Disability Pride Month 2024
At Family Fund, we want to be the best employer we can for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. That’s why we provide flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments that enable colleagues to reach their full potential.
Family Fund has an above-average number of disabled employees. Thanks to that diversity, we can better support and meet the needs of families raising disabled children.
Working at Family Fund as a disabled person
Tracey is a grants delivery administrator. She explains how Family Fund supported her and her health:
“I started working for Family Fund in June 2012. I was initially contracted for two weeks but I have been here 12 years. It doesn’t feel like it!
“I have had many challenges over the years and Family Fund has accommodated all the changes I have experienced.
“After about a year of health troubles, I discovered I had a Posterior Fossa Meningioma- a benign tumour that grows in the layers that encase the brain, called the meninges. It can cause symptoms like difficulty walking, loss of balance, vertigo and nausea.
“My tumour had probably been growing for about 10 years. My little friend attached itself to my left aorta so the medical staff at Hull hospital couldn’t remove it completely.
“In 2018 I had a major operation, followed by radiotherapy, to stop the tumour from growing any more. As if that wasn’t enough, I also had to have my appendix removed in 2019. So it’s safe to say I’ve spent plenty of time in and out of hospital!
Support for disabled employees
“I was supported and empowered by our HR team to take proper time off after both of my surgeries.
“Family Fund understands that life doesn’t always go to plan. And that this can impact on work practices. It makes sense, given the nature of the work we do to help families raising a disabled or seriously ill child.
“I’ve also been supported throughout my experience of the menopause – I’ve been able to change my hours and request adjustments. This has enabled me to take on the challenges of my job without feeling uncomfortable or unable to ask for accommodations.
“Because of the ethos of the Family Fund Group approach to work, I’ll probably be here until retirement.
“Family Fund is a great place to work. It can be heartwarming, but it can also be tough reading families’ stories. My team all supports one another and understands the ups and downs of the job.
“Family Fund has been a lifeline for families with disabled or seriously ill children. And at times, it felt like an escape from home.”
Our commitment to reducing the disability employment gap
We’re recognised as a Disability Confident Employer and are actively working to reduce our disability employment gap – the difference in the employment rate of disabled and non-disabled people.
We do this by supporting colleagues with reasonable adjustments and flexible working, and by having inclusive recruitment procedures. And we’re aiming to go even further – being a champion within our local community and the charity sector. With all our staff on board, we’re working to become a Disability Confident Leader by April 2025.