Checklist — writing policies for the web

General

Each policy needs a:

• title — clear and descriptive
• summary — maximum 255 characters.

Blocks

Policies are divided into blocks:

• Start with a 'What is [subject]' block if you need a brief intro or a list of what’s covered.
• Always have a 'Who this policy applies to' block.
• You could then have a block about when the policy is relevant, like 'When [subject] is needed' or 'When this policy doesn’t apply'.
• Put the other blocks in a logical order.

Each block has:

• a heading — clear and descriptive so practitioners can easily scan the page
• a summary
• more content that can be displayed by clicking on a 'show more' button, if needed.

Writing for the web

When you’re writing the content for the blocks:

• use 'we must' statements so practitioners are clear about what they need to do
• follow the 'we must' statement with clear bullet points, as much as possible
• if you use 'we should' statements, think carefully about whether that information would be better on a guidance page that can be linked to from the policy
• write using plain language – for example:
  • use active sentences most of the time
  • keep sentences and paragraphs short
  • use short words, such as 'use' not 'utilise', and 'before' not 'prior to'
  • avoid jargon
• use frequent, descriptive headings
• break text up with bullet points
• put links on a separate line.

Useful links

Policy section on the Practice Centre

Structuring a policy

How we write