Disability Confident Toolkit

Disability Confident Toolkit

Welcome to Business Disability Forum’s Disability Confident Toolkit. 

Disability Confident is a UK government scheme to support employers to become more inclusive of disabled people. Organisations that participate complete a set of actions and make certain commitments to receive accreditation under the scheme. 

There are three levels: 

• Level 1 – Disability Confident Committed, 

• Level 2 – Disability Confident Employer, 

• Level 3 – Disability Confident Leader. 

This Toolkit provides guidance on completing each level. We also have example documentation and case studies of organisations that have successfully completed Disability Confident. 

Introduction to the Disability Confident scheme

This section introduces the Disability Confident scheme, including what its purpose is and how it works. We also outline how Business Disability Forum can support your organisation to participate in Disability Confident. 

Firstly, we outline the purpose of the Disability Confident scheme and how it can benefit your organisation. Secondly, we detail the range of services Business Disability Forum can provide to support your organisation throughout every level. We also address some of the questions we are most commonly asked and provide some top tips for organisations considering participating in Disability Confident.

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Introduction to Disability Confident Scheme

Disability Confident is a voluntary UK government scheme to support employers become more disability inclusive.

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How Business Disability Forum can help with your Disability Confident journey

Business Disability Forum provides a range of services that can support your organisation to participate in all levels of the Disability Confident scheme.

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Disability Confident – Top tips and frequently asked questions

Quick tips to ensure success participating in Disability Confident, and answers to common questions about how to become Disability Confident.

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Quiz – Are you ready for Disability Confident?

To support your journey through the Disability Confident levels, we have created quizzes that help assess whether your organisation is ready for each stage.

Level 1 – Disability Confident Committed

This section outlines Level 1 of the Disability Confident scheme. We go into more detail on the activities and commitments organisations make at this level. We also provide step-by-step guidance on registering and receiving accreditation. 

Level 1 of Disability Confident requires organisations to make five key commitments before registering. We explain what these are, how organisations can make them, and the benefits of making these commitments. Our step-by-step guidance contains detailed guidance on registering for Level 1 of Disability Confident.

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Disability Confident Level 1 – Overview

An introduction to Level 1 of Disability Confident, including how to prepare, how to register, and what activities and commitments are required at Level 1.

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Disability Confident Level 1 – Commitments

Employers must make five key commitments to participate in Level 1 of Disability Confident.

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Disability Confident Level 1 – Activities

Organisations must commit to performing at least one activity from a list of 8, to participate in Level 1 of Disability Confident.

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Disability Confident Level 1 – Step-by-step guidance

Step-by-step guidance on preparing, registering and completing Level 1 of the UK government’s Disability Confident scheme.

Level 2 – Disability Confident Employer

Level 2 of the Disability Confident scheme contains two Themes, focusing on recruitment and retention of disabled employees. This section details the core actions and activities organisations take for Level 2, including step-by-step guidance. 

Organisations must undertake all of the core actions, as well as committing to at least one of the listed activities for each theme. Our step-by-step guidance provides a detailed outline of what these involve and how to register and receive accreditation for Disability Confident Level 2. 

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 2 – Overview

An introduction to Level 2 of Disability Confident, including how to prepare, how to register, and what core actions and activities are required at Level 2.

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 2 – Theme 1: Getting the right people for your business

Theme 1 of Disability Confident Level 2 focuses on attracting and recruiting disabled employees. Completing Theme 1 involves performing 7 core actions, and committing to at least 1 activity from a list of 10.

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 2 – Theme 2: Keeping and developing your people

Theme 2 of Disability Confident Level 2 focuses on retaining and developing disabled employees. Completing Theme 2 involves performing 6 core actions, and committing to at least 1 activity from a list of 6.

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 2 – Step-by-step guidance

Step-by-step guidance on preparing, registering and completing Level 2 of the UK government’s Disability Confident scheme.

Level 3 – Disability Confident Leader

This section provides practical on completing Level 3 of Disability Confident and receive validation. We provide step-by-step guidance, a case study, and sample documentation to become a Disability Confident Leader. 

Level 3 of Disability Confident is the most challenging and the most rewarding. Here, we outline how to become a Disability Confident Leader and how Business Disability Confident can support your organisation.

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 3 – Overview

An introduction to Level 3 of Disability Confident, including preparation, validation, reporting and registration for Disability Confident Level 3.

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 3 – What organisations need to do

This resource goes into the detail of the requirements of Disability Confident Level 3, including self-assessment, validation, narrative and reporting.

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 3 – Step-by-step guidance

Step-by-step guidance on completing the self-assessment, obtaining validation, creating a narrative and registering for Disability Confident Level 3.

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 3 – XPS case study

A case study of one Business Disability Forum Member who successfully completed Disability Confident Level 3 with our support.

Member and Partner only

Disability Confident Level 3 – What’s next?

Disability Confident Level 3 accreditation is not the end of your organisation’s disability inclusion journey. This resource outlines what you can do to continue, including our Disability Smart framework.

How Business Disability Forum can support your organisation

Business Disability Forum Members and Partners can receive support to complete each level of the Disability Confident scheme. This includes: 

• tailored guidance from our Advice Service on any question you may have about what your organisation needs to do, 

• support from your dedicated Business Partner or Senior Business Partner, 

• further information on core areas of disability inclusion and employment through access to the resources on our Knowledge Hub, 

• validation of your Disability Confident Level 3 self-assessment. 

Join Business Disability Forum

If your organisation is not already a Member or Partner of Business Disability Forum, you may want to take advantage of the support we provide – in participating in Disability Confident, and with disability inclusion in general. 

We offer two levels of membership: 

• Member – access to our Knowledge Hub, Advice Service, events, a dedicated Business Partner, access to our networks and taskforces, and more, 

• Partner – all of the above, plus five consultancy days per year, priority access to our flagship events, access to our Partner Dinners, and more.  

See our Join us page for more information about the benefits of membership and how to become a Member or Partner of Business Disability Forum.