Decision Statements Manual
Part 6
6. Decision standards
There are eight specific decision standards.
| Principle | Standard | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfying complainants | Complaint heard and understood |
Complaint stated succinctly States what has been investigated and explains any difference from the original complaint |
| Accurate |
All facts are accurate No typos in the summary, or significant typos in main text (e.g that affect meaning) or that risk damaging our professional standards |
|
| Legally sound | Easy to defend in court |
Reasoning clear, sound and logical Relevant law and guidance applied correctly. Decision statement states all the essential points, including clarity on findings of fault and injustice We have used our discretionary powers correctly and explained them clearly Correct standard paragraphs have been used. |
| Confidentiality |
No real names or identifying details for PAs or third parties Unless properly justified and approved. No unnecessary details / correctly made decision not to publish. |
|
| Clear | Structure |
Decison statement follows the standard structure Logical, clear, succinct treatment of events over time. |
| Easy to read |
Statement well written Expressed in appropriate tone of voice. Plain English. Avoid jargon. (usually not exceeding style writer 40/20/20) |
|
| Focussed | Include only the material information needed to explain the decision. No extraneous detail. | |
|
Impactful |
Where relevant, remedies are SMART and in line with our published guidance on remedies. |
Typing and grammatical mistakes should be kept to a minimum. There is no set criteria as to why a statement may fail the standard because of typing errors. For example a ten page decision statement may have four typing errors in and still be considered acceptable, but another ten page decision statement may only have one typing error, but because of its significance, this may be seen as not meeting the standard.
Stylewriter
Stylewriter is a tool to support investigators when writing decision statements. For more information about how to use stylewriter see section 9.2 below.