Accessibility statement for the claim criminal injuries compensation service
This accessibility statement applies to the claim criminal injuries compensation website.
This website is run by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
- zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We've also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet (opens in new tab) has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- required fields not marked visually or programmatically
- links to help text or guidance are sometimes placed after the question and may be missed by people using screen readers
- there's no indication of how far you are through the form
- people using VoiceOver on iOS may find that further details buttons are not announced as buttons
- you cannot apply custom text spacing on some pages on the site
Feedback and contact information
Contact our Customer Support team if you:
- find any problems not listed on this page
- think we're not meeting accessibility requirements
- need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille
Customer Support team contact details:
Email: info@cica.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 003 3601
Outside the UK: +44 (0) 203 684 2517
Relay UK (opens in new tab): (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone) 18001 0300 003 3601
| Day | Opening times |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8:30am to 5pm |
| Tuesday | 8:30am to 5pm |
| Wednesday | 8:30am to 3pm |
| Thursday | 8:30am to 5pm |
| Friday | 8:30am to 5pm |
Find out about call charges (opens in new tab)
We'll consider your request and get back to you in 10 working days.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) (opens in new tab).
Technical information about this website's accessibility
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 (opens in new tab) AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Links that provide further context for some of the form fields are placed after the form field. This means that some supportive information is not available for screen reader users until they have populated the field. This fails WCAG 1.3.2 (A). We are carrying out a full audit of all our helpful links and will improve consistency in the positioning of our supportive information once this is complete and by the end of 2024.
Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
There is no indication, visually or programmatically, that form controls are 'required' though users are informed if a field is 'optional'. We plan to state on our homepage that all fields are required unless explicitly stated as optional by June 2024.
There is no indication programmatically or visually, of how long this process will take. We are currently developing a task list that will allow users to easily identify which tasks are done, which they still need to do and gives them more control over how they complete their application. We plan to have this in place by the end of 2024.
When navigating with VoiceOver on iOS further details that appear as buttons are not announced as buttons. This is an issue with voiceover on iOS.
On certain pages throughout the site, users cannot apply custom text spacing using the text spacing bookmarklet to improve their reading experience.
Conditionally revealed radio buttons are not announced to screen readers. Research has shown that users did not have an issue with this as long as the reveal box is kept simple, for example a single input field.
The link to create a GOV.UK One login to save your progress is not left aligned. This could make it more difficult for some users to read and may increase the risk of this valuable content being missed.
The information text for the character count is read out before the description instead of after it as is visually displayed. This is a bug with the pattern and we have raised this with Government Digital Services.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
We will adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 (opens in new tab) AA standard for all new and amended content and pages as we work to fix all outstanding issues and improve the service. We will monitor the accessibility of this website on an ongoing basis and fix any accessibility issues reported to us.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 18 March 2020 when it was first published.
It was last reviewed on 2 February 2024.
This website was last tested on 10 October 2023 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by User Vision Ltd, an independent accessibility testing company. In addition, User Vision Ltd carried out a spot check against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard on 20 February 2024.