Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) using any adapted or neurodivergence-friendly practical tools/resources/assets/materials for neurodivergent individuals who are likely to come into contact with the Criminal Justice System (CJS)

Request

You requested the following information:

1. Are you using any adapted or neurodivergence-friendly practical tools/resources/assets/materials for neurodivergent individuals who are likely to come into contact with the Criminal Justice System (CJS) - Of these, what is the intended audience for each adapted tool/resource/asset/material (e.g. directly for neurodivergent young adults (up to 25 years), directly for neurodivergent adults (25 years+), carers, parents, peers, professionals)? - Do you have separate practical tools/resources/assets/materials for victims and perpetrators?
2. What are these practical tools/resources/assets/materials called and are they publicly available?
3. How long have you been using these tools/resources/assets/materials within your service/PCC area?
4. If you are not using any adapted practical tools/resources/assets/materials, do you intend on implementing any in the future? If so – please provide details, if you can.
5. Please provide copies and/or links to any available tools/resources/assets/materials that you are using.

Response

The CPS holds some information within the scope of your request.

The CPS Digital Accessibility Service (DAS) previously known as the IT Accessibility team, was established in 2014 and provides tools and support for users with cognitive or neurodivergent impairments and disabilities, as well as physical.

The main function of the DAS is to support internal users as part of their employment with the CPS and the DAS has supported some key user projects by providing assurances that relevant considerations to comply with legislation to protect disabled people and neurodivergent individuals are met.

The CPS provides a range of assistive technologies to support employees to work digitally. The DAS work closely with stakeholders to support users of these assistive technologies. There are no age-related criteria.

The CPS has an internal Neurodiversity Hub providing information and resources to CPS staff and we have a digital tools catalogue that is innovative and evolves in line with user needs.
By way of currently provided practical tools, the following Standard Assistive Technologies are available:

• Dragon is a speech recognition program. For more information see nuance.com/en-gb/index.html
• Global AutoCorrect is a tool designed to automatically correct spelling and grammar. For more information see texthelp.com/en-gb/solutions/dsa/global-autocorrect
• JAWS is a computer screen reader program. For more information see freedomscientific.com/products/software/jaws
• MindView is an assistive mind mapping software application. For more information see matchware.com/mind-mapping-software
• Read&Write is a literacy, accessibility and dyslexia support tool. For more information see texthelp.com/en-gb/products/read-and-write-education
• ZoomText is an integrated magnification and reading program. For more information see freedomscientific.com/products/software/zoomtext

The CPS is committed to ensuring that digital and non-digital services are accessible and inclusive, particularly for individuals with neurodivergence, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism, ADHD, and other cognitive differences. The various tools and resources have evolved over time and continue to evolve to support the legal requirements of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018.

The CPS has published a statement on our website which sets out what we do to make our information and communications accessible. This is found at cps.gov.uk/publication/crown-prosecution-service-accessible-communication-public-statement.

The CPS website is designed to be accessible by default. We are currently redesigning our website to improve user experience, which will have easier navigation, better page layouts and have accessibility as a key component.

The CPS strives to adhere to internationally recognised accessibility standards and best practices to ensure our services are inclusive for neurodivergent individuals:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 – We aim to comply with the latest WCAG 2.2 standards, which set requirements for making web content more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for users with cognitive and learning disabilities.
• W3C Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities – We reference these guidelines to develop and refine digital content, ensuring that services are simple, predictable, and provide multiple ways for users to complete tasks.

All digital services we develop follow GOV.UK accessibility guidance and design patterns as set out at gov.uk/service-manual/helping-people-to-use-your-service to ensure we meet the needs of neurodivergent users.

CPS guidance published at cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/victim-communication-and-liaison-vcl-scheme provides that consideration should be given to Easy Read versions of the communication being prepared where a victim has a disability which will affect their ability to understand and that the CPS should use a translator from the approved list to draft these communications.

The CPS has published a comprehensive online guide for all victims and victims of Rape & Serious Sexual Offences and we have recently had these turned into Easy Read format. This is found at cps.gov.uk/information-and-support-victims-witnesses/easy-read. We also provide the Code for Crown Prosecutors in Easy Read format, as well as our online leaflets on Hate Crime and Support for disabled victims and witnesses of crime.

The CPS is continuously improving the service offering for users with cognitive/ neurodivergence and physical impairments and or disabilities. If the police identify that a victim or witness has a specific need which needs to be supported by an expert like an intermediary, this information is shared with the CPS and informs considerations like whether the victim or witness is vulnerable or intimidated and may need special measures. Intermediaries can then facilitate communication between the police, prosecution, and defence legal teams and/or the court and a victim/witness to ensure that the communication process is as complete, coherent, and accurate as possible. CPS guidance on special measures is found at cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/special-measures.

To assist the CPS in providing assurances that relevant considerations to meet legislation and guidance is met, the DAS engage with information held at the following links:

• The Equality Act 2010 which can be accessed at legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
• The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 can be accessed at legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/contents
• Government Service Standards as laid in the Government Service Manual (including other government departments supporting manuals) including for Assisted Digital can be accessed at gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines can be accessed at w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
• European Accessibility Act 2025, for procured services, in advance of the legal requirement can be accessed at commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030_en
• Government Service Manual - Testing for Accessibility can be found at gov.uk/service-manual/helping-people-to-use-your-service/testing-for-accessibility
• GDS Accessibility Manual can be found at gds-way.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/manuals/accessibility.html#building-accessible-services.

The GOV.UK Service Manual at gov.uk/service-manual provides guidance on designing for accessibility, including:

• Conducting usability testing with neurodivergent individuals.
• Implementing content and interaction design that reduces cognitive load.
• Using clear language, structured content, and assistive technology compatibility.
• Ensuring form fields, navigation, and service flows support a range of cognitive needs.

The CPS conducts ongoing user research and accessibility testing with individuals with neurodivergent conditions, including dyslexia and dyscalculia. This helps us:

Identify barriers in existing services.
Validate new designs and content adaptations to improve usability.
Ensure that key digital interactions and information are accessible for users with different cognitive needs.

The CPS remains committed to improving accessibility for neurodivergent individuals interacting with the Criminal Justice System and aims to ensure that our services and materials are designed to be inclusive and supportive.