1 March 2006

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) today made it simpler for providers to register their care services, by cutting down the regulatory burden.

The registration forms that prospective providers now have to fill in are significantly shorter and easier to understand. They have been designed to simplify the application process. All the forms have also achieved a Plain English Crystal Mark for clarity and simplicity.

CSCI Business Director for Quality, Performance and Methods, Jonathan Phillips, said:

"People have to be registered with us before they can provide care services.

"Our job is to make sure that only those who are fit to run a care service do so. However, it is not our job to make the process so difficult that we stifle business or innovation.

"The new slimline registration process we have introduced today will allow us to be more efficient in the way we process applications. The registration process is as thorough as it's always been, but it's now simpler to fill in the forms."

There have been a number of changes to the information that care providers need to supply when applying for registration. Applicants must actively demonstrate their fitness to run a care service. This means they should only apply when they feel they are ready to be registered, or be ready within 12 weeks of the application. For example, policies and procedures should be in place, a manager appointed and the premises ready to provide the service. Criminal Records Bureau checks must also have been undertaken.

Anyone wishing to set up care service should first read a new booklet produced by CSCI titled: 'How to register a social care service'. The document is also available on the CSCI website.