improving care in Scotland
Care services Service providers - Information Providing children's care services Providing children's services
Adoption services
Care homes for children and young people
Childcare agencies
Childminding
Day care of children
Fostering services
School care accommodation services
To provide any of these following services, you must be registered with us. Use the National Care Standards to make sure you are providing the highest standard of care.
Adoption services
A service involving making arrangements in connection with the adoption of children and can be run by both local authority and voluntary adoption services. This does not include services in which the proposed adopter is a relative of the child.
Care homes for children and young people
A service which provides accommodation, together with nursing care, personal care or personal support, to vulnerable children. It does not include hospitals or schools. Read our review of the quality of care homes.
Letter to local authorities chief social work officers 1.05 Mb
Letter to secure care & school care accommodation service heads 942.58 Kb
Letter to Local Authorities Chief Social Work Officers - appendix 1 33.24 Kb
Childcare agencies
Childcare agencies supply or introduce to parents a childcarer who looks after a child or young person up to the age of 16, wholly or mainly in the home of that child‘s parent or parents. The carer may operate on an employed or voluntary basis. (Au pair agencies are not included.)
Examples of child care agencies are -
- nanny agencies
- sitter services
Childminding
A childminder is a person that looks after at least one child (up to the age of 16 years) for more than a total of two hours per day. The childminder looks after the child on domestic premises for reward but not in the home of the child‘s parent(s). A parent/relative/foster carer of the child cannot be regarded as his/her childminder.
Childminders - reduced frequency of inspection
There have been changes to the frequency with which the Care Commission inspects childminders. For childminders who have been operating for more than two years, who have received inspection grades of “Very Good” or “Excellent” and whose service we have assessed as being low risk, will be inspected every two years instead of every year.
The following letter is being sent to childminders who will not have a planned inspection this year. Letters to parents and carers of children attending the childminder will be enclosed with this and should be issued to them by the childminder.
Childminder inspection letter
Letter to parents about inspections
Fire Precautions - A Guide for Childminders
Day care of children
A service which provides care for children on non-domestic premises for a total of more than two hours per day and on at least six days per year. Includes nursery classes, creches, after school clubs and play groups and can be run on a public, private or voluntary basis.
The definition does not include services which are part of school activities. Nor does it include activities where care is not provided such as sports clubs or uniformed activities such as Scouts or Guides.
Parents inspect the inspectors- this report looks at the views of parents on the regulation of early years services.
Guidance for care commission staff and service providers - Recommendations arising from the NHS Fife reports 2007 on the E.coli 0157 outbreak of 2006.
Fostering services
A fostering service may provide a wide range of services in respect of a child who is not yet legally entitled to leave school. The service is provided by the local authority or by a private individual/body on a local authority‘s behalf.
Foster services may include: recruiting, selecting, training & supporting foster carers; matching children with foster carers; monitoring and providing support for foster carers.
Examples of foster care services are services which deliver -
- longer-term placements or short breaks
- substitute care where a child‘s family is unable to provide care
- complementary care to provide additional opportunities for a child
- respite care to give parents a break
The Care Commission also regulates the services provided by the local authority in relation to private fostering arrangements.
Smoke Free Care Placements for Looked After & Accomodated Children & Young People
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in partnership with Glasgow City Council funded a two year pilot project to develop a smoking cessation service for looked after and accommodated children.
School care accommodation services
This service consists of the provision of accommodation to a pupil by a local authority or by an independent/grant-aided school. The accommodation is provided to enable the pupil to attend school.
If the accommodation is provided by an independent school, this will only be regarded as a school care accommodation service if the pupil is also provided with personal care or support. Local authority hostels are excluded from the definition as are special schools.
