How we check facts

We check every fact at its source

Every phone number, time limit, rule and date on this site is checked against an official source before it appears on a page. That means the law itself on legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK and the other government websites for Scotland and Northern Ireland, the courts, the NHS, the regulators, or the organisation’s or scheme’s own website. We don’t copy facts from other websites, articles or summaries.

If we can’t confirm something from an official source, we leave it out, even when it’s widely said. Where that leaves a gap, our guides say so.

One record of every fact

We keep one record of every fact we use, with where it came from, the exact words of the source, and the date we checked it.

Helpline numbers and opening hours are kept in one place on this site, so when one changes, it changes everywhere it appears.

Our guides show the date we last checked them, and each helpline card shows the date we checked that line.

We check again, regularly

• Things that can change quickly, such as whether a redress scheme is open, or laws that aren’t in force yet: every month.
• Helpline numbers and opening hours: at least every three months.
• Support organisations, laws and scheme rules: at least every six months.

How we list organisations

We only list a support organisation after checking, on its own website, who it helps, where it works and how to contact it.

We also check that each web address still leads to the right organisation. Old addresses can end up somewhere unexpected, so we never link to one we haven’t checked.

Read by a specialist before it’s published

Before any guide is published, a specialist reads it to make sure our plain-English wording hasn’t changed what the rules mean, and it is signed off. Until then, pages are drafts.

What we don’t do

• We give information, not legal or medical advice.
• We never ask for your story.
• We don’t use third-party trackers on our pages.

Read more about us.