Accessibility Review
It is part of our Aims and Objectives to offer affordable counselling to anybody who lives in Frome, Bath, Street or Bristol and surround areas. We recognise that we do have limitations however we continue to work towards making the counselling service as accessible as possible. Each year we carry out a review and draw up an on-going action plan.
- Frome
We acknowledge that as we are situated in Frome which is a rural area with limited public transport provision potential clients without their own transport may find it difficult to access the service. There is adequate public transport during the day however the local bus service is very limited access after 18.00. We have 5 counselling rooms available in Frome all within a short walk of main bus routes. These are all fully accessible, with a hearing loop system available. There are two public car parks within a short walking distance of our counselling rooms in King Street.
- Bristol
We offer counselling at Orchard House, Bristol it is served by main bus routes and close to the centre of the city. Public car parking is available a short walk away from Orchard Street and the building does have disabled access.
- Bath
We offer counselling at The Practice Rooms which is in the centre of Bath. It is easily accessible by public transport and there are public car parks close by.
- Street
We offer counselling in the Counselling Room at Street Chiropractor. It is easily accessible by public transport and there is a public car park close by. The building does not have disabled access.
We have counselling sessions available from 9:00 – 21:00
We offer various schemes to help people access affordable counselling
- Young people aged 18-25 on low incomes can have a £12.50 assessment and
12 counselling sessions at £12.50 - You-th Space – 15-17 (or 18 if still in education)
- We fund raise to support a bursary scheme which offers financial support to existing clients who experience financial difficulties while in on-going counselling.
- On-going counselling fees are based on a household income guide and are negotiated with clients on an individual basis according to their personal circumstances.
From our equal opportunities monitoring form we are aware 90% of our clients describe their ethnicity as White which is in proportion to the local population. We are pleased to note an increase in men accessing the service with a 60/40% split in referrals. We have amended our monitoring form to refine the information we receive and from that identify if we are reaching different ethnic groups.
We have strived to recruit counsellors from a more diverse background and we have counsellors who identify their ethnicity as black and European. We are able to offer clients a choice of male and female counsellors in Frome, Street and Bristol. We have noticed an increase in male trainees registering for the Foundation Course.
- Frome
We take all reasonable care to ensure the physical safety of those using our premises at King Street. The building has full disabled access including a toilet. We also have a hearing loop system available.
- Bristol
The counselling rooms at Orchard Street are situated on the ground floor and have facilities for the disabled.
- Bath
At The Practice Rooms the counselling rooms are only accessible by stairs. In the event of a client needing disabled access we would endeavour to meet their needs by hiring appropriate rooms for their counselling.
- Street
The counselling rooms at Street Chiropractor are situated on the first floor and do not have disabled access.
- Explore disabled access rooms in Bath available on an ad hoc basis as required
- Ensure we are reaching diverse groups and communities in our areas
- Ensure we can continue to offer the bursary to support people in financial crisis
- Ensure we can continue to support and fund You-th Space
