The Care Standards Act 2000

Quick links:
Overview
How to use this guide
Care Standards: registrable services
Care Standards: the regulatory regime
Local Authority Adoption and Fostering Services
Social Workers
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales

OVERVIEW
The most significant task performed by the Care Standards Act 2000 was that it reformed, simplified and extended the registration regime for social care in England and Wales. For children’s services, the Act requires registration of the following services:

• children’s homes;
• residential family centres;
• independent fostering agencies;
• voluntary adoption agencies;
• adoption support agencies.

In order to become, and stay, registered, each of these services must comply with a set of regulations tailored to each particular service. In deciding whether the regulatory requirements are met, the registration authority must have regard to the National Minimum Standards. The registration authority for England is OFSTED. The registration authority for Wales is the Welsh Ministers (Welsh central government), which acts through its division known as the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales.

Part 4 of the Act is also very significant for social work.