Equality and diversity
We believe that everyone has the right to live in a society free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and prejudice and should be treated fairly and with respect.
We will make sure that everyone is given a fair chance to access our services and employment opportunities. Our aim is for all people to achieve equal outcomes either in the standard of service they receive or in the way they are treated as employees.
We will oppose all forms of discrimination, which cause a person to be treated unjustly including on the grounds of race, ethnic origin or nationality, disability, gender, sexuality, age, income, appearance, faith or religious belief or non-belief and responsibility for dependants.
We aim to gain a detailed understanding of the diverse needs and preferences of all our customers so that we can shape our services to meet their needs.
Also in this section..
Read about the "Equality Framework for Local Government" and "Equality Impact Assessments", two tools which are essential in helping us to deliver a service that meets the highest standards of Equality and Diversity.
Improving access to our services
We are constantly looking at ways to make access to our services easier for everyone. Some of the ways we can help support you include:
- help with filling in forms,
- language interpreting
- British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreting and Lip Speakers
- written information in a range of languages and electronic formats (for example e-mail) or in large print,
- Braille or audiotape
- Arranging for an interpreter to explain our written information
- welcoming calls through Typetalk
- arranging for you to speak to a member of staff of the same gender as you,
- hearing induction loop systems in Housing Offices
- home visits to customers who are unable to access out offices
To find out more please contact the Communications Team at Strathmore on 0191 4268370 (Textphone users please prefix our telephone number with 18001), or ask at your local housing office.
BLISS=Ability and Crest
South Tyneside Homes has entered into an agreement with two of the borough’s leading community groups to further its commitment to equality and diversity and engaging with the entire population of South Tyneside.
The company is now working in partnership with BLISS=Ability (the disability information service) and CREST (the Compact for Racial Equality in South Tyneside which represents black, Asian and ethnic minority groups in the borough).
The partnership will include a work placement scheme, forge closer links with the groups, provide experience for various NVQ courses and use networking to improve the quality of service provision that South Tyneside Homes provides to its customers.
We will be developing with the users of CREST and BLISS=Ability a form that will help us to identify their key priorities, looking to improve our housing services and removing any barriers that might have affected past dealings with us.
In most cases we think we are getting things right but it is valuable to learn people’s experiences and we know there’s always room for improvement. We see this pact as a positive action that addresses disadvantage and under-representation.
