List of changes and updates to the Social Security Scotland style guide.

Abbreviations and acronyms

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - introduced further exceptions and guidance on 80% rule.

Active voice

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/10/2024 Updated examples to be SSS specific. Added 'passive' to the title so it's easier to find.
• 27/04/2023 - added link to Cambridge Dictionary for further guidance.

Addressing the user

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/23 - new entry to cover previous content under users, etc.

Adviser

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/02/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Ages

Sources and evidence

Updates

Allow list

Sources and evidence

• GOV.UK entry - allow list

Updates

• 30/05/2024 - new entry

American and UK English

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/02/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Approaching 16

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - switched written numbers for numerals.

Application Capture Tool

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 29/05/2025 - new entry.

Appointment Booking Tool

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 29/05/2025 - new entry.

Bank details

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/02/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Benefits/assistance/award

Sources and evidence

• Experience panel 2019 research
• ‘Low Income Winter Heating Assistance’ renamed ‘Winter Heating Payment’
• benefit name exploration for Funeral Support Payment
• Renaming disability benefits playback 22nd November 2019 (third slide down)

Updates

• 9/02/2023 - Update to explain we no longer use the word ‘assistance’ to refer to a benefit. 'Assistance’ is the correct legal name in the Social Security Scotland Act (2018), but it could be misleading because people don’t always think automatically about financial assistance. They could also think about emotional or other non-financial support.

Block list

Sources and evidence

• GOV.UK entry - block list

Updates

• 30/05/2024 - new entry

Bold

Sources and evidence

Updates

Brackets

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - included warning on potential confusion in final paragraph.

Capital letters

Sources and evidence

Updates

31/10/2024 - changed to more directive language

8/03/2023 - added confirmation capitals should be used for tools.

13/02/2023 - moved definition into guidelines and included links.

Case transfer

Sources and evidence

Updates

Claim and claimant

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 25/07/24 - removed applicant/application information
• 13/02/2023 - directing towards separate entities

Collective nouns

Sources and evidence

Updates

Colons

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - new entry, taking information from 'Colons and semi-colons- only.

Commas

Sources and evidence

Updates

Components

Sources and evidence

Updates

Consultation

Sources and evidence

• Adult Disability Payment Consultation response

Updates

• 25/07/24 - new entry.

Contractions

Sources and evidence

Updates

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/02/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Dashes

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - rewritten for legibility and included further information on using dashes in online content.

Dates

Sources and evidence

Updates

Death

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/2/25 updated to explain nuance and encourage user testing

Decisions, Determinations

Sources and evidence

Updates

Dependant

Sources and evidence

Updates

Dropdown

Sources and evidence

Updates

eg, etc and ie

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Email addresses

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/02/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

European Economic Area (EEA)

Sources and evidence

Updates

Evidence

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 28/03/2024 - new entry.

FAQs

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Fonts

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 27/3/25 - added detail on font size and templates
• 13/02/2023 - included links.

Geography and regions

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Global Unique Identifier

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - included guidance on how to write entry.

Government

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Hyphens

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - included further examples.

Identity verification

Sources and evidence

Updates

i-Movo (New Payment Exception Service)

Sources and evidence

Updates

Income

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/2/25 new entry

In person

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - removed reference to this only applying to operational guidance.

inSight

Sources and evidence

Updates

Italics

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Job titles

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 27/03/25 - moved to 'Writing about ourselves and our users' section.
• 13/02/2023 - switched examples to be more Social Security Scotland specific.

Legal language

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/2/25 added guidance to help users understand and meet legal requirements
• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines

Links and URLs

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 29/05/2025 - update to offline content and letters and forms.
• 31/10/2024 - added URL standards for each content type.
• 26/09/2024 - entry updated to confirm we should not include full stops at the end of URLs in offline content to avoid breaking user journeys.
  
• 05/09/2023 - included further information on not using 'click here'.

Lists and steps

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 29/08/2024 - added new subheading for nested lists and updated example to demonstrate.
• 25/07/2024 - added guidance for keeping numbered lists as short as possible by chunking and using headings.
• 30/05/2024 - removed exception on full stops at the end of bullet points for KCM notifications.
• 15/02/2023 - updated final bullet with full stop instructions for KCM notifications.
• 13/02/2023 - new entry.

Local authority

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Magnifying glass

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 27/06/2024 - new entry

Mailroom

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 27/06/2024 - new entry

Manual letters

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 29/08/2024 - new entry

Maths content

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Measurements

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Money

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

National Insurance card and number

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - new entry - merged from ‘card’ and ‘number’.

Notice of determination

Sources and evidence

Updates

Numbers

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

On SPM

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 27/06/2024 - new entry

Page titles

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 7/08/2023 - new title, changed from ‘Titles’.

Per cent

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Please

Sources and evidence

Updates

Popup

Sources and evidence

• based on existing entry on ‘dropdown’

Updates

• 30/05/2024 - new entry

Pre-election period (purdah)

Sources and evidence

Pre-election period is clearer English and does not rely on existing knowledge to understand. Some people find it offensive to use the term ‘purdah’ in this context due to its historic usage and origins.

• Home Office entry: Content style guide - Home Office Design System
• Researching in pre-election sensitivity periods - User Research Manual - Department for Education

Updates

• 27/06/2024 - new entry

Quotations and speech marks

Sources and evidence

Updates

R: drive

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 27/06/2024 - new entry

Re-determination

Sources and evidence

Updates

‘Regular’ versus ‘recurring’ payments

Sources and evidence

Updates

Regulations and acts

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/2/25 added guidance more specific to Social Security Scotland

Reviews

Sources and evidence

Updates

Select and switch

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/10/2024 - new entry.

Semicolons

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

Sentence length

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - included further guidance on sentence length.

Short-term assistance

Sources and evidence

Updates

Sign in

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - included reference to system buttons potentially using 'log in'.

Slashes

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 7/03/2023 - changed page title from 'or'.

Social Security Scotland

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - included information on referring to Social Security Scotland.

Stillbirth

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/2/25 new entry

Spaces

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 31/01/2023 - linking directly to GOV.UK due to duplicated guidelines.

SPM screen names and buttons

Sources and evidence

Updates

Straight-through processing

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 29/08/2024 - new entry

Summaries

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 13/02/2023 - included correct character lengths for mygov.scot content.

Supporting information

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 28/03/2024 - updated entry to clarify scenarios when term should be used.
• 13/02/2023 - removed reference to this being a pending decision.

Suspensions

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 27/02/25 - new entry

System names

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 29/05/2025 - removed entry. Replaced with 'Application Capture Tool' and 'Appointment Booking Tool'.

Tab

Sources and evidence

Updates

Team names

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 27/3/25 new entry

Telephone numbers

Sources and evidence

Updates

Text message

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 29/08/2024 - new entry

Timeframes

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 7/08/2023 - title changed from 'Days'.

Times

Sources and evidence

Updates

Users

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 7/03/2023 - entry removed during move to new format - information included in ‘Addressing the user' and ‘People who use our services'.
• 13/02/2023 - directing towards separate entry.

We

Sources and evidence

Updates

Webchat

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 18/04/2023 - new entry.

Words to avoid

Sources and evidence

Updates

Words to use and avoid when talking about disability

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 7/03/2023 - new entry.

Writing about our users

Sources and evidence

Updates

• 25/07/24 - removed information to focus on acceptable terms rather than all use cases.

Yours faithfully, yours sincerely

Sources and evidence

Updates