Accessibility statement

Accessibility statement for familyhub.stoke.gov.uk

This website is run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • maps integrated with external services such as Google Maps may not fully accessible using screen reader software
  • At 400% the focus is not clear within the hamburger menu. This makes it difficult for the user to access these options.

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:

We’ll consider your request and aim to get back to you in 5 days.

If you cannot any of the information on this website, call or email us to tell us about the problem.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking 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, contact us by emailing webteam@stoke.gov.uk or calling 01782 234234.

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).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Find out how to contact us https://www.stoke.gov.uk/contact.

Compliance status

Stoke-on-Trent City Council 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 partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non accessible content and Non compliance with the accessibility regulations

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

  • Some structural/hidden elements appear as form fields without labels, these are controlled by a third party supplier who is aware of the issue and investigating a solution. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1, 1.3.1, 2.4.6 and 3.3.2. 
  • At 200% and 400% zoom, the hamburger menu cannot be opened using the keyboard, this is controlled by a third party supplier who is aware of the issues and investigating the cost to provide a solution. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1.
  • Online forms (e.g. forms embedded on contact us) - the time limit available to complete online forms cannot be turned off, adjusted or extended. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.2.1 (timing adjustable). Stoke-on-Trent City Council are working with the provider of our online form builder to make online forms accessible to all users. This is currently under review and we will update the statement as soon as we have all the relevant information.

Interactive tools and transactions

Some of our interactive forms are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, because some form controls are missing a ‘label’ tag.

Our forms are built and hosted through third party software and ‘skinned’ to look like our website. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1.

This is currently under review as we are waiting for costs from our third party supplier and will update the statement as soon as we have all relevant information.

Please contact webteam@stoke.gov.uk if you need assistance using this part of our website. 

How we tested this website

This website was last tested in January 2024 by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

We tested a random set of pages using WAVE, we followed up by searching the whole website for frequently occurring instances of the same issues. We also chose a number of popular pages to test with assistive technology (NVDA and ZoomText) by analysing our website traffic.

We tested:

Stoke-on-Trent Family Hub familyhub.stoke.gov.uk

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are working with all services areas across Stoke-on-Trent City Council to ensure that all future documents and software adheres to accessibility regulations.

We are in the process of removing or renewing PDF documents and creating accessible online forms where application forms may be needed.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared in January 2024. It was last reviewed on 29 January 2024.