Young Devon have successfully retained our status as a Disability Confident Employer following a recent self-assessment.

In continuing our Disability Confident journey, we are ensuring that disabled people and those with long-term health conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. We also recognise the valuable role disabled people play in our organisation.

As part of the self-assessment, Young Devon have confirmed that we are taking the following actions:

• Actively looking to attract and recruit disabled people
• Providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process
• Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job
• Being flexible when assessing people so disabled job applicants have the best opportunity to demonstrate that they can do the job
• Proactively offering and making reasonable adjustments as required
• Encouraging our partner firms to be Disability Confident
• Ensuring our employees have appropriate disability equality awareness
• Promoting a culture of being Disability Confident
• Supporting employees to manage their disabilities or health conditions
• Ensuring there are no barriers to the development and progression of disabled staff
• Ensuring managers are aware of how they can support staff who are sick or absent from work
• Valuing and listening to feedback from disabled staff
• Reviewing this Disability Confident Employer self-assessment regularly

At Young Devon we are working hard to build a more open environment where disabled people are included and valued. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Working Group are in the process of raising awareness of all equality matters, including disability, and hope that our workforce as a whole can be part of this.

We are always looking for any stories, quotes or photographs you may have around how we include and value those with a disability. If you have anything you would like to share, please contact our HR Coordinator, sarah.johnson@youngdevon.org

If you would like to know more about the Disability Confident scheme, please visit disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk