Equal Opportunities

Introduction

Tameside Council is a ‘Disability Confident Employer’ Disability Confident is a scheme that creates a movement of change, encouraging employers signed up to the scheme to think differently about disability and take action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We do this by providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

How? by:

• Identifying and addressing any barriers that may prevent or deter disabled people from applying for jobs, including where we advertise, the words we use and how people can apply
• Making sure online or offline processes are fully accessible – for example, providing a named contact, telephone number and email for applicants to request support or ask questions
• Getting our recruitment process tested by disabled people, and if there is a barrier either removing it or providing an alternative way to apply
• Providing a short but accurate job description that clearly sets out what the jobholder will be required to achieve, accepting there are different ways to achieve the same objective 
• Making sure all documentation is available in different formats, if required (written and online) 
• Accepting job applications in a variety of formats
• Making sure people involved in the recruitment process are conversant with Disability Confident and know how to support disabled applicants.
• By offering an interview to an applicant who meets the minimum criteria (for example sometimes shown as desirable skills) for a job as defined by the employer.

Recruitment

What does this mean when you apply for a job?

• If you meet the essential criteria for the job we will guarantee you an interview. The essential criteria are shown in the Person specification for each job. You need to make sure:
  • That you tell us that you consider yourself to be disabled by answering the relevant question on the monitoring part of the application form. This monitoring information is not available to the Shortlisting Panel but Human Resources will note that you consider yourself to have a disability on the information they supply to the Panel.
  • That you give us enough information in your application to show that you meet the essential criteria.
• If you have any difficulties completing the standard application form we are happy to accept your application typed, recorded on an audio or in Braille. If you use one of the alternatives please follow the format of the standard application form. If you have a Disability Employment Adviser they may be able to help you.
• When we invite you to interview, we will ask you if there are any adjustments we need to make to ensure you are able to attend the interview.
• All the employees involved in the interview will have had training about the needs of people with a disability.
• We will give you the name of someone not directly involved in the recruitment process who can help and advise you.
• If we offer you the job the Manager responsible will work with Human Resource Advisors and our Occupational Health Service to consider what reasonable adjustments we can make to the job to fit your needs.

Employment

Our commitment carries on after you have started employment. Any employee of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council who feels that they need additional support at work can use our Work and Wellbeing Passport. This is a live record of reasonable adjustments that have been agreed or discussed between an employee and their manager and moves around the organisation with them if they move roles. All Tameside Employees also have a meeting with their manager at least once per year to discuss their development needs.If this doesn't happen you should speak to your Manager's superior or contact your services Human Resources Consultant.  This will give you the opportunity to discuss the adjustments we have made and any further changes that may be required if your needs have changed.

Other Assistance

The Employment Service has a specialist team of Disability Employment Advisers. The local team can be contacted via local Job Centres. Further information can be found on our People with Disabilities Index