Is your organisation Disability Confident?
The Disability Confident scheme supports employers to recruit and retain disabled people.
It also helps identify those employers who are committed to inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
The scheme has 3 levels designed to support employers on their Disability Confident journey, these are:
- Disability Confident Committed (Level 1).
- Disability Confident Employer (Level 2).
- Disability Confident Leader (Level 3).
All employers join the scheme at Disability Confident Committed (Level 1), and progress through the levels to achieve the one that’s right for their organisation.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we’re uniquely placed to guide organisations through the accreditation process from Levels 1 to 3. We can conduct a gap analysis, provide targeted recommendations, and support the implementation process.
Benefits
- Supports organisations recruit, retain and develop disabled people.
- Creates an inclusive working culture – show disabled candidates and employees that you are actively recruiting and developing disabled talent.
- Clear and practical guidance on planning and implementing actions, activities and best practices
- Get clear advice on evidencing the actions and activities.
- Tap into our knowledge, skills, and industry insight
- Benefit from objective feedback: we can identify and address challenges, blind spots and unconscious bias within the organisation.
- We take the time to learn about your business goals and provide tailored advice to the specific challenges your business faces.
Our Process - Level 1 - 3
Level 1 - exploratory
Level 1 is the exploratory and micro-implementation stage and includes a half-day workshop to explore the scheme’s five commitments, covering:
- Ensuring your recruitment process is inclusive and accessible.
- Communicating and promoting vacancies.
- Offering an interview to disabled people.
- Anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required.
- Supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work.
A half-day consultancy to identify and plan the implementation of one action:
- Work experience.
- Work trials.
- Paid employment (permanent or fixed term).
- Apprenticeships.
- Job shadowing opportunities.
- Traineeships.
- Paid internships and supported internships.
- Student placements.
- Sector-based work academy placements.
Level 2 - Self-Assessment
We can facilitate the self-assessment process to become a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2). We will work with you to test your business against the core statements, actions, and activities needed to achieve Level 2 Disability Confident Accreditation.
Our work involves:
- Analysis of your existing policies and practices (through scoping interviews with staff and analysis of policy documents).
- Highlight gaps in existing policies and practices
- Advice and guidance on actions required to meet each of the criteria required to achieve Level 2 Accreditation.
- Advice and guidance on planning and implementing actions, activities, and best practices.
- Guidance on evidencing each criterion required.
- Review of Level 2 self-assessment application before submission with verbal & written feedback.
- Identification of areas requiring further improvement to facilitate progress to Level 3 Accreditation.
Level 3 - External Validation
As a Disability Confident Leader, we can validate the self-assessment and confirm that you are delivering against all of the core actions as a Disability Confident Employer.
Who is it suitable for?
HR and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion teams that require a ‘hands-on’ approach.
Delivery
- Remotely or Face to Face.
- Timescale to be agreed on depending on size of the organisation.
- The average project timescale is 3 months.
The process has helped us pinpoint areas of good practice and areas for improvement. From constructive advice and support to creative, practical, and innovative solutions, they have assisted us in taking Hachette forward as a Disability Confident Employer. We’re working to put these recommendations in place, to ensure all employees at Hachette can thrive..
