Information for families in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Accessibility Statement for the Family Information Directory (FID) for BCP Council

Commitment to Accessibility

BCP Council is committed to making its Family Information Directory and Local OfferLocal OfferA local authority website resource that holds information on services and provision for children and young people with SEN and disabilities across education, health and social care and leisure. website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to the Family Information Directory and Local OfferLocal OfferA local authority website resource that holds information on services and provision for children and young people with SEN and disabilities across education, health and social care and leisure. website.

We are fully committed to ensuring this website meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) to AA standard to ensure people with disabilities are not excluded from accessing information and services. The design of our website includes a number of accessibility features including:

  • Change font size
  • Translate the page using Google Translator
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Images and alt tags

Change font size

To increase the size of the text, hold down the ctrl key on the bottom left hand row of the key board whilst using the scroll wheel on the mouse to increase (or decrease) the size of the text. Alternatively you can use the + (plus) and - (minus) keys whilst holding down the ctrl key.

Translate the page using Google Translator

Google Translator provides an easy way to translate web pages into a variety of languages. Simply select the language required from the drop down list at the top of this page.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts control various browser functions and are often a useful and quick way of navigating through a site. For the vast majority of browsers, use your Tab key to navigate forward through links (use Shift + Tab to go backwards), and Enter to activate the link. Many other keys can be used, and will vary depending on the browser and operating system you are using. To find the shortcuts for your browser, follow these steps if your computer is running Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator on Windows:

  1. Internet Explorer - Press your F1 key to open the online help and in the index, type "keyboard shortcuts", select the required option and click "display".
  2. Netscape Navigator - Press your F1 key to open the online help and in the index, type "keyboard".
  3. Firefox-Mozilla - Press your F1 key to open the online help and in the index, select "keyboard Shortcuts".

Images and alt tags

We have avoided using excessive graphics within the website where possible to ensure quick download times and access to information which cannot be read if in image format. Where images have been used we have added 'Alt' tags - text alternatives so that you will still know what the image is meant to convey even if it does not load or if you've have chosen to browse with the images switched off or you are using an assistive technology like a screen reader to browse the web page rather than view.

Non-accessible content

We know some sections of the FID and Local OfferLocal OfferA local authority website resource that holds information on services and provision for children and young people with SEN and disabilities across education, health and social care and leisure. website are not accessible:

Images

Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 criteria 1.1.1 (non-text content). When we publish new content we’ll make sure our use of images meets the requirements under accessibility guidelines.

PDFs and Word documents

Some of the PDFS and MS Word documents are not fully accessible to screen readers.

Please note that Adobe Acrobat documents can be converted back to plain text using Adobe's Web-based conversion service.

Interactive forms (online.bcpcouncil.gov.uk)

Our BCP Council main online form portal is built and hosted through third party software and ‘skinned’ to look like our website. Due to limitations in adx studio, we are currently unable to add alt text to lookup fields on our online forms platform. However we are developing a new BCP Council portal that does not require adx studio which should resolve this issue. This work has begun and we estimate online forms will be migrated to the new platform by summer 2024. Since there is a plan in place to replace this platform and work has started, we believe it would be a disproportionate burden to seek an interim solution to this issue.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, email familyinformation@bcpcouncil.gov.uk. We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Report an accessibility problem

We want to improve the accessibility of this website. If you encounter an accessibility or technical problem with any page on this site, please visit the Contact us page for directions on how to notify us.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

BCP Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 13 February 2024.

This website was last tested in February 2024. The test was carried out by BCP Council Family Information Service using Siteimprove and manual testing exercises.

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