Agenda item

Report of the Director of Law and Governance

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Law and Governance, that had also been considered at the meeting of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee on 3^rd July 2025, on the Coventry Protocol for Addressing Adult Modern Slavery. Appendices to the report provided: the Coventry Protocol for Addressing Adult Modern Slavery; the Plan on a Page; Equality Impact Assessment; Membership of Modern Slavery Protocol Partnership Group; Modern Slavery Protocol Partnership Input Overview; and Modern Slavery and Exploitation Governance Structure. 

The Council had a legal responsibility to address modern slavery under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and the Modern Slavery: Statutory Guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015). Locally, the modern slavery approach was co-ordinated through various subgroups within the Community Safety Partnership. Modern slavery and exploitation were key priorities in the Coventry Community Safety Partnership Plan 2025-2028. The Coventry Protocol for Addressing Adult Modern Slavery (The Protocol) was the first document to formalise the city’s operational and strategic response to adult exploitation.

The Protocol set out the strategic vision for the Coventry Modern Slavery Partnership, the city’s multi-agency forum tasked with determining and implementing the strategic response to adult exploitation. The Protocol also presented the operational pathways to guide frontline professionals through the practicalities of modern slavery case management. 

The Protocol had the following objectives:

•  To present Coventry Modern Slavery Partnership’s local strategic approach to modern slavery via the pursue, prevent, protect, prepare approach as set out by the central government.

•  To present the operational processes for responding to modern slavery in Coventry via the creation of survivor support pathways. The pathways were diverse and aimed to guide staff through every aspect of case management. Some pathways were general for any professional to use, others had been created by and for priority teams (e.g. Adult Social Care, NHS, and Trading Standards).

•  To establish the ongoing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the strategy and pathways.

The Protocol was developed between October 2023 – November 2024 by the Coventry Modern Slavery Protocol Partnership Group. The Group was formed of several Council departments and over 30 partner organisations. The Protocol underwent consultation with over 150 professionals as well as a lived experience advisory panel formed of consultants with personal experience of modern slavery in early 2025. The Protocol was presented to the Coventry Community Safety Partnership Board on 12th of May 2025.

The Protocol would commence at the earliest opportunity following Cabinet approval.

Cabinet also considered a Briefing Note which outlined Scrutiny Co-ordination’s consideration of the report at their meeting on 3rd July 2026 and made recommendations for Cabinet’s consideration. Presentation slides received at the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee were circulated.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

1)  Notes the comments and agrees the recommendations from Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee.

2)  Having considered the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, approves the proposed Coventry Protocol for Addressing Adult Modern Slavery as attached as Appendix 1 to this report.

3)  Requests that Coventry Community Safety Partnership receive quarterly updates on the progress of the Protocol from the Harm and Abuse Reduction Partnership.

4)   Commends the Protocol to Council given its importance, together with the leading and innovative role that Coventry is undertaking in this work nationally.