We are signed up to the Mindful Employer Charter, as a mark of our commitment to encourage mentally healthy teams and workplaces where everyone feels valued and supported. We promote mental health awareness among employees and provide resources and support systems that colleagues can access easily and confidentially. We ensure managers are well informed and equipped to support their teams. We have in place over 800 trained mental health first aiders.

We are a member of the Business Disability Forum who verify our accreditation as a Disability Confident Leader in the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. The scheme recognises our culture of inclusion and positive action enabling disabled people to fulfil their potential. We adapt our recruitment processes to be fair to all and offer reasonable workplace adjustments so everyone can be their best at work and make the most of opportunities to learn and progress.

We are a signatory of the Age-friendly Employer Pledge because we believe a multigenerational workforce is best for us and for our city. We value the skills and experience of our older workers and want them to thrive at work. We recruit inclusively, offer flexible working whenever we can, encourage career development regardless of age and support health and wellbeing for all.

We participate in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index to benchmark our progress on LGBTQ+ inclusion.  We are proud to have achieved a gold award in 2024 and a place in the top 100 employer ranking.

We are accredited by The Fostering Network as a Fostering Friendly Employer. We deeply value our foster carers who bring love and stability to the lives of vulnerable children and recognise that those who combine caring with another job can face an impossible juggling act. Our supportive policies for colleagues who are foster carers include additional time off for assessment, training, panels and review meetings. Our other family friendly policies facilitate fostering leave and flexible working to accommodate caring responsibilities.

We first signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant in 2012, marking our long-term commitment to supporting service personnel, veterans and their families in the community and at work. As an employer, our inclusive recruitment and selection processes are forces friendly and we encourage a positive environment for veterans, reservists and their family members in our workforce. In 2023 we were awarded the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award. 

We’re committed to developing a skilled, confident workforce that delivers high-quality services for our communities. We offer a wide range of fully funded apprenticeships to help you build your skills, gain recognised qualifications and fulfil your career ambitions.

There’s something for everyone, with opportunities from Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) to Level 6 (degree level) across a variety of roles and sectors. You’ll have the opportunity to apply once you’re in post, with your manager’s support.

As well as our apprenticeship offer for current employees, we advertise apprenticeship vacancies open to external candidates across diverse areas of work.
 

We believe that everyone, no matter who they are, should be paid fairly for the work they do and be able to make ends meet. We are accredited by Living Wage Foundation as a Living Wage Employer.  We pay a minimum of the real Living Wage, independently calculated based on actual living costs, to all our employees including apprentices.