By becoming a Disability Confident Leader, we are not only aiming to lead by example within our industry.
We also want to support other organisations in their journey to build inclusive practices.
We are delighted that our inclusive hiring practices and workplace activities have earned us the recognition as a Disability Confident Leader.
This was very much a collaborative project across a number of functions, and I was especially pleased to have representation from our staff disability Network, STRIDE, and our recognised staff trade union, PCS.
Our work involved a level of challenge, with insights gained as part of the process.
All in all, the journey to becoming a Disability Confident Leader has involved:
- evidencing our approach to attract, recruit and retain disabled people
- building an inclusive workplace culture, including disability awareness equality training and policy development
- guiding staff to information and advice on mental health conditions
- collaborating with external partners to ensure that our workplace practices align with inclusion
- through our procurement, encouraging our suppliers to be Disability Confident
- a commitment to publicly reporting the percentage of staff who consider themselves a disabled person or are living with a long-term health condition
- providing networks for staff, valuing their feedback and providing occupational health services if required
- providing human resources staff with specific Disability Confident training.
Our work continues
Sport England has now joined a growing list of organisations recognised as Disability Confident Leaders and we’re truly happy and proud of all the work we’ve done to get to where we are.
We look forward to our ongoing commitments and to continuing our work to ensure that everyone can thrive in a truly inclusive environment.
We’ll be working through recommendations and guidance from our validator – the Business Disability Forum – and ensuring improvements continue to be made through regular assessments.
This accreditation signals our core values – we are ambitious, we are collaborative, we are inclusive and we are innovative – and demonstrates a forward-looking commitment to maintaining the scheme and evolving practices.
We will be voluntarily reporting about our Disability Confident work in the coming 12 months, as part of our commitment to being a Disability Confident Leader, because we are happy to grow and we want all our employees to be able to contribute, participate and benefit from that growth.
