Suffolk County Council becomes a Disability Confident Leader

Suffolk County Council has achieved Disability Confident Leader status, the highest level in the national Disability Confident scheme.
Published: 19 Dec 2022

This achievement recognises the progress the council has made to make both its recruitment processes and working environment more inclusive for disabled people, and follows the council attaining Disability Confident Employer status in 2017.

Being a Disability Confident organisation means the council plays a leading role in changing attitudes, behaviour and cultures, both within the organisation, and wider, through its networks and communities. Becoming a Disability Confident Leader means that the County Council will also act as a champion in supporting other businesses in the area to become Disability Confident.

According to data from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), more than 4.7 million disabled people are in work, and yet disabled people are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people, and three times as likely to be economically inactive. The employment rate of disabled people is estimated to be 53%, compared to 82% of non-disabled people.

There are also many people in employment who don’t share their disability with their employer or who aren’t yet aware of it themselves. Over 80% of disabilities are invisible, In Suffolk County Council, 61% of staff have declared their status, the council aims to increase this number with the measures it has put in place in becoming a Disability Confident Leader.

Nicola Beach, Chief Executive of Suffolk County Council, said: 

“As an employer, we recognise the benefits for both our employees and for the organisation, of creating a supportive culture in which people feel comfortable to disclose their disability, and we try to build accessibility into everything we do. At Suffolk County Council we value diversity, and it is so important that our workforce reflects the communities we serve. “The Disability Confident scheme provides a best practice framework for employers to move towards improved disability inclusion.”

Some of the council’s actions to achieve Disability Confident Leader status have included:

  • Offering disabled candidates the chance to take part in the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, where they are guaranteed an interview for a job they have applied for, if they meet the minimum criteria.
  • Engaging with our local Job Centre, supporting jobs fairs for disabled job seekers.
  • Having active staff networks focussed on disabilities, such as The disABILITY Network, The Mental Health Network, The D(d)eaf Network and The Neurodiversity Network.
  • Offering reasonable adjustments during both the recruitment process and employment to support disabled people.
  • Making disability inclusion training part of our mandatory training for all staff.
  • Considering Disability Confident status when reviewing the social value of contracts we commission.
  • Offering priority consideration for vacancies to internal disabled staff.
  • Making adjustments to our buildings to ensure they are accessible to disabled people.
  • Having guidance about accessible communications, which is the expected default for all of our communications

Nicola Beach added: 

“Looking forward, our Disability Strategy, alongside feedback from our Disability Confident Leader validators, the Business Disability Forum, will help us to continue to improve the experiences for disabled people within our organisation and in our community.”

Councillor Bobby Bennett, Cabinet Member for Equality and Communities, said: 

We are proud to act as a role model for disability inclusion. We welcome and support disabled people at Suffolk County Council, and we encourage other organisations to join the Disability Confident Scheme by visiting disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk