Information: Equality & Diversity
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The diversity of our community is one of our most valued assets. Strong communities will thrive and prosper if individuals and groups are treated fairly, with respect, and given access to rights and services. Our aim is to create an environment where this is possible and to put equality and diversity at the heart of everything we do.
We will promote equality and diversity by:
- Building values of mutual respect where individuals have a sense of belonging and where individuals are encouraged to participate and gain full access to services to which they are entitled.
- Recognising that some individuals and certain communities are particularly disadvantaged and will require extra recognition and support to deal with their disadvantages.
Our aims are:
- To improve the quality of life by improving access to services and by reducing gaps in health, employment, education attainment and community safety – particularly with those most affected.
- To improve social cohesion by promoting positive relationships and a sense of community and belonging, by reducing fear and tensions, particularly around race issues, and by promoting a vision in which individuals, groups and communities are properly valued.
- To promote citizenship rights and responsibilities. We will do this by ensuring that the council does all it should in providing real leadership and compliance with its duties and by encouraging its partners, particularly in the public sector to do likewise. We will also do this by acting to protect the rights of individuals and groups by ensuring that abuse, mistreatment or discrimination is recognised and properly dealt with.
- To promote a workforce which understands and is committed to achieving these goals and retains the confidence of our local communities.
To deliver this vision we have created a single coherent framework to address all equality and diversity issues and have developed a corporate equalities action plan in order to communicate our intentions and to drive change.
Our policies and plans will be reviewed regularly in order to target effort and resources where it is most needed.
All job applicants are asked to complete monitoring data about themselves. This information is used to help us check that we are employing people in a fair and non-discriminatory way, throughout the recruitment process. Personal information relating to gender, age and ethnic origin is not made available to Recruitment Panels.
If you have a disability, we will offer you an interview as long as you meet the essential criteria for the job. After the Recruitment Panel has considered the job applications, they may be advised that your recruitment monitoring details state that you consider yourself to have a disability.
We are happy to meet any special requirements of people with disabilities who are asked to attend for occupational assessment or an interview. Just contact the named person on job information sent to you so that we can make suitable arrangements.
Southwark is an accredited member of the Two-Ticks Disability Symbol, which is recognition by the Employment Service that we are committed to the recruitment and career development of disabled people.
