Our inspections
The strategic inspection team carries out a range of inspections and inspection activities across adult, children’s and justice services. The legal framework for our inspection activity is set out in the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, with our duties and powers to carry out joint inspections with other scrutiny bodies explained at section 115 in part 8 of the Act . We focus on the planning and delivery of social work and social care services by local authorities and partnerships and on the outcomes that services achieve for children and adults.
Click on the links below to read more:
- Inspections overview
- Joint inspections of services for children and young people
- Joint inspections of services for adults
- Joint inspections of adult support and protection
- Justice
- Secure care pathway review 2022-23
- Disabled children and young people thematic review 2023-24
- Care experienced young people thematic review
- Review of social work governance and assurance in Scotland
- Self-evaluation of performance and quality assurance in justice social work
Secure care pathway review 2022-23
Our approach
We carried out a secure care pathway review between July 2022 and July 2023 to consider the impact of the Secure Care Pathway and Standards that were published in October 2020. The review focused on young people up to the age of 18 who have been placed – or are at risk of being placed – by Scottish local authorities, in secure care accommodation.
The review centred on listening to and understanding the experiences of 30 young people across Scotland before, during and after experiencing secure care accommodation. During the review period we tracked the journeys of these young people and this helped us to consider impact and outcomes over time. The annual inspections of registered secure care providers continue to be carried out. We worked jointly with the inspectors of these services to inform the review, particularly in relation to the ‘during’ stage of young people’s journeys through secure care.
Our review is now complete and you can read the report here.
More information
Information about the secure care pathway and standards can be found here.
Notification on controlled drugs
Notification on controlled drugs
Providers should notify the Care Inspectorate to any adverse events and concerns involving schedule 2, 3, 4, and 5 controlled drugs used in care settings, when they occur, and while the service user is receiving care in the care service.
Please note, it is a legal requirement for care services to notify the Care Inspectorate of the matters listed in this document. Where the requirement is limited to a specific type of care service, this is detailed in the guidance.
Care services and local authorities must use our eForms system to make these notifications.
Changes to notifications of deaths of looked after children and deaths of young people in continuing care or receiving aftercare provision
Changes to notifications of deaths of looked after children and deaths of young people in continuing care or receiving aftercare provision
New arrangements for reviewing and learning from the deaths of children and young people came into force on 1 October 2021.
The establishment of the National hub for reviewing and learning from the deaths of children and young people and recently published national guidance for child protection committees undertaking learning reviews will require changes to the ways in which local authorities review the deaths of looked after children and young people experiencing care.
More information about these changes can be found here.
Deaths of Looked After Children
Deaths of Looked After Children
Local authorities are required to submit written notification within 24 hours of any death of a looked after child to the Care Inspectorate.
Please complete attached form – DLC1
Please note this is separate from the duty of a registered care service to notify us of the death of a service user. These are submitted separately via the registered services eForms.
More information about notification and reporting arrangements can be found here.
Please submit all relevant forms/reports through secure email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The main contact for this work is:
Karen McCormack, Strategic Inspector or Sharon Telfer, Strategic Inspector Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Podcasts
Boxset 1 - Meaningful Connection
The Anne’s Law project advisers speak with real-life people about real-life stories that will resonate with all of us. People like Jenny, manager at Glennie House; Ken, a care home resident; Natasha, from Care Homes Relatives Scotland; professionals from across the sector and many more. Packed with insightful, thought-provoking ideas and tips to stay connected with your loved ones, these podcasts have something for everyone.
David Marshall, Senior Improvement Adviser (Pharmacy) and Katy Jenks, HC One Dementia Care Manager, Scotland discuss improving dementia care and reducing inappropriate use of psychoactive medicines in care homes.
Listen anywhere, anytime to the episodes that interest you. Listen on Spotify, Amazon Music, wherever you get your podcasts. Alternatively, you can listen on Podbean.
Our quality assurance role
Our quality assurance role
The strategic inspection team supports learning and improvement in social work services and partnerships by providing an additional level of scrutiny to reviews which they carry out. The review processes which we quality assure are:
You can find more information in the links below:
- Deaths of Looked After Children
- Deaths of young people receiving aftercare provision
- Deaths of young people in continuing care
- Learning reviews (children and young people)
- Initial Case Reviews (ICRS) & Significant Case Reviews (SCRS) – Adults
- Serious Incident Reviews
Deaths of young people receiving aftercare provision
Deaths of young people receiving aftercare provision
Local authorities are required to submit written notification to the Care Inspectorate of any death of a young person in receipt of aftercare provision as soon as is reasonably practicable.
Please complete attached form - DAC1
Please note this is separate from the duty of a registered care service to notify us of the death of a service user. These are submitted separately via the registered services eforms.
More information about notification and reporting arrangements can be found here.
Please submit all relevant forms/reports through secure email to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The main contact for this work is:
Karen McCormack, Strategic Inspector or Sharon Telfer, Strategic Inspector Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.