Professional
We are the national regulator for care services in Scotland. We also inspect the social work services provided by local authorities and we carry out joint inspections with partner organisations.
We are here to:
- provide assurance and protection for people who use services, their families and carers and the wider public
- play a key part in improving services for adults and children across Scotland
- act as a catalyst for change and innovation
- promote good practice.
People have the right to expect the highest quality of care and their rights promoted and protected. It is our job to drive up standards of care and social work services through regulation and inspection.
Choose from the menu items on the left to find the information you need to deliver care and social work services.
Our website, The Hub offers a wide range of resources to support services to learn, innovate and improve.
Promoting continence for people living with dementia and long term conditions
This resource highlights the fundamental and essential care and support required to give people the opportunity to remain continent and maximise their quality of life.
Its production involved people living with dementia and their families and carers as well as staff from across the health and social care sector.The resource can be used by people living with dementia and their families as part of self-management as well as by staff working across health and social care.
The resource, which was piloted across NHS assessment units, care homes, day centres and care at home services, can be used by people to manage their own continence as well as by carers, both formal and informal, in a wide variety of settings.
It contains an easy read guide, poster and DVD to support its five key messages which are:
- Know me and what’s important in my life and do what’s best for me.
- Know me and how I communicate.
- What I need to stay continent and how you can help.
- Create an environment that supports me to be independent and promotes continence.
- Look for every opportunity to promote my continence – be creative.
The project was led by the Care Inspectorate and delivered in partnership with Scottish Care, Scottish Government, NHS Continence Advisers, the Scottish Dementia Working Group, ACA and the National Dementia Carers Action Network (NDCAN).
For copies of the resource call 0345 600 9527.
Protecting vulnerable groups scheme
Our existing Protecting Vulnerable Groups – Guidance for Care Inspectorate Staff and Service Providers advises that providers should seek updates on individual staff PVG Scheme membership every three years.
This is not a requirement of Disclosure Scotland but rather our advice for safe recruitment good practice.
Where someone has previously only been a member of the PVG scheme for children and will now be working with vulnerable adults (or the other way round) an application to join the appropriate scheme must still be made.
If you have any questions in relation to this please contact your inspector.
In February 2011, the Scottish Government introduced a new membership scheme to replace and improve upon the current disclosure arrangements for people who work with vulnerable groups.
The Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG Scheme) will:
- Help to ensure that those who have regular contact with children and protected adults through paid and unpaid work do not have a known history of harmful behaviour.
- Be quicker and easier to use, reducing the need for PVG Scheme members to complete a detailed application form every time a disclosure check is required.
- Strike a balance between proportionate protection and robust regulation and make it easier for employers to determine who they should check to protect their client group.
The PVG Scheme is managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland.
The Care Inspectorate, as a scrutiny body, has the following duties:
- Ensure that we are satisfied about the fitness of providers and managers of registered services.
- Ensure that providers of services implement the PVG scheme appropriately as part of the safe recruitment of the managers and staff of care services
- Ensure that we use our power to refer providers and supply information required by DS appropriately.
Read our guidance that sets out how we will achieve these duties and what we expect from providers of care services.
Referrals for consideration to Dislcosure Soctland
For this scheme to work successfully, it is necessary for organisations to pass information to Disclosure Scotland where they consider that an individual may not be suitable to do regulated work so that this can be properly evaluated and appropriate action taken. Referrals can be made to Disclosure Scotland by employers and regulatory bodies such as the Care Inspectorate. These referrals will then be considered by Disclosure who will assess whether the individual should be barred from regulated work.
Read our guidance to find out more about refererals, consideration for listing, risk assessment and determinations.
Provider and services template
Provider and services template
Quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare
| The new Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors is available on the Education Scotland website. It is important to note that we will continue to use our existing frameworks and approaches for inspection while the new approaches are developed, ahead of implementation in September 2025. The 18-month gap between Education Scotland and Care Inspectorate inspections will also remain in place. |
We published our quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare in March 2022, informing the sector that we would use the framework in our inspections from 1 June 2022. We want to take this opportunity to provide you with some additional materials to support understanding and use of the framework as a self-evaluation tool.
The framework focuses on children’s wellbeing and sets out the elements that will help us answer key questions about the impact care and learning is making to outcomes for children. The primary use of the framework is as a tool for self-evaluation to assist settings self-evaluate their own performance in delivering good care and learning for children. What influences good outcomes for children has not changed but we hope the way in which the framework is set out will reassure practitioners of how this will apply in their particular setting. This framework should support settings to showcase their strengths and identify improvement, where required.
You can read across the new key questions to the previous quality themes:
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New key questions |
Previous quality themes |
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1: How good is our care, play and learning? |
Quality of care and support |
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2: How good is our setting? |
Quality of environment |
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3: How good is our leadership? |
Quality of management and leadership |
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4: How good is our staff team? |
Quality of staffing |
Our inspectors will use the framework to provide independent assurance about the quality of care, play and learning. In March 2022 we informed providers that when using the framework at inspections, we will select a small number of core quality indicators. We have taken account of what has been happening in some settings alongside recovery from the pandemic, imbedding of the expansion programme and staffing. We have therefore updated the list of core indicators and included deployment of staff. The core quality indicators that will be evaluated at inspection will be:
1.1 Nurturing care and support
1.3 Play and learning
2.2 Children experience high quality facilities
3.1 Quality assurance and improvement are led well
4.3 Staff deployment
*4.1 Staff skills, knowledge, and values. (For childminders without assistants)
Useful links
- Frequently asked questions
- How our framework links to Education Scotland’s ‘How Good is Our Early learning and Childcare'
We also want to share some good practice examples of how the framework is supporting improvement in settings and inspectors will be keen to hear from you on inspection about the improvements you have made since the introduction of the framework. We are excited to use the framework as our methodology will be transparent on how inspectors evaluate practice and supports settings deliver high quality play and learning experiences for children. We look forward to seeing how the framework is used across the ELC sector to enhance the quality of care, play and learning provided to our children in Scotland.
Pleased be assured when your inspector undertakes the first quality framework inspection of your setting, they will use the same approaches as previously used and at the beginning and throughout the inspection we will share information to ensure settings are fully informed and involved in the process.
Following the publication of ‘Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education’, including the recommendation, put forward by Professor Muir, to create a shared inspection framework for early learning and childcare settings, Scottish Government will undertake a consultation on approaches to scrutiny of early learning and childcare in the coming months. We are fully committed to working with the sector, other inspectorates and partner organisations to implement the findings of the consultation.
In the meantime this framework provides the sector with a framework that reflects national policy and best practice and will support settings moving forward and supporting good outcomes for children and their families.
Quality grades
Quality grades
Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors
The Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors is available on the Education Scotland website.
It is important to note that the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland will begin to use the new framework for inspection from September 2025.
This will allow settings to become familiar with its content and structure. The final version of the framework will be formally launched in autumn 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) we have compiled with help from stakeholders to accompany the framework. These address some of the key points raised with us so far. We will keep these FAQs updated as new questions arise.
Where can I access the Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors?
The Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors is available on the Education Scotland website. PDF versions of the new framework will be available in due course.
Will it be clear which quality indicators Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland will focus on?
The Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland have worked together to minimise the burden on settings by reducing the number of quality indicators (QIs) from 28 in the current frameworks to 11 in the new framework.
Both inspectorates have made it clear within the framework which QIs relate to the Care Inspectorate and which relate to Education Scotland. Each organisation will determine how these QIs will be used during their inspections and on shared inspections.
Why are there not weak illustrations for all QIs?
In response to stakeholder feedback, the inspectorates are developing weak illustrations for all QIs and these will be included in the next version of the framework.
Why is there no separate transitions QI?
Both inspectorates recognise the importance of transitions at all stages of development and learning.
Planning, managing and supporting children’s transitions is key to all areas of the framework and should therefore be considered in each QI rather than separately in isolation.
We will provide further support on how this is exemplified in the framework in future engagement sessions with practitioners to support reflection on transitions as part of self-evaluation and during future approaches to inspection.
Can the QIs be numbered for ease of reference?
Our focus is on the quality of children’s experiences across all areas of the framework. In order to meet user accessibility requirements, QIs have not been numbered and we would encourage the use of their full titles. For ease of reference, services should focus on the wording of the QI, for example ‘play and learning’.
Will the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland use shared grading criteria?
The Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland worked together to develop shared grading criteria.
This will be considered during the pilot phase and further discussion will take place between the two bodies regarding a consistent approach to the evaluation of adequate/satisfactory.
The Care Inspectorate will retain the term ‘adequate’ for the time being, in order to align with the National Standard, and Education Scotland will retain the term ‘satisfactory’.
Will the framework be tested and is there an opportunity to provide feedback to inform any further refinement?
The Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland will test content of the framework in a number of settings during the next pilot phase of the project. This piloting will be undertaken both separately and jointly.
During the pilot phase, both the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland will ask for feedback from settings about the QIs to inform any further refinements needed.
What are the arrangements for settings involved in the pilot phase?
The Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland invited settings to volunteer to be part of the pilot phase to test the new framework. We had a great response with more than 200 settings offering to participate.
We will reflect on the best way to involve as many settings as possible while also ensuring a balanced sample of visits. We will notify those settings that have been selected to participate in advance. Participants will be provided with guidance and information to support them during the pilot so that they know what to expect.
What is the timeframe for full implementation the framework?
The Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors was released online on January 14 2025. This will allow settings to become familiar with its content and structure. The final version of the framework will be formally launched in autumn 2025.
The Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland will begin to use the new framework for inspection from September 2025. Our inspections will continue to focus on the experiences and outcomes for children and young people.
What happens to How good is our early learning and childcare and A quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare?
The current frameworks will continue to be used for inspections until implementation of the new framework.
From September 2025, the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland will begin inspections using the new the Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors only. This framework replaces both How good is our early learning and childcare and A quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare.
When do we need to start using the new framework?
We understand that settings will adopt the new quality improvement framework when it best suits them, and that there will be a transition period as settings move away from using the existing frameworks.
You may want to continue to use the existing framework until you are ready to adopt the new framework fully.
Both inspectorates will engage with settings to support them to become familiar and confident in using the new framework for self-evaluation.
Will there be support for settings with their own self-evaluation using the new framework?
The Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland will deliver sessions on self-evaluation using the new framework from spring 2025. We will provide further detail of these sessions in due course.
Will there still be separate inspections? If yes, will they have their own frameworks?
Both inspection bodies will use the new framework for separate and shared inspections from September 2025. There will be no other frameworks used for inspection from that point on.
The QIs that each inspectorate body may use in the final inspection methodology will be confirmed when the new approach to inspections has been developed and agreed. In the framework, we have made it clear which QIs relate to the Care Inspectorate and which relate to Education Scotland.
How will childminders who offer funded ELC be inspected?
Both inspectorates have agreed that the childminding-specific content in the new framework is appropriate for the requirements of the National Standard and that the Care Inspectorate will continue to inspect childminders (including those delivering funded places).
Childminders do not need to self-evaluate using any other QIs from the framework. Education Scotland do not have any plans to inspect childminders.
Is there a Gaelic version of the new framework?
The new framework for the early learning and childcare sectors will continue to be developed and refined as we move through the pilot phase. We will ensure a Gaelic version of the framework is available when the framework is launched in autumn 2025.
Register a care service (other than childminding)
Care services in Scotland must, by law, register with the Care Inspectorate.
We regulate care services using the Health and Social Care Standards and the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.
Click here to see the definitions of the care services that must be registered with us.
Before you register a care service you should read:
- Guidance for applicants on applying to register a care service
- Guidance for providers and applicants on aims and objectives
- Guidance for providers on the registration of dispersed services
- Our quality framework relevant to your service type
- Self-evaluation for improvement – your guide
- Statement – EU Services Directive
- This self-evaluation tool supports young people, adult, and older people services to assess how prepared they are for the Covid-19 pandemic (Key Question 7 from our quality frameworks) at the point of registration.
You can also visit The Hub, our ‘one-stop-shop’ website which has a wide range of resources aimed at supporting improvement in social care and social work by sharing intelligence and research-led practice.
What to expect from the registration process
You can now apply to register a care service online, using our new, secure system. The online application is simple to complete and only asks you questions that are relevant to your service type.
You can manage your application easily. You can save it as you go and return to it later so you can complete and submit at your own pace. You can go back to previous stages to check, change and add to your application. The new application allows you to upload supporting documents and pay your application fee.
Read our Guidance for applicants on applying to register a care service and online registration application form - user guide before applying.
Fees
Care services must pay fees to be registered with us. The maximum limit is set by Scottish Ministers. The fees we collect contribute to our operating costs.
We charge a fee for registering a new service and an annual continuation fee. The annual continuation fee licenses a care service to operate.
All application fees are non-returnable.
To find out more about our fees click here.
Fire safety information
The Fire and Rescue Service may inspect your premises to confirm your compliance, or to enforce the legislation if necessary. Your application will not be concluded without a completed Fire Safety Checklist. Read our guidance notes for fire safety checklist.
You should complete the following documents and return them to relevant organisation when you are ready to do so. As the checklist is a declaration that everything is in place you may wish to wait until later in the process to do this e.g. if you are undergoing building works.
- Fire safety checklist - This should be completed and sent your local fire authority.
- Fire safety checklist confirmation - This acts as your confirmation to us that you have sent the checklist to the local fire authority. This should be completed and sent to us.
Membership of the PVG scheme and criminal records checks
You must pay an additional fee for the cost of a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme record checks as appropriate. We will determine from your application who this will be applicable to and be in contact with you to provide the relevant disclosure documentation.
You can find out more about the fees for PVG applications on the Disclosure Scotland website.
The Care Inspectorate must be a counter signatory to your own scheme record, and as such we require you to progress your PVG application through us. Once we complete the first part of the PVG application, you’ll receive an email with a link to complete your section.
Please be aware that, in addition to the PVG check, the Care Inspectorate also run online searches of publicly available information. If we have concerns about the information we find, we may contact Police Scotland.
Registering with Disclosure Scotland
For you to countersign PVG or disclosure checks for your staff or volunteers, you must be registered with Disclosure Scotland. You can find out how to register with Disclosure Scotland on their website. You will have a number of responsibilities after your register, including:
- following Disclosure Scotland's Code of Practice
- referring individuals to Disclosure Scotland when harmful or potential harmful behaviour and you dismiss the person as a result (or would or might have done had they not otherwise left).
You can also use an umbrella body to countersign PVG or disclosure checks on behalf of your organisation. A list of umbrella bodies is available on the Disclosure Scotland website.
Contact Disclosure Scotland if you need help:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 0300 020 0040
Monday to Thursday: 9am to 4pm
Friday: 9am to 3:30pm
What happens next?
Once we have received your completed application and all the documentation we have asked you for, and you have paid the fee, we will contact you. We aim to assess applications for a childminding service within three months and all other services within six months. However, this presumes that you supply us with a competent and fully detailed application, as well as any additional information we request. It is in your interest to give us all the information we ask for in the application form to prevent any delays or the risk of us closing or refusing your application.
Once you have submitted your application, our national registration team will check:
- that the information you give us in the application form is correct
- that the correct fee has been paid
- whether you are fit to provide and manage the service
- if your premises (where the service is to be provided) are fit to be used for that purpose
- that the proposed service will make all the proper provisions for the health, welfare, independence, choice, privacy and dignity of everyone using the service.
We may also check the financial viability of the service. Any information we ask for during this process is in accordance with the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.
Successful registration
If your registration is successful, we will confirm this and provide you with a certificate of registration (electronically via our eForm portal), detailing the conditions of registration. You should print the certificate and display it so that anyone who uses your service can read it. The conditions of registration are also available on our care service list.
You will also see a list of records that you must keep and a list of notifications that you must make to the Care Inspectorate within our eForms portal. See our guidance on records that all registered care services (except childminding) must keep and guidance on notification reporting.
Decisions on an application to register a service
Following an application for registration, under Section 59(1) of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 ("the Act"), the Care Inspectorate can in terms of s 60(1):
- grant the application unconditionally, s60(1)
- grant the application subject to conditions, s60(2)
- refuse the application, s60(1).
If we propose to refuse your registration, or to grant registration subject to conditions that have not been agreed in writing, we must give you notice of our proposal to do so. Such a notice, where sent by post, is deemed (by section 101 of the Act) to be received on the third day after the day it was posted.
If you wish to dispute any matters, you must do this in writing within 14 days. The notice of proposal will state where these must be addressed to.
If we propose to refuse registration, or to grant registration subject to conditions that have not been agreed in writing, you have a right of appeal to the sheriff. This right is set out at section 75 of the Act. Any appeal must be made within 14 days (17 days if we have sent this in the post).
Create an account to begin your application
Sign in to see an existing application
If you need the application form in an alternative format, please call our contact centre on 0345 600 9527.