ROYAL Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) has maintained its status among the top 600 organisations leading disability inclusion work.
RBFRS has retained its role as a Disability Confident Leader, extending its status for another three years as one of 20,000 member-organisations.
The fire service is a Level Three Leader, ranking among the top 600 of those in the scheme.
Organisations given accreditation must demonstrate work to include disabled people and validated by an existing organisation in the programme.
Status must be maintained through resubmission of their work every three years.
Among the work carried out by RBFRS is its participation in Leonard Cheshire’s Change100 scheme, aimed at providing opportunities for university students with disabilities, as well as the provision of a Neurodiversity Handbook to provide staff to guide them on how to support neurodiverse people.
It also works with partner organisations to guide policy reform to reduce institutional barriers faced by those with disabilities.
RBFRS became a member of the Disability Confident scheme in 2018, graduating to the second level of the scheme in 2019.
It gained Disability Confident Leader status, the highest level of the scheme, for the first time in 2021.
Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, said: “Many congratulations to our Member, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which has once again achieved “Leader” status in the Disability Confident Scheme. RBFRS provides a comprehensive range of support for employees which is fantastic to see. The many and varied ways in which they are seeking to attract more disabled candidates demonstrates genuine commitment, and a great deal of thought has gone into creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process.
“We love the clarity of the Candidate Guide and the commitment to making bespoke arrangements for disabled candidates wherever possible. We particularly commend the range of collaborative work RBFRS is doing; truly embodying the spirit of Disability Confident by sharing good practice externally as well as within the service.”
Nikki Richards, Deputy Chief Executive of RBFRS said: “I am delighted that the Service has once again been recognized as a Disability Confident Leader. This latest accreditation stands as testament to the hard work undertaken by our staff to make our Service as inclusive as possible.
“As we look ahead, it is important that we continue to build on the work that has gone into securing our status as a Leader. We must continue to find and dismantle potential organisational barriers and ensure that our Service best represents all our communities.”
More information about Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s work toward equality, inclusivity, and diversity is available via: rbfrs.co.uk/equalitydiversityinclusion.
