1. Head of Quality Assurance and Practice Improvement
QA Team Development Session: Audit Report Writing
Natalie Trentham
Head of Quality Assurance and Practice Improvement

4. Think Ahead: Keeping it Manageable – Before the Report
A realistic sample size
Clearly defining the sample – which cases are you looking at?
5% rule or no more than 20
Use the questions in the audit to structure the report
Makes collating findings easier and more accurate
Really think about the questions and collect information to answer the questions only – the ‘so what’ rule:
So what do we want to know?
So what did the audit tell us about this?
Creating new headings means you have to make your findings fit in
Think about your presentation format – again do not create work
Programme in follow up audits

6. Plain Language The Hemingway approach:
Write for a 9 year old
Short Sentences
Short first paragraphs
Be positive and not negative
Simple language: bold and clear – Write in sentences
Avoid jargon whoever the audience is
Readability
The Hemingway app / Editor; Plain English campaign; books such as: ‘The Oxford Guide to Plain English’
Examples – see sheet

7. Other Tips from me
Practice precis - Less is more – you do not have to explain the entire audit
Write in sentences – read it back.
Acronyms explained and/or written in full the first time
Numbering, headings, use bold and underlined
Punctuation
Using semi-colons wrongly (in place of full stops and colons before a list)
Capital letters in the middle of sentences
Capital letters only for names and titles e.g. managers and social workers are lower case
Paragraphs comprising of one sentence.
Do not use Times Roman Font
12 font
White space is important – it stops the reader being overwhelmed

8. Other Tips from me
Avoid complex data strings – use data for impact. Just because you can count something doesn’t mean its helpful: the ‘so what rule’
Write in 1 tense – ideally the present (or the past)
Write in the third person – not we , I or you but ‘it’, ‘the audit’ etc.
Use action language so not ‘we could’ but ‘it is recommended that’
Do not detract from the findings with other issues, views etc.

9. The Report
We should not have a set template with the same headings for all reports – You are the experts and trying to squeeze your audits into a prescribed format may not be helpful.
However standard sections usually include:
Introduction:
Why this audit?
What you looked at and why?
Methodology:
Always keep it brief people will skip this section
This can be incorporated into the introduction
How many – how you decided on that sample and what the sample was
Dates
Who did the audit
Secondary data

10. The Report Standard sections ctd: Short Reports Findings:
Use the questions in the audit as the sub-headings for the findings
What is working?
What are we worried about?
Recommendations:
What, who and when.
Short Reports
Ideally 2 pages and no longer than 5 pages
I am doing 8 pages for the child’s entire journey in learning audits.

11. Consistent Presentation
Tips:
Agree the corporate template – this one!!
No set rule: look at your audience and subject area
What does it need to cover:
A clear title
One line description of the audit
Key findings:
Themes
What are we doing well?
What are we worried about?
Learning / Recommendations / Next steps

12. Consistent Presentation
Presentation Skills training tips:
Who has done the training?
Don’t put everything on the slide – No more than 6 bullets….Not like this then!!!!
2 mins per slide for me – so ensure your slide numbers fit your time slot.
White space and font size – not below 24 for the screen
Make it interesting: pictures, quotes etc
Don’t read from the slide / screen
Print a version that works for you
Use your own style and work to your strengths

13. You know these rules – Don’t let other things get in the way