Accessibility Statement
The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is dedicated to fostering accessibility in all aspects of its work, including its website, hearings, premises and/or venues, and any public engagement.
We are continually striving to enhance the accessibility and usability of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s website for all users. Our efforts include the implementation of:
Easier-to-read colours and sufficient contrast levels
Include alternative text for all images
Larger font and zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
Navigate the website using just a keyboard
Navigate and interact with most of the website content using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver)
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
This accessibility statement applies to the website for the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland – https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/
Compliance Status
The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is committed to making its website accessible, per the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, the Equality Act 2010 and the British Standard for Web Accessibility (BS 8878).
Our site has been built using code compliant with W3C standards for HTML and CSS, ensuring compatibility with current browsers. This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, the non-compliances are listed below.
Non-accessible Content
The website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below:
Understandable content
Content should be understandable, readable, and easy to navigate. Using the clearest and simplest language appropriate is highly desirable to enhance comprehension for users with cognitive or language-related disabilities. This does not fail WCAG 2.2 AA standards, but guidance can be found under Section 3.
Info and Relationships
Dropdown navigational items are not marked up correctly. When content elements other than list items are contained within a set of list elements, screen readers cannot inform the listener that they are listening to items within the list. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.3.1.
We plan to review the navigation structure by the end of Summer 2025.
Link Purpose
The “scroll to bottom” button, styled as an arrow in the header, is classed as inaccessible. Link text and alternate text for images, when used as links, must be discernible by a screen reader, must not have a duplicate label, and must be focusable. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.4.4 and 4.1.2.
We plan to review the button semantics by the end of Summer 2025.
Captions (Pre-recorded)
Captions for pre-recorded video content are automatically generated by the media player YouTube. There are no text alternatives, such as a transcript, on the website. This also applies to our pre-recorded audio content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.2.2.
We plan to review captions and add transcripts to all pre-recorded video content and audio content by the end of Summer 2025.
Audio Description (Pre-recorded)
There is no audio description for prerecorded video content. The content presented in some prerecorded videos, such as a webinar, may lead to a reduced or incomplete understanding of the visual elements and overall narrative. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.2.3 and 1.2.5.
We plan to add audio description to all pre-recorded video content when possible by the organisation.
PDF and other documents
Some PDF, MS Word, and Excel files, which are not essential to providing our services, don’t meet accessibility standards. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.1.1, 1.3.1, 1.3.2, and 2.4.3. We strive to make documents accessible and/or provide suitable HTML alternatives where possible.
Third parties supply PDFs that cannot be altered by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.
We plan to improve our documents by either replacing them with accessible HTML pages or ensuring that, if the documents are to remain as is, they meet digital accessibility standards. We will review these sequentially throughout 2025 and 2026.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services.
Any new PDFs or other documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Feedback and contact information
If you encounter an accessibility issue or need assistance accessing any content, e.g. request a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
- Email: mwc.enquiries@nhs.scot
- Call: 0131 313 8777
- British Sign Language users can contact us directly by using Contact Scotland BSL
If you use adaptive technology and are having problems accessing information on the site, please send an email to mwc.enquiries@nhs.scot and let us know:
- Detail the content you wanted to access
- Describe the problem you experienced
The technology used to interact with the content
We will consider your request and get back to you in two weeks.
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).
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland website will be regularly updated to improve functionality and accessibility where and when required. The current site is and always will be a work in progress. We are committed to continually improving accessibility. We achieve this by:
Raising awareness and promoting a culture of accessibility in the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
- Annual assessment of https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/
Incorporating feedback from members and staff to improve our services
Keeping up with the latest best practices and web standards
While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, or where we are unable, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review the accessibility of this website and retest it.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared in September 2024. It was last reviewed on May 22, 2025.
This website was last tested in September 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standards. The Union Digital conducted the audit based on a randomly selected sample of pages, ensuring representation across all available content types on the website. The test was carried out using automated testing tools such as the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool and axeDevToolstested on a variety of internet browsers, including Chrome, Safari and Firefox, and a variety of devices, including MacBook, Windows Android, and iPhone. Testing was done against the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria.
The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland reserves the right to amend this policy periodically.