We have received national recognition from the Local Government Association for our work tackling modern slavery
Earlier in the year, we submitted a case study to the Local Government Association (LGA), the case study highlighted, ‘effective internal structures and work with external partners to tackle modern slavery’.
The LGA have now published the document which highlights the good work that councils are undertaking to try to tackle and prevent modern slavery as well as support for potential victims. We are just one of two councils in Yorkshire who have been recognised in the publication for this strand of work.
Who do we currently work with to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking?
To tackle modern slavery and human trafficking we currently work with:
- West Yorkshire Police
- Mark Burns-Williamson OBE, West Yorkshire Police & Crime Commissioner
- West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service
- Visa and Immigration
- Hope for Justice
- Gang masters Labour and Abuse Authority (GLAA)
- Health – Locala, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust; The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust; Greater Huddersfield CCG; North Kirklees CCG.
- Probation Services
Councillor Shabir Pandor, Leader of Kirklees Council, said:
“I’m extremely delighted to see the brilliant work of the council and its partners being recognised by the Local Government Association. When it comes to partnership work, we believe here at Kirklees Council that we are stronger when we share our knowledge, skills and resources, and we will continue to work with our partners, for the wellbeing of Kirklees residents, and to build an inclusive economy that everyone can positively contribute towards and benefit from.”
Working in partnership with West Yorkshire Police
Working in partnership with West Yorkshire Police, we have run eight modern slavery awareness sessions which have been attended by 249 people throughout 2019. The aim of these sessions are for delegates to understand what modern slavery/human trafficking is, state the signs and indicators of both and understand the National Referral Mechanism.
Detective Inspector Damian Simpson, Kirklees Safeguarding Unit, said:
“Modern slavery and human trafficking is a largely hidden crime and the work which is ongoing in partnership with Kirklees Council and other agencies is allowing us to tackle this crime and educate members of the public how they can help us do this.
Anti-slavery day is very important for us and partner agencies to continue to push the message as far and wide as possible, helping people know the potential signs, within the communities. By knowing the signs of modern slavery and human trafficking, we can help highlight this issue and prevent and protect the lives of victims.”
Councillor Carole Pattison, Cabinet Member for Learning, Aspiration and Communities, said:
“We recognise that to tackle modern slavery it is vital to share information with our partner organisations and we continuously evaluate how we can improve on this. Modern slavery can take many forms and we are working hard to identify and prevent the many methods of human exploitation. I would like to thank the staff here at the council who work exceptionally hard to make Kirklees a safer place to live.”
Can I view the case study?
The case study, which was chosen to feature in LGA’s latest publication, can be viewed online. Friday 18 October is Anti-Slavery Day which provides an opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery, and encourage government, local authorities, companies, charities and individuals to do what they can to address the problem