Equal opportunities and accessibility

Staff team composition

The composition of the staff team (paid or voluntary) should reflect, so far as possible, the client profile we aim to serve. Equality action in this sense includes recruitment of staff with particular language skills (although there are certain legal restraints in paid recruitment). The language skills base of the staff team is reviewed every year against client needs and the use of the Bureau's interpreting budget. The Bureau recognises that the advising team are on average younger than the client base, as revealed by our client profiles.

Membership of the Board of Directors

A census of the current Board membership was carried out in November 2000 and a special working party of Board members produced a report in January 2001 with recommendations for change. (more details available from WCAB)

Bureau premises

The Board recognises that the premises at Walthamstow CAB are inadequate from the point of view of disability access (clients and workers).

Equality action points

• Review composition of staff team
• Devise a policy on the desired skills base (including language skills)
  and preferable age of potential volunteers
• Decide a policy on volunteers expenses (including care costs)
• Review membership of Board of Directors
• Review physical access shortfalls in the Bureau's premises
  from the point of view of staff and volunteers working in the premises

Lifetime of objectives

The Finance and Development Sub Group will consider the equalities action points listed above (and possibly others). It will decide priorities for the period 2000 to 2003 and the broad direction of development over the next three years. Once this has taken place, the identification of activities needed, timetable, resource implications and overall responsibility will be decided. More information can be obtained from WCAB office.

Background information page
Walthamstow home page