Equality, diversity and inclusion strategy
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022 to 2025 maps out how the council aims to remove and reduce obstacles preventing some people from fully participating in the social, cultural, political and economic life of our borough.
The four equality objectives together with their key actions are set out below:
Understanding, listening to, and working with Rotherham’s communities
- Listening to residents and service users through consultations and feedback to improve the evidence base that informs service delivery.
- Enhancing the way that we engage with communities including those with protected characteristics, to ensure that all voices are heard and there is an opportunity to provide lived experience.
- Sharing and presenting information in appropriate and accessible formats.
- Developing joint partnership approaches and activity including the use of intelligence to tackle inequalities, promote equalities and good community relations that have a positive impact.
Delivering accessible and responsive services that meet diverse needs
- Communicating and engaging with residents so that they feel informed about council services and how to access these.
- Listening to service users through consultations and complaints to produce evidence-based analysis that informs service design and delivery.
- Strengthening digital infrastructure and supporting skills’ to enable access for all.
- Working together in partnership and in collaboration to deliver the Council Plan commitments to tackle inequality and disadvantage.
- Continuing to improve the use of Equality Assessments in service design and delivery, capturing challenges and opportunities at the very beginning, ensuring barriers are considered and mitigated where possible
Providing Leadership and Organisational Commitment to Actively Promote Equalities
- Continuing to work with a range of partners, including statutory bodies, to address issues around community safety including addressing hate crime, whilst taking a zero-tolerance approach to prejudice and discrimination.
- Working in partnership with services, partners and communities to promote equality and good community relations.
- Supporting awareness and understanding across communities to promote good relations across the range of protected characteristics.
- Celebrating diversity within our communities and marking events.
Ensuring a diverse and engaged workforce
- Ensuring all of our policies are up to date and reflective of our diverse needs and situations.
- Flexible, fair, and transparent pay and benefits.
- Removing barriers to flexible working wherever possible.
- Supporting staff with caring responsibilities.
- Staff development and career progression that reflects individuals’ needs and learning styles.