Wales. Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016
Registering a service with Care Inspectorate Wales
Wales runs its own regime. Eight adult and children's services are regulated under the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, and it is an offence to provide one without being registered. CIW publishes no application fee, so the real cost is preparation: a statement of purpose, a designated responsible individual with a medical reference, a business plan, cash flow and floor plans, then a wait CIW puts at up to 14 weeks. This is Wales only. Tell us about your service and a consultant will come back to you.
What happens next
- Tell us the regulated service, the applicant type and how much evidence you already hold. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to consultants who work on Welsh social care registrations, and to no one else.
- They contact you directly with what they would charge and how long it would take. Compare, choose, or walk away.
CIW Registration is an independent information site and free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by Care Inspectorate Wales, the Welsh Government or any other body named here, and nothing on it is legal or regulatory advice. We pass your details to relevant registration consultants who contact you directly, and we may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. Requirements and timescales are quoted from CIW's published pages on the updated date above and change without notice: confirm them at careinspectorate.wales before relying on them.
What CIW registration actually demands before you apply
Last updated
Care Inspectorate Wales publishes no registration fee, so the cost of registering in Wales is preparation time and delayed trading rather than a cheque to the regulator. This table maps each item CIW asks for before you apply to who has to produce it and why it is the item that slows applications down.
Compiled from the documents Care Inspectorate Wales lists under Before you apply on its Register a service page, from its published processing timescales on Register to provide a service, and from its Guide to Registration, all checked on 14 August 2026. No fee is stated here because CIW publishes none: section 40 of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 gives Welsh Ministers a power to require registration fees by regulations, but neither CIW's registration pages nor its Guide to Registration state a fee. Confirm with CIW before budgeting.
| What CIW asks for before you apply | Who has to provide it | Why it drives cost and delay |
|---|---|---|
| An electronic statement of purpose for each service | Every applicant | It is the document the whole application is assessed against, and CIW publishes a separate guide and template for compiling it |
| A current DBS certificate for every responsible individual and individual applicant | Every applicant | It must either be on the update service with details supplied, or be no older than three months at the time of submission, so timing it wrong forces a reapplication for the check |
| A medical reference for each responsible individual | Every applicant designating a responsible individual | It has to be obtained from a clinician and uploaded with the application, which is a lead time outside your control |
| A copy of the floor plans | Every applicant | Producing measured plans for a premises you may not yet hold is a real cost, and premises changes mean redrawing them |
| A bank reference | All except local authorities and local health boards | Bank turnaround is a common source of delay in a first application |
| A business plan for the first two years | All except local authorities and local health boards | CIW is testing viability, not ambition, so a plan that does not reconcile with the cash flow gets queried |
| A detailed projected cash flow | All except local authorities and local health boards | It must survive the same 14 week wait during which you cannot trade |
| Annual accounts for the last two years, if any | Organisations, excluding local authorities and local health boards | New entities have none, which shifts the weight of the financial assessment onto the plan and cash flow |
| A structural plan of the organisation | Organisations only | Group structures with several legal entities attract detailed questions about which entity actually provides the service |
- Care Inspectorate Wales says an initial application to register a regulated service can in general take up to 14 weeks, and longer if more information is required or requested information is not returned on time.
- Applicants must not start to provide a service in Wales before registration is granted by CIW issuing a Notice of Decision, and section 5 of the 2016 Act makes it an offence to provide a regulated service without being registered.
- Care Inspectorate Wales publishes no registration fee scale: section 40 of the 2016 Act gives Welsh Ministers a power to require fees by regulations, but no fee appears on CIW's registration pages or in its Guide to Registration.
Cite this page
“What CIW registration actually demands before you apply”, CIW Registration, https://ciwregistration.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). Compiled from the documents Care Inspectorate Wales lists under Before you apply on its Register a service page, from its published processing timescales on Register to provide a service, and from its Guide to Registration, all checked on 14 August 2026. No fee is stated here because CIW publishes none: section 40 of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 gives Welsh Ministers a power to require registration fees by regulations, but neither CIW's registration pages nor its Guide to Registration state a fee. Confirm with CIW before budgeting.
The questions we get
How do I register a care service in Wales?
Apply to Care Inspectorate Wales through CIW Online under the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, with a statement of purpose, DBS certificates, a medical reference for each responsible individual, floor plans, a bank reference, a two year business plan and a cash flow.
How much does CIW registration cost?
Care Inspectorate Wales publishes no registration fee scale. Section 40 of the 2016 Act lets Welsh Ministers require fees by regulations, but no fee appears on CIW's registration pages or its Guide to Registration. The real cost is preparation and the wait before you can trade.
How long does CIW registration take?
CIW says an initial application can in general take up to 14 weeks, longer if more information is needed or is not returned on time. Responsible individual and variation applications are given 6 weeks.
Which services are regulated by CIW under the 2016 Act?
Care home services, secure accommodation services, residential family centre services, domiciliary support services, adoption services, fostering services, adult placement services and advocacy services. Childminding and day care register under separate Welsh rules.
Can I trade while my CIW application is being considered?
No. CIW states applicants must not start to provide a service before registration is granted by CIW issuing a Notice of Decision, and section 5 of the 2016 Act makes it an offence to provide a regulated service without being registered.
Does CIW registration cover England or Scotland?
No. CIW regulates Wales only. England is regulated by the Care Quality Commission under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and Scotland by the Care Inspectorate under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. Cross-border providers need separate registrations.
Is this service really free?
Yes, free to you, with no obligation. We pass your details only to consultants who work on Welsh social care registrations; we may receive a fee from those providers, which is how the service is funded.