Accessibility statement for HMCTS Access
This accessibility statement explains how accessible this website is, what to do if you have difficulty using it, and how to report accessibility problems with the website.
This website is part of the wider GOV.UK website. There is a separate accessibility statement for the main GOV.UK website.
This page only contains information about the HMCTS Access service, available at https://hmcts-access.service.gov.uk. It does not cover those services accessed via HMCTS Access logins.
HMCTS Access is provided by HM Courts & Tribunals Service to allow users to securely sign in to online Civil, Family and Tribunal services.
This website is run by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service. This means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We have also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
This website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.
There are no known accessibility issues within this service.
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, you can:
- email: HMCTSforms@justice.gov.uk
- call: +44 (0) 300 123 1711
- contact your service representative
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 10 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact:
- email: customer.service@justice.gov.uk
- telephone: +44 (0) 300 123 1711
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).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
Our offices and tribunal venues have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter. You can also request step-free access or a foreign language interpreter.
If you have a question about accessibility in our Tribunal venues, you can contact the First-tier Tribunal enquiry line: +44 (0) 300 123 1711. You can find the contact details for court and tribunal venues.
You can also contact your service representative for more information.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
HMCTS 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
This website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We’re committed to ensuring our services are accessible to all our users and that they comply with level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – WCAG 2.1.
We continually run automated accessibility testing as part of our development practices. This helps us to resolve issues before we launch new pages or features.
This website has also been tested by the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) against WCAG 2.1 standards.
To give a more accurate review of the service the DAC team employ two differing testing processes.
The first is a manual technical audit using automated tools and the second a dedicated team of user testers with differing disabilities test using a range of adaptive technologies. The combination of subjective pan-disability user feedback and comprehensive technical auditing allows us to measure how the service performs technically and practically, thereby offering an essential added dimension to our test results that other methods of testing cannot provide.
By using the testing team in conjunction with an automated procedure a more accurate set of results are made available.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 14 September 2021. It was last reviewed on 14 September 2021.
This website was last tested on 27 August 2021. The test was carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC).
We used this approach to deciding the pages to test:
- All user journeys that are live on the website were listed.
- A set of steps was included in each journey.
- Each step linked to a specific page, content, or error state – all of them are in scope for testing.