Adjudicator's Office quality standards
Published 26 September 2024
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Quality guidance: quality standards
The quality of our casework is essential so both customers and the departments we work with trust our decisions as fair, rigorous and independent. We operate to quality standards so that we can fulfil this role as set out in our Service Level Agreement (SLA). The quality standards drive the way we do our casework and allow us to monitor, measure and target areas of improvement.
Our quality standards are set out below:
Standard 1: Adjudicator role and impartiality
Casework is carried out:
- in accordance with the SLA and our guidance and process
- impartially using an inquisitorial approach
- with facts that are established on the basis of evidence
- using evidence that is objectively assessed
- using balanced assessment that support clear conclusions
- using policy and guidance
Standard 2: effective communication
All of our communication should be:
- professional and respectful
- neutral in tone and language
- clear and jargon free
- accurate
- appropriate to the audience
Standard 3: customer focus
We will:
- manage expectations
- identify and address customer needs
- keep customers informed with what happens next
- be timely in our communications
Standard 4: high quality, fair decisions
Decisions will:
- be clear and explained
- be based on evidence
- make reference to the evidence
Standard 5: first-class administration
We will make sure:
- an audit trail of decisions is maintained
- protocols for file and casework management are followed