EDI Objectives consultation

Please note: The Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives Consultation which ran from Thursday, 22 March to Monday, 16 April 2018 has now closed

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) have identified the following proposed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) objectives for 2018-2022 in order to comply with our general and specific obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. We believe it is important that you have a say in how we deliver our objectives and we welcome all responses to this consultation from all groups. 

In order to comply with our Public Sector Equality Duty in promoting diversity and inclusion, the EDI Forum was formed. One of the main purposes of the Forum is to develop an inclusive culture within RBFRS by raising general awareness of diversity matters. The EDI Forum recommended that our objectives should focus on the broad areas of inclusiveness, leadership, knowing our communities and culture. The four objectives proposed below were considered following review of the priority areas set out by the National Fire Chiefs Council Equality Framework and RBFRS’ response to the Local Government Association Improvement Strategies survey.

The purpose of setting equality objectives is to strengthen our performance in meeting the general equality duty and ensure that we are making year on year progress in advancing equality and human rights for all protected groups. This means objectives are not just based on processes and policies, but focus on outcomes – real, practical change that can be expressed in terms of improvements in areas such as policy making, employment and service delivery.

• Increasing diversity of staff at all levels: We will take actions to increase the diversity of job applicants to help us reflect the community by focusing particularly on under-represented groups. 
• Leadership and corporate commitment: Leadership and corporate commitment means we will be strong and visible in our leadership and that all employees have confidence in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Improving our service delivery by knowing the communities we serve through partnership and risk based approach: This objective will focus on promoting equality by knowing our diverse communities and understanding their needs, ensuring that our prevention, protection and response activities target the most vulnerable people with the greatest risk.
• Promoting a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion: We will continue to take action to ensure we have a culture where everyone feels valued and is treated with dignity and respect by creating an inclusive working environment that will enable us to maximise the potential of a diverse workforce.