Modern Slavery Statement

Last updated: March 12, 2025

Nova House’s primary aim is to provide care to children/young people in an environment that is as close to a usual family home as possible – there are no arbitrary rules and there is no ‘red tape.’ We seek to treat each child/young person as a unique individual who is valued, worthy of trust and deserving of a chance to develop in our care. The children/young people we care for are held in unconditional positive regard and are proactively supported to have new experiences and opportunities.

Skylight Children’s Care Homes is dedicated to ensuring that our business and supply chains are free from slavery. We recognise that modern slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labor, and human trafficking are severe violations of numerous human rights and freedoms. As such, we are committed to putting policies in place to prevent these practices in our organisation.

In line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, Skylight Children’s Care Homes provides the following statement about the actions taken during the current financial year to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking within our business and supply chains. We all share the responsibility to remain vigilant about potential risks, no matter how minor they may be.

Skylight Children’s Care Homes provides social care services in the residential, educational, and fostering sectors, offering placements for children and young people. We are based in the city and currently employ 5 members of staff. Our operations are regulated by law, with compliance assessed and audited by Ofsted (England), the Care Quality Commission, and the Care Inspectorate (Wales). Additionally, Compass employs a Group Head of Compliance who oversees quality, governance, and compliance throughout the organisation. The Group also has an externally chaired Safeguarding Board that reports to the main board.

The Company (Skylight Children’s Care Homes) currently operates in England and Wales, United Kingdom.

This statement covers the business activities of Nova House Limited and its subsidiaries which include Skylight Children’s Care Homes.

Responsibility for the Skylight Children’s Care Homes anti-slavery measures and reporting is as follows:

Policies: Managing Director

Annual report and Accounting: Managing Director

Overseen by Ofsted and committed to best practices, we maintain the highest standards in our recruitment process. Our hiring practices are primarily conducted internally, supported by our rigorous recruitment and compliance procedures. Should we engage external agencies, they are required to comply with Skylight Children’s Care Homes recruitment standards. We encourage any staff members who have concerns about modern slavery, human trafficking, unethical behaviour, or any situation that makes them uncomfortable to take action and vocalise concerns by discussing it directly with their manager, contacting the HR Team or the Managing Director. The most common indicators of forced labour include:

  • Exploitation of vulnerability
  • Intentional Misrepresentation or Deception
  • Limitation of freedom of movement
  • Social isolation
  • Physical and sexual threats
  • Use of intimidation and threats
  • Withholding of identification documents
  • Non-payment of wages
  • Debt bondage
  • Unsuitable working and living conditions
  • Excessive working hours

To foster a thorough understanding of the risks associated with modern slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chains, the Company offers a thorough training programme that includes topics such as modern slavery, child sexual exploitation (CSE), and child criminal exploitation (CCE). Employees also have access to our online training materials. Additionally, all staff are informed about resources available at www.modernslaveryhelpline.org and can reach the helpline at 08000 121 700 for support.

Skylight Children’s Care Homes is committed to ethical practices and recognizes the importance of conducting due diligence in evaluating modern slavery and human trafficking within its operations and supply chains. The Company carries out due diligence when sourcing new suppliers and routinely assesses its current suppliers. This process involves fostering long-term relationships with suppliers while clearly communicating our expectations to our business partners. We anticipate that our suppliers will demonstrate their policies and practices in alignment with their Modern Slavery Statement. Non-compliance with these expectations may result in the termination of the business relationship.

If unethical behaviour is discovered, we will implement all necessary measures to rectify the situation, including:

  • Financial restitution
  • Related policy revisions
  • Improvements to training and skill development
  • Referring potential victims to government resources
  • Offering emotional support to affected individuals
  • Assisting investigations by appropriate authorities

We will persist in offering training and improving our policies and procedures to help us identify, prevent, and mitigate any risks of modern slavery or human trafficking related to our operations and both existing and new external suppliers.

This statement has been given approval by the Managing Director on 12th March 2025.

This statement has been signed by Benjamin Vale, Managing Director of Skylight Children’s Care Homes.                                                                               

Benjamin Vale
Managing Director
12th March 2025