Apply to register a care service

By law, you must register with the Care Inspectorate if you want to operate a care service in Scotland.  It is an offence under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 to provide a care service that is not registered.  To successfully register (and stay registered) with us, you service must continuously meet the requirements of: 

• the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010
• the National Care Standards , and
• any other legislation relevant to your service including any Scottish Statutory Instruments

Before you apply

If you are thinking about registering a service with us, you can find important information here, or contact us  for general advice. 

Click here if you want to apply to register a childminding service 

Click here if you want to apply to register any other service

Find out about the National Care Standards 

You should read the National Care Standards that apply to the type of service that you want to register. These are set by the Scottish Government and we inspect services to make sure they meet these standards. You can download them from the Scottish Government's dedicated website www.nationalcarestandards.org  

Read our guidance

We have produced this guide to help you apply to register and operate a care service

What to expect from the registration process?

Our National Registration Team will deal with your application, and will check: 

• the information your give us in your application form
• whether the provider and manager of the proposed care service is fit to provide or manage a care service
• whether the premises in which the proposed care service will be provided are fit to be used for that purpose
• that the proposed care 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 the registration process is in accordance with Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 

EU Directive Statement

Registration or applications to vary or add conditions to a registered service  is not automatic following a lapsed time period.  Statement under Article 13 of EU Services Directive (Directive 2006/123/EC) ("the Directive")

Under Article 13.4 of the Directive, we have put in place different arrangements from those provided  by Article13.3.  This means that an application to register a care service, or to vary conditions of registration, will NOT be deemed to have been granted when any specified (or extended) time period has expired.  We will only grant such applications when it has: 

• considered in full all of the documentation submitted to it
• satisfied itself about all of the matters specified in the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and associated secondary legislation
• satisfied itself that it is appropriate to grant the application to register or vary or add conditions of registration.

These arrangements are justified because there are overriding reasons for them, relating to the public interest.  These reasons include the legitimate interests ofthird parties, such as: 

• people who use, or who may use care services and their relatives
• local authorities and others who may commission or purchase such services.

It would not be in the public interest for care services for vulnerable individuals to have an application for registration or variation granted, simply because a time limit has expired.  It is in the public interest that those who provide, or seek to provide, care services to vulnerable people and the proposed care services themselves should be subject to all necessary and appropriate scrutiny, checks and inquiries, however long it may take to carry these out properly and fully.

It is in the legitimate interests of third parties that we should carry out all necessary inquiries, and give full consideration to all information arising from such inquiries, before any application to register, or vary the conditions of registration of, a care service is determined. 

We have a complaints procedure  that allows any applicant to make a complaint if they think it has not followed its registration procedures. Our complaints procedure cannot be used to challenge a decision by us to grant or refuse an application to register,  vary or add conditions of registration of, a care service.

We will seek to meet it's Key Performance Indicators for  applications to register care services. That is three months for applications for childminding and six months for all other service types.