age assurance practice statement

The definition, in our words

A written account of the procedures and operational practices an organisation uses when it provides an age assurance service.

Why the distinction matters

The published framework makes this statement the business layer of an analysis. The working draft on benchmarking says the core comparison is run against it, so a provider without a current statement has nothing stable to be measured against.

How to use it in a comparison

Ask for the statement and its version date before you design a test. If the statement and the observed service disagree, that difference is itself a finding.

Where it changes the evidence

A definition is not decoration. It decides which test is meaningful and which result can be compared. Where a supplier's material uses the term differently, the comparison should quote the supplier's use and place it beside this one. A difference in definition is a finding about comparability, and it belongs in the report rather than in a footnote.

The analysis units on this site use the term as the framework defines it. Where a unit turns the term into a question, the question is written on the unit page and the evidence artefact is named. The kit repeats both, so a row in the register and a paragraph in the report use the same meaning.