Modern Slavery
Statement 2025 to 2026
At Independent Living Fund Scotland (ILF Scotland) we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that there is no form of modern slavery or human trafficking within our organisation or our supply chains and aims to align with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
ILF Scotland conducts its business activity in accordance with our stated core values of ensuring that the interests of disabled people are at the heart of our decision-making processes and that we treat everyone with dignity, trust and respect. We apply these inherent values across our organisation and with all others that we come into contact with.
ILF Scotland is a Non-Departmental Public Body and as such is fully committed to working with organisations, agencies and other bodies to assist the Scottish Government to meet its agreed policy objectives.
Our organisation has adopted a zero tolerance towards slavery and human trafficking and we will endeavour to take all reasonable and pragmatic steps to ensure that it is not present in our core business or with third parties with whom we engage.
During 2026 to 2027, ILF Scotland will continue to review its approach to staff awareness, supplier engagement and risk assessment to ensure ongoing alignment with best practice and emerging guidance.
ILF Scotland supports the worldwide commitment to securing elimination of forced labour.
Established on 1 July 2015, ILF Scotland is a Scottish Non-Departmental Public Body and a company limited by guarantee. We are directly responsible for the assessment and delivery of financial awards intended to support disabled people to live independent lives in their communities.
Based in Scotland, ILF Scotland oversees this commitment across Scotland and Northern Ireland, working closely with Health and Social Care Partnerships and Trusts, together with other agencies, to assess need and to provide appropriate levels of financial support to enable disabled people to live independently.
ILF Scotland employs a wide range of appropriately trained and experienced personnel to carry out the required assessments with disabled people and to determine the necessary requirements to support their independent living goals and objectives.
ILF Scotland aims to adopt and influence new ways of utilising social policy to improve its primary purpose and to secure groundbreaking approaches to managing our workforce.
Key to our organisational successes is a strong commitment to actively engaging and listening to those we support and to those we employ.
Modern slavery describes situations where individuals are exploited and controlled by others for personal or commercial gain, and where they are unable to leave due to coercion, threats, deception, or abuse of power. It includes slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking, as set out under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Modern slavery can occur in any setting, including those considered low risk. While it is more commonly associated with high‑risk industries, UK Government guidance makes clear that exploitation can occur wherever vulnerable individuals are present, and organisations must remain alert to potential indicators.
Human trafficking is one form of modern slavery and involves arranging or facilitating the movement of a person for the purpose of exploitation. Movement can occur across borders or within the same community and victims may not always recognise themselves as being exploited. What distinguishes modern slavery is not distance travelled, but the loss of personal freedom and the presence of control or coercion. Indicators of modern slavery can include restriction of movement, excessive working hours, threats or intimidation, withheld wages or documentation, and an inability to freely leave employment. Recent UK guidance encourages organisations to build awareness of these signs so concerns can be identified and acted upon swiftly and appropriately.
Supply chains are a vital part of ILF Scotland’s operations, and all third-party appointments are made in accordance with Scottish Government procurement protocols. These frameworks include mandatory due-diligence checks on suppliers’ ethical, labour and human‑rights compliance, ensuring that high standards are embedded from the outset. Because we operate exclusively within these frameworks, our exposure to high-risk suppliers is minimal. Nevertheless, we continue to review suppliers where relevant to provide ongoing assurance and to uphold our organisational commitment to ethical and lawful practice.
In line with these expectations, we require all contractors and suppliers to demonstrably meet clear ethical and professional standards and to comply fully with all applicable policy and legislative requirements. ILF Scotland operates within, and is guided by, the practices set out in Scottish Government procurement policy, which further strengthens our approach to responsible supply‑chain management.
ILF Scotland is considered a low-risk organisation due to the following factors:
ILF Scotland adopts a non-tolerance approach to all issues associated with modern slavery and / or human trafficking and this approach is built upon and enshrined within a suite of organisational policies that are regularly reviewed and updated as required.
In keeping with organisational commitment of openness and transparency, all our policies including Anti-Bribery and Corruption are publicly available. We will develop additional support and guidance to our workforce as required.
Our organisational commitment to and adoption of internal and external policy and practice scrutiny will continue to be a mainstay of our attitude to policy practice.
Appropriate action will be determined at that stage. This may include contacting Police Scotland, Police Service of Northern Ireland or the UK Modern Slavery helpline.
Throughout the 2025 to 2026 reporting period, no concerns or incidents relating to modern slavery or human trafficking were raised
This statement was approved by our Board of Directors on 2 June 2026
ILF will continue to regularly monitor the effectiveness of our compliance procedures and where necessary take appropriate corrective steps to address any instances of modern slavery and or human trafficking.
ILF Scotland’s financial year end is 31 March each year. This statement covers the preceding period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. We will aim to publish any revised statement within six months of the financial year end.
You can view an electronic version of this statement on our website: www.ilf.scot.
Signed:
Peter Scott
Chief Executive Officer
