Catholic Action to End Modern Slavery
ACAN program and activities
ACAN entities participate in a modern slavery risk management program focused on risks to people in supply chains and operations.
Major activities of the network are listed below.
Team-building
A core principle of ACAN is to share resources and experiences, and to leverage participant purchasing power to identify and manage modern slavery risks. This enables resources to be used more effectively and on initiatives that will have the most impact.
It also ensures a consistent approach across participating entities which leverages the total market for at-risk goods and services .
Teaching and learning
Targeted training for board members, staff, procurement teams, suppliers, key external stakeholders and the community have been developed. Tailored education programs are also being developed and rolled out including a resource database, face-to-face training, and online training via a purpose-built learning management system.
Policy and documentation
ACAN tools and resources can be adapted to meet the needs of each participating entity including policy, contract specifications, codes of conduct, reporting tools etc. These help to embed modern slavery risk management in systems and processes and provide a consistent approach across ACAN participants and within specific industry sectors such as health and aged-care, schools and universities, social and community services, finance and investment.
Risk assessments
Identifying modern slavery risk in operations and supply chains is fundamental to any risk management program.
ACAN participants monitor modern slavery risk profiles of their suppliers and major spend categories. The profiles are based on a proprietary Category Risk Taxonomy which is based on best available information on industry sectors and commodities at-risk of modern slavery.
Action planning
Ending modern slavery is about undertaking real action on the ground.
Catholic entities participated in a collaborative action planning workshop in July 2019 that identified key actions to address modern slavery risks and gaps. While many of the actions are being addressed through ACAN, individual entities are also implementing actions specific to their organisations or sectors.
The Catholic entities’ Modern Slavery Action Plan provides important input into each organisation’s Modern Slavery Statement.
Modern Slavery Statements
Modern Slavery Statements must be prepared by all entities with an annual consolidated revenue of over $100 million, including not-for-profit organisations.
ACAN participants are provided with the tools, training and resources to prepare Modern Slavery Statements.
A compendium of ACAN Modern Slavery Statements is submitted to the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Register annually.