LA Fostering South East is committed to making its website, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This accessibility statement applies to the LA Fostering South East Website and associated contact forms at https://www.lafosteringse.org.uk as of 25/07/2024
Compliance status
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of the website may not be not fully accessible in some circumstances:
- most PDF and some Word documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
- some of our online forms including drop down menus may be difficult to navigate using a keyboard
- you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
- forms may time-out after 20 minutes as a default
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This accessibility statement applies to www.lafosteringse.org.uk. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, this means you should be able to:
- view the site on a wide range of devices including PC, tablets, phones and smart TV’s.
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
Ability.net(opens new window) has advice on making your device easier if you have a disability.
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording and braille please contact us directly (info@lafosteringse.org.uk / 0300 131 2797).
We’ll consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking for ways to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please let us know by contacting us directly info@lafosteringse.org.uk / 0300 131 2797).
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 how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)(opens new window).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person.
If someone requires a service from us and they do not speak English, an interpreter may be provided.
Communication support is available for people who require a British Sign Language Interpreter.
Both translation and communication support needs to be arranged in advance.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
LA Fostering South East is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is compliant with the Web Content and Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA standard with the exception of the following areas listed below.
Non-accessible content
Success criteria 1.1.1: Non-text content
We have worked hard to ensure all of our images contain alternate text at point of website launch. Age, ethnicity, culture, disability are not described. This is something we are working on. There are no tables and charts on the website.
Success criteria 1.2.2 and 1.2: captions and time-based media
Most, but not all, of the videos on the website have captions. We are building more of a database of videos for the hub and all new content directly commissioned by LA fostering South East will have captions.
There is no text alternative for videos. We are working to ensure there is text alternatives for all videos.
Success criteria 1.3.5: Identify input purpose
Our forms currently do not auto-fill form fields from values stored in the user’s browser. We are working towards addressing this issue. Some fields on forms do not have embedded field labels. This means that a screenreader will not read out those fields. We are working towards addressing this issue.
Success criteria 1.4.3: Contrast (minimum)
There may be an issue with contrast between text and its background in some areas of the website for some users. We are working towards addressing this issue.
Success criteria 1.4.10: Distinguishable
We are aware a small number of pages where horizontal scrolling may be required on smaller screens or older equipment. We are working towards addressing this issue.
Success criteria 2.4.4: Link purpose (in context)
We know that the purpose of some links within web pages may not clear from the text within the link. We are working to address this issue. Links within text are not always clearly identified and on some devices their hover states fail colour contrast. We are working to address this issue.
Success criteria 2.4.7: Focus visible
Some controls do not change appearance when they are selected. Therefore colour contrast fails in some elements of the website. We are working with our website provider and third parties to address this issue.
Success criteria 3.1.1: Language of the page
Pages do not currently show the language they were written in. We are working with our website provider to address this issue.
Disproportionate burden
PDF documents
PDF documents published after 23 September 2018 may not be accessible for several reasons. They may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).
Due to the number of documents on the website which may originate from multiple other sources, to amend every document would be a disproportionate burden so we are unable to rectify this problem.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDF’s and other documents
Many of our older PDF’s and downloadable documents don’t meet accessibility standards. For example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2. However, the accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
Using third party content or functionality on our website
We may use third party content or functionality on our website. This allows us to offer a wide range of services that can be completed online. They are each built to look like our website but are based on a different technical platform from other partners or suppliers.
This includes and is not limited to:
- Online forms
- Card payment systems
- Committee management system
- Parking
Where we choose to feature third party content or functionality on our website, we are responsible for ensuring it meets accessibility standards. We are currently working with our third party suppliers, including local authorities, to ensure that they are compliant with the accessibility guidelines.
How we tested this website
This website is currently being tested for accessibility. The test is being carried out by LA Fostering South East in conjunction with Netready. The website will be independently audited for accessibility compliance.
We are testing our main website platform including:
- our homepage
- content pages
- search pages
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We’re currently working to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please let us know by contacting us directly info@lafosteringse.org.uk / 0300 131 2797
This statement was prepared on 25.07.2024