This report does not seek to capture everything undertaken in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion. Instead, it highlights some of the key achievements across customer facing teams over 2024 to 2025 in meeting our equalities responsibilities.
Individual service reports and the Workforce Annual Report 2024 to 2025 should be read alongside this report. They are available on our monitoring equality page.
Inclusive in all we do
We will continue to make our services more inclusive and culturally competent in a borough where everyone is made to feel included and valued.
Access and inclusion across services
Customer services made it easier for residents to access support through multiple channels, including:
- telephone
- online
- in person
- social media
Translation services and volunteers were also provided to support non-English speakers. All teams embed cultural competence and inclusive practice in service delivery.
Children’s social care, early help, education, and youth services
Targeted support was provided for families from diverse backgrounds, including Afghan, Hong Kong, Nepali, and Romanian communities.
Joint youth justice panels made sure there was fair decision making and disproportionality monitoring.
Youth services offered inclusive activities, such as:
- LGBTQIA+ groups
- special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) youth clubs
- participation in Bracknell’s Pride
- participation in the first Bracknell Games - an inclusive event aimed at primary aged school children who ordinarily would not be chosen to participate in school sports based events
Adult social care, public health, and welfare services
Mental health and carers’ support groups were expanded.
Public Health worked with marginalised communities to co-design culturally sensitive health programmes.
Welfare services continued to provide accessible advice and support, including translation services and home visits.
Housing services
In line with our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, current and former members of the armed forces are recognised and prioritised accordingly in the new policy.
The policy recognised armed forces members and their families, for example, by automatically providing those who have been medically discharged with a band B. Other examples include the removal of the local connection criteria for armed forces personnel and their families.
Libraries and education services
Adult and community learning delivered programmes in:
- ESOL (English as a second or other language)
- English+
- maths
- employability
Libraries ran inclusive events and promoted cultural awareness through celebrations such as Holocaust Memorial Day, Black History Month, Diwali and Pride. They also provided accessible digital services and home delivery.
Leisure, parks, and community spaces
Inclusive play equipment was installed, disability-friendly leisure sessions delivered, and AccessAble guides were developed to improve accessibility in venues across Bracknell Forest.
Communities
The council continued to progress towards the armed forces employer recognition Gold Award. We also celebrated key cultural and equality dates internally and publicly. This included religious festivals, health awareness days and weeks, and national UK saint’s days.
Borough-wide events such as the annual Pride and Culture and Community Day were also celebrated.
Accessible for all
We make sure that we provide information, engage and communicate in ways that are easy for everyone to understand.
Adult social care, health and welfare services
We enabled residents to access the help they need by providing:
- autism drop-in services
- dementia support in multiple formats and languages
- translation support
- telecare services
Welfare services provided:
- appointments
- home visits
- translation support for housing benefit
- council tax support
- local welfare schemes
Children’s social care, early help and education services
Accessibility for children, families and SEND residents was improved by:
- implementing early identification of speech and language needs in schools
- using digital engagement tools (such as Mind of My Own)
- providing multilingual family information service resources
Housing services
A new housing allocation policy launched in May 2025, making the policy fairer and easier to understand.
Housing services provided multiple communication channels, including:
- in-person talks
- home visits
- outreach
- phone
- digital options
These communication channels also had translation support.
Libraries and learning services
Library buildings are accessible and offer:
- home library delivery
- loanable tablets
- free Wi-Fi
- audio books
- DVDs
Bracknell Library also provides free SIM cards to residents without internet access.
Community and leisure services
Community maps, digital kiosks, and accessible transport enabled participation in inclusive activities, events, and summer programmes.
Communities
Alternative formats for documents, induction loops at Time Square, and the disability access advisory panel’s action plan have contributed to improved borough-wide accessibility.
Accountable and fair
We will treat all people fairly without favouritism or discrimination while recognising some people will need additional support.
Adult social care and health services
Adult social care collaborated with GPs, probation, and voluntary groups to make sure vulnerable populations had equitable access.
Dementia forums and quality assurance panels engaged service users and carers to improve service delivery.
Children’s social care, early help, and education services
Children and young people with SEND participated in a BOOM (Because Our Opinion Matters) event.
Inclusive and bespoke parenting programmes were delivered to parents and carers across the borough.
Early help provided financial support, transport, interpreter services, and tailored SEND programmes.
Education welfare services supported Electively Home Educated children with access to health, careers guidance and other key resources.
Youth justice and community safety
Disproportionality audits promoted fairness in youth justice for children looked after, girls and other groups.
The young carers service delivered accessible support under the 2024 all-age carers strategy.
Housing and welfare services
The new housing allocation policy prioritises fairness, clarity, and high housing need.
Disabled Facilities Grants supported residents with home adaptations to increase independence.
Welfare services made sure there was equitable support for residents applying for benefits or local welfare schemes.
Leisure services
Foster carers received free access to Coral Reef and Bracknell Leisure Centre to make sure they could have fair and inclusive participation.
Diverse and Inclusive workforce
We are committed to developing an inclusive and people-focused culture where diversity is valued and celebrated. Our values of being inclusive, ambitious and always learning makes sure that everyone is treated fairly and with dignity and respect.
The progress made includes:
Training and professional development
Staff completed e-learning and mandatory training in:
- equality
- diversity and inclusion
- racial equality
- unconscious bias
- specialist areas such as learning disability & autism.
Senior social care leaders attended cultural humility and anti-racist practice workshops.
Apprenticeships and development programmes targeted underrepresented groups.
Staff networks and forums
Council-wide groups, including neurodiversity and disability, staff allies, Pause for Menopause, and equality allies, provide safe spaces for staff to share experiences, raise concerns, and learn from each other.
The disability and neurodiversity staff forum meet monthly with HR and learning and organisational development staff.
Fair recruitment and workforce practices
Recruitment follows anonymised processes removing personal characteristics such as age and ethnicity to make sure the process is fair.
Transport and highways adopted a best-practice recruitment process.
Suppliers must demonstrate inclusion principles in service delivery.
A zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, harassment, and victimisation is enforced in line with the Equality Act 2010.