The decision statement needs to be written so that it is clear and understandable for the complainant, the BinJ and interested members of the public.

Remember that you are writing a statement of the reasons for your decision on the complaint. The language you use should be assured and authoritative. Avoid emotive language, mitigated speech and tentative expressions. 

Take care to avoid jargon. If you have to use it, explain what it means. Abbreviations can be used but not in the summary section. Too many abbreviations in one statement can be confusing. If you decide to use abbreviations, ensure you have provided the full description first. 

9.1. Draft and final decision wording

Remember that you are writing a statement of the reasons for your decision on the complaint. Avoid emotive language, mitigated speech and tentative expressions. 

The language you use should generally be authoritative, with firm findings. In the case of draft decisions, however, the summary and draft decision sections should be more tentative, making clear that the views expressed are based on current information. This makes more transparent any changes to our decisions in the light of responses to the draft: the draft is not a done deal. At the final decision stage the summary and decision should be assured and authoritative. 

9.2. Stylewriter

The full Stylewriter guide is available here. You should use Stylewriter to check your draft decision and final decision statement before you send it out. An AO has produced a set of words which are ‘exceptions’ within Stylewriter. ‘Exceptions’ are words we tell Stylewriter to ignore. If you have any suggestions for more, please send them to him. 

The target scores for investigators are:

• Style 40 
• Sentence length 20 
• Passive verbs 20

9.3. Plain English

Plain English is the clearest way to put your message across.

Plain English means writing in a way that communicates best with your readers. It is highly professional and effective. It does not mean being patronising or over simple. It does not mean reducing the length or meaning of your message. It is not about banning new words, killing off long words or letting grammar slip. Full guidance about using Plain English can be found here. 

We try to use plain English and avoid jargon in our decisions. This can be difficult because we often need to talk about complex subjects where technical terms (e.g. Education, Health and Care plan) are important and unavoidable. However wherever possible we should explain these in a way that a member of the public would understand. 

There is an important difference between correctly using technical terms (like EHC plan) and jargon words or terms that may form the normal language within a professional group but which are meaningless and confusing for the public. We should always avoid using language that mistakenly gives the impression we are ‘on the side’ of the body in jurisdiction rather than being independent of all parties. For example, a council might refer in its response to enquiries to how it “proactively targets bed blocking through management intervention”. Whilst we might choose to quote directly we could summarise this in plain English., explaining it means the council regularly reviews whether it can help people return to live at home with the right care and support.    

We should also try to use inclusive language in decisions. We do not normally need to refer to someone’s race, religion or ethnicity or protected characteristics in a decision. However if it is necessary for our decision (for example the complaint concerned a council’s regard to someone’s protected characteristics) then we should normally ask the person affected how they would prefer this to be described. Ultimately however it is our decision and we can decide what language is appropriate and necessary in the circumstances. We should always ensure decisions are not identifiable to individuals.  

Further advice on style and language can be found in: LGO Intranet | Writing guidance & house style

9.4. Proof reading for accuracy and professionalism

Getting someone else to read a draft or final decision can be a really powerful way to reduce typos, improve style and give a fresh perspective on your work. A check on your own work, as soon as it is finished will not reveal your errors; the eye sees what it expects to see. To improve your chances of spotting a mistake:

• Ask another person to proof-read for you (and you can do the same for them)
• Leave the work overnight before checking
• Leave the work for as long as you can, while you do something else
• Read it aloud. MS Word has a “Read aloud” function which can help with this – to do so, highlight the text, click on ‘Review’ and then ‘Read aloud’. The settings function allows you to control the speed of read back and what voice is used.
• Read it, word by word, from the end to the beginning (this takes a long time but can achieve 100% accuracy).

And because it is hard to focus on more than one thing at a time:

• Check headings separately from text
• Check numbers and calculations separately from words
• Check paragraph numbering separately.

Proof reading can also help spot avoidable use of jargon or where you refer too overly technical terms that you should explain. As we become experienced in a particular area we can become increasingly blind to our avoidable use of jargon and non-plain English. Newer investigators and non-subject specialists can often bring a particularly helpful perspective to bear on this. Consider using them for proof reading.

9.5 Language for adult social care decisions 

There is separate guidance on the intranet about the type of language to use in our decisions on complaints about Adult Social Care. Please also see the general information in our Writing Guidance and House Style guide, and guidance from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman about the language to use in our mental health casework.

Carer/Care worker

Decision statements should clearly and accurately describe the role played by people paid to care for those with adult social care needs. We should normally use the term ‘care worker’ to describe this role. The term ‘carer’ should only be used for unpaid situations, for example where a family member is supporting someone with care needs, but is not being paid for this. This is important for clarity and to appropriately acknowledge the professional nature of the care worker role.