Checking a community resource card: dates, scope and open questions

Keep the original entrance, not only a screenshot

Start each card with the resource name, publishing organisation, full public URL and the date you actually checked it. If the information was forwarded, find the original through a verifiable public entrance. If you cannot, mark the source as unverified rather than supplying an organisation's name yourself. A screenshot can help identify a page but cannot replace a link that can be checked again.

Separate the page's stated update date from your own check date. If no update date is shown, say so. Viewing a page today does not mean its content was updated today. Preserve the year whenever an activity period or annual programme is mentioned so that historical arrangements do not look new.

Turn the published scope into questions, not decisions

Briefly describe, in your own words, the locations, audiences and service format mentioned on the public page. Add a column for matters requiring confirmation. A page offering information should not be rewritten as guaranteed referral or immediate support. Mentioning a target group does not establish that every reader qualifies.

Keep unclear wording as questions: Is the service still provided? Which contact handles enquiries? Is an appointment needed? Is a newer information page available? The card is an index for the next enquiry, not an approval of an application or a service choice made on someone else's behalf.

Use eight fields to show what remains unknown

Use eight fields: name, original URL, publisher, page update date, check date, summary of published scope, open questions and next check date. A working copy can identify the role responsible for follow-up. A shared card does not need personal phone numbers or information about individual service recipients.

Keep the summary short and ensure each statement can be traced to the original. If two official entrances conflict, record both links and dates and ask which applies. Do not combine their wording into a new arrangement that neither source states. Mark old cards as historical references so they are not circulated as current guidance.

Separate enquiry replies from public descriptions

Focus an enquiry on a few unresolved questions. Record its date, contact point and the substance of the reply. If an answer concerns one situation, preserve that limit rather than presenting it as a policy for everyone. Questions without a reply remain unconfirmed.

Before sharing, ask whether the card lets readers find the original, whether assumptions have become facts, and whether another person's identity or help-seeking experience has been included. An external copy should contain only the necessary public information. Handle internal follow-up notes through the team's existing arrangements rather than posting them as a group announcement.

Set a check point instead of treating the card as permanent

Recheck when a link stops working, an activity period ends or different information arrives. If a card supports a particular activity, check it again before sharing. For a general reference, the maintainer can set a next review date. This is a team reminder, not a claim about how often the publisher updates its information.

Label the status clearly: public introduction found, enquiry outstanding, conflicting information, or expired reference. Preserving uncertainty is more useful than filling a blank with a guess. Anyone deciding whether to use a service should confirm individual arrangements through that organisation's current public channels.

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