Legal
Accessibility
People come to this website injured, distressed, or dealing with a family or financial crisis. A site that is difficult to use fails exactly the people it exists to serve, so accessibility here is treated as part of the work rather than as something added afterwards.
The standard
This website is built to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA.
What that means in practice
- Every interactive element can be reached and operated with a keyboard alone, and the focus indicator is always visible.
- Text and interface colours are tested against the background they actually appear on, not assumed to pass.
- Headings descend in order so a screen reader can be used to navigate a page structurally.
- Images that carry meaning have descriptive alternative text; images that are purely decorative are hidden from assistive technology rather than described pointlessly.
- Form fields have real labels, and validation errors are announced and associated with the field they concern.
- Expandable sections use native browser elements, so they work whether or not JavaScript loads.
- Animation is minimal, and is switched off entirely when your device is set to reduce motion.
- Text can be resized without breaking the layout, and no page scrolls horizontally.
Known limitations
Third-party content, and documents produced outside this website, may not meet the same standard. Where that is the case and the content matters to you, ask and an accessible alternative will be provided.
If something does not work
Please say so. Describe what you were trying to do, the page you were on, and the assistive technology or browser you were using if you know it — that makes the problem far quicker to fix. You can get in touch here.
If a barrier on this website is preventing you from making an enquiry, that is a problem worth reporting by any means available to you, and it will be addressed.