the risk of clients being exposed to modern slavery, alongside risk management plans and liaison with other agencies where necessary. Where there are indicators that an individual may be a victim of modern slavery or human traffi cking, staff will follow safeguarding procedures and, where appropriate, support referrals through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM)1. Referrals may be made by authorised First Responder Organisations, including local authorities, police forces, and designated charitable organisations, in accordance with UK Government guidance. We will continue to ensure staff are aware of the NRM and relevant referral pathways so that individuals can access appropriate support and protection.
In alignment with our corporate Risk Management Policy and accompanying Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), risk management is an organisation-wide mandate. Modern slavery risks, like all risks identifi ed in our organisation, will be integrated directly into our centralised Risk Register or local risk registers, where appropriate. Risks associated with fi nancial impacts, regulatory compliance, and partner vulnerabilities are proactively assessed, monitored, and escalated through our formal management tiers to ensure appropriate oversight and swift mitigation. Furthermore, under our Quality Management Systems Policy (aligned with ISO 9001:2015 principles), we treat risk identifi cation as a driver for continuous organisational improvement. We combine desk-based research, contract management, incident reporting, and safeguarding protocols to ensure our risk management actions remain dynamic, responsive, and robust.
We regularly review and update our policies to ensure they refl ect the law and applicable best practice. Our current policies and guidance with direct relevance to modern slavery and employee responsibilities include:
To ensure our ethical standards extend beyond our internal operations, we actively apply our Due Diligence Policy to our procurement pipelines. This policy establishes a framework for vetting and assessing third-party organisations before entering into formal partnerships. As part of this due diligence process, we evaluate:
We operate an in-house learning and development platform. All of our staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training for adults and children. Additionally, our frontline staff complete targeted e-learning modules that incorporate the Care Certifi cate standards - which explicitly include modern slavery awareness and risk identifi cation - and those of other regulatory bodies such as the Care Quality Commission and the Scottish Social Services Council. Our policies and SOPs are widely disseminated and centrally stored, meaning staff are aware and easily able to access policies and the accompanying guidance and SOPs.
As an equal opportunities employer, WithYou has a rigorous recruitment process. Our recruitment practices include ‘right to work’ checks for all prospective employees. This ensures we maintain an assured overview of those entering our employment and helps prevent the occurrence of forced or involuntary labour.
During 2024-25, we reviewed our procurement practices and processes to establish an effective supplier management framework. This ensures we remain fully compliant with the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act, the Equality Act, and the Human Rights Act throughout our supplier base. As a result of that review, new policies and practices have been embedded within the organisation which seek to enhance our supplier selection processes and our active management of them. These practices assist us in ensuring our suppliers meet the standards we require of them. In alignment with our ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Framework and its focus on systemic improvement, we monitor our progress against the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of our anti-slavery actions:
These KPIs are reviewed annually by senior management to ensure that our operations remain highly vigilant, practical, and effective.
To further strengthen our approach to preventing modern slavery and human traffi cking, With You is committed to reviewing and improving its approach, this includes:
This Statement constitutes our Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement for the financial year ended 31 March 2026. It was approved by the Board of Trustees on 12 June 2026.
James Angus Pow
Chair of Trustees