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Change the wording of referral letters

Make your organisation's copy of each referral letter and check the preview before you save.

Checked against the screens:

Every organisation can choose its own words for the people and roles it works with. When you are signed in, this guide uses your organisation’s words. Otherwise it uses the product’s own.

For people allowed to change letters, usually DSLs and admins. Others can read the wording but not save it.

Steps

  1. On the referral board, press Manage letter templates.
  2. Find the letter you want to change.
  3. If it is a shared starting letter, press Create organisation copy.
  4. Edit the Template title if you need to.
  5. Change the Letter wording. Keep the placeholders from Available placeholders exactly as written.
  6. Look at the Example preview. It uses invented names and answers.
  7. Press Save letter wording.
  8. Check the page says your wording was saved.

If it goes wrong

  • If you cannot save, the page says you can view the templates only. Ask a DSL or admin.
  • If a placeholder shows as raw text in the preview, you changed its spelling. Put it back.
  • If the page cannot load templates, press Reload templates or go Home.
  • If no templates appear, ask the platform team to check your starting templates.

How it links together

Only new letters use the changed wording. Saved letters keep what they had. Placeholders are filled from the fields on the referral.

From template to letterWording set here is used by every new letter of that kind.
  1. Shared letterStarting wording
  2. Your copyCreate organisation copy
  3. EditWording and placeholders
  4. PreviewInvented names
  5. New lettersUse your wording

Shared letters and your copy

Each body starts with a shared letter. Saving your changes makes a copy for your organisation. The shared one stays as it was.

Placeholders

Placeholders are words in braces that the system fills in, such as a name or a date. The list on the page shows which exist. Do not retype them from memory.

The preview

The preview uses invented names and answers. It shows how your wording reads, so read it as the person who receives the letter would.

Who can change it

Two settings decide. One lets people see the templates. Another lets them change them. If you cannot change them, the page says who can.

Keep letters short and factual

  • State what you are asking the body to do.
  • Say what happened, without opinion.
  • Name the young person only in the fields made for it.
  • Leave out detail the body does not need.

A new wording applies to letters you write from now on. Letters already saved do not change.

Questions people ask

Why can't I save my changes?

Your role can view the letters but not change them. Ask a DSL or admin for the change.

Does changing a template change letters already saved?

No. Saved letters keep the wording they had. A new wording applies to new letters.

What is a placeholder?

A word in braces that the system replaces, such as a name or date. Keep them spelled exactly as listed.

Are the names in the preview real?

No. The preview uses invented names and answers.

What does Create organisation copy do?

It makes your own version of a shared letter. You then edit your version and the shared one is left alone.