This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“the Act”) and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 30 November 2022.
Introduction
Slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking (Modern Slavery) are issues of increasing global concern affecting all sectors. Modern Slavery is fundamentally unacceptable within our business and supply chains and is an important element in our overall approach to business and human rights. Cavanna Homes is committed to ensuring that all of its business dealings are carried out in full compliance with relevant laws and, in doing so, we endorse the implementation and promotion of ethical business practices to protect workers from being abused and exploited.
About our business
Cavanna Homes is a family business that builds homes across the South West of England. Our business is based is Devon and currently employs over 100 staff from our headquarters in Torquay and approximately a further 300 contractors on sites across the South West.
We have always placed great importance on working with local people to help design developments that not only help to meet local housing need but also deliver wider benefits to the community.
Policies
We treat all of our stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, subcontractors, business partners and customers in a fair and respectful manner and uphold all basic human rights. We have implemented the following procedures to assist with the identification of Modern Slavery risks and to prevent slavery and human trafficking in our operations.
- Direct, Agency and Temporary Employment Practices
We do not employ any person below the age of 16 in any of our business operations, including on our sites. As a reputable UK business, we ensure that as a minimum we comply with all relevant employment legislation, including legislation upholding minimum pay levels, legally mandated benefits, working conditions and working hours.
We expect all agency providers to be able to satisfy us that staff all have written employment contracts and are legally able to work within the UK.
- Our Suppliers and Subcontractors
All of our suppliers and subcontractors are either UK entities or are UK offices of large international companies. Additionally, the majority of the goods we buy are produced either in the UK or in jurisdictions that have well established frameworks to protect workers from abuse and exploitation.
Our suppliers and sub-contractors are required to comply with all relevant anti-slavery legislation and our Modern Slavery policy, expressed in this Statement. Failure to comply with legislation and / or this Statement will result in the termination of all live contracts.
We do not support the sale and use of materials that have been obtained or manufactured from an illegal or unauthorised source.
- Whistleblowing
Our staff and sub-contractors are encouraged to remain vigilant to unethical practices and we have whistleblowing procedures in place for the reporting of concerns. - Training and awareness
We provide training for senior management and other key employees in procurement and our HR teams, and awareness is raised for all employees through internal communications channels.
Assessment of effectiveness in preventing Modern Slavery
We understand that Modern Slavery risk is not static, and we will continue our approach to mitigating this risk in the year ahead. In order to assess the effectiveness of the measures taken to minimise the risk of Modern Slavery we will keep our practice and procedures under review.
Approved by the Group Board
Date: 19th January 2023
Signed by: S Murray, Director
