Provide Modern Slavery Act Statement 2026
What is this statement about?
Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires all organisations to set out the steps they have taken during the financial year to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any of its supply chains and in any part of its own business.
This statement relates to the financial year ending 31st March 2027.
This statement is published on the Provide website and will be reviewed and updated annually
About us
Provide CIC is an employee-owned Community Interest Company (CIC) that meets the turnover threshold set out in Section 54 and is therefore required to publish this statement.
Along with our subsidiary companies and with 16 lead brands, we deliver a broad range of health and social care services in the community and are committed to ensuring they are safe, responsive and high quality. We provide services across the whole of the UK, serving a population of more than 15 million people. We employ more than 1,800 people, including a wide range of medical, nursing and allied health professionals and support colleagues.
Our commitment to the prevention of modern slavery and human trafficking
Provide fully supports the objective to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking and as such we are committed to ensuring there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or any part of our business activity. We have therefore set in place a range of processes and procedures to ensure we pursue good practice and have taken all reasonable steps to prevent slavery and human trafficking.
Our arrangements to promote good practice and prevent modern slavery and human
trafficking
We have robust policies and procedures in place that underpin our practices to ensure we
prevent modern slavery across our operations including:
• Freedom to Speak Up (Whistleblowing) Policy HRPOL1
• Dignity at Work Policy and Procedure HRPOL30
• Grievance Policy and Procedure HRPOL15
• Inclusion and Diversity Policy and Procedure HRPOL23
• Engagement of Contractors and Agency Workers Policy BICPOL01
• Workforce Solutions Staffing Bank Policy HRPOL27
• Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy SGPOL02
• Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Abuse Policy SGPOL07
• Domestic Abuse Policy SGPOL08
• Safer Recruitment – We follow safer recruitment practices including confirming the identities of all new employees and their right to work in the United Kingdom and undertake where applicable DBS checks and health clearance checks to ensure fitness to practice
We distribute our policies to all colleagues using a system of meta-compliance, or other process for non-CIC employees, which require employees to confirm they have received and read the policies thereby ensuring robust distribution and high compliance with policy delivery.
Training that Underpins our Practice
We have a Freedom to Speak up Guardian and we raise awareness with employees at
Induction and through a range of communication channels to encourage them to speak
up and raise concerns related to our direct activities, the supply chain or other areas.
• Our safeguarding training and policies include modern slavery and human trafficking
awareness and provide guidance for colleagues on how to spot and report suspected
cases.
• The organisation’s modern slavery training covers:
– how to assess the risk of slavery and human trafficking in relation to various aspects of the business, including resources and support available
– how to identify the signs of slavery and human trafficking
– what initial steps should be taken if slavery or human trafficking is suspected
– how to escalate potential slavery or human trafficking issues to the relevant parties within the organisation
Our Sub-Contract Supply and Procurement Process
• We procure goods and services from a range of providers varying from small one-off purchases to large service contracts.
• We recognise the role we play in ensuring our suppliers are also committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking and we ensure we source our supplies from reputable companies.
• To engage temporary workers, we ensure we use reputable employment agencies to source labour, and we verify the practices of any new agency used before accepting workers from that agency.
• We aim to continue to develop our expertise and approach to managing our supply chains to ensure they too prioritise the prevention of trafficking and human slavery.
Risk Assessment
• Recruitment is a low risk as we do not (at present) actively recruit from abroad and we ensure employees are recruited in line with the full NHS and CQC standard employment checks.
• Supply chain and contracts are a low risk as we predominantly purchase supplies from NHS supply chains and through reputable organisations where prevention of modern slavery is recognised and included in contract clauses and through operational delivery of those suppliers.
While Provide considers the risk of modern slavery to be relatively low, it recognises that risk can never be eliminated and therefore maintains ongoing vigilance.
Performance Indicators
• We require all newly recruited employees to complete corporate induction in their first month with the organisation, where they will receive safeguarding training which includes information on modern slavery as well as information on how to raise a freedom to speak up concern.
• We require all employees to undertake safeguarding refresher training at regular intervals in line with training identified for their role.
During the past year Provide has
• Reviewed the Freedom to Speak Up Policy to ensure it remains fit for purpose and reflects information about modern slavery.
• Reviewed the Freedom to Speak Up, Grievance, Inclusion and Diversity, Workforce Solutions
Bank, Safeguarding Children and Young People, Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Abuse, and Domestic Abuse Policies to ensure they remain fit for purpose and reflect best practice.
• Continued to raise employee awareness through induction and safeguarding training.
Board Approval
This statement has been approved by Provide’s Board.