Pregnancy and Maternity are one of the protected characteristics that is defined under the Equality Act. Any discrimination based on a Pregnancy or Maternity is unlawful and we carry out People Impact Assessments to protect our community and staff from this. For more information around our legal duties click here- link to EA and PSED page.
So, how do we consider pregnancy and maternity in practice?
In our communities
Below are some of the partner agencies that refer families to us for fire safety visits (this may include households where someone is pregnant or on maternity leave).
- Children Services
- Social Services
- Spurgeon’s Children Centres
- Other local authority provisions
Although pregnancy or maternity status is not a factor we risk assess on, we still work to ensure that all families remain safe. If any children under the age of five reside in a property, a family would qualify for a fire safety home visit. Additionally, a pregnant person may request a visit to ensure everything in the home is safe for the baby’s arrival.
Within our workforce
We are always looking for ways to improve the support we can offer to work groups. We continue to work with our Women’s Support Network and Operational Women’s Group to implement improvements to further support the transition back to work following maternity.
For our staff, our maternity policy ensures that support is provided during pregnancy and maternity. Having a family is something to be proud of and at DWFRS we offer support including parental leave options and flexible working arrangements.
In 2023, a male ally of the Women’s Support Network worked with relevant departments and other partners to review the tragedy of miscarriage and baby loss within maternity procedures and implemented awareness and training sessions for colleagues and managers to support colleagues who experience such loss.