Devolved care inspectorates: quick comparison reference

Guide summary

Compare the care inspectorates in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland before you register or operate a service. Each nation has different rules for registration, fees, grading, and enforcement. You must follow the specific framework and disclosure scheme for the country you work in.

Check which inspectorate covers your service: Care Inspectorate (Scotland), CIW (Wales), or RQIA (Northern Ireland)
Register your service with the correct inspectorate before you start operating
Scotland uses numeric grades 1 to 6 — Wales and Northern Ireland do not
Wales requires you to appoint a Responsible Individual (RI) for each service
Scotland uses the PVG scheme — Wales uses DBS — Northern Ireland uses AccessNI
Each nation has different enforcement appeal routes: Sheriff Court, First-tier Tribunal, or Care Tribunal
Northern Ireland has separate Minimum Care Standards for each service type

Use this reference to compare the three devolved care inspectorates at a glance. For detailed cross-border guidance, see Operating care services across UK nations.

Devolved care inspectorate comparison

Side-by-side comparison of the three devolved care inspectorates covering founding legislation, quality frameworks, grading systems, workforce bodies, disclosure schemes, responsible person roles, and enforcement appeal routes. Excludes CQC (England).

The three devolved care inspectorates regulate social care services under separate legislation with distinct approaches to registration, inspection, and enforcement. This comparison covers the key structural differences that affect providers operating or considering operating in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

Scotland: founding legislation: Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010
Wales: founding legislation: Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 (RISCA)
Northern Ireland: founding legislation: Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (NI) Order 2003
Scotland: quality framework: Health and Social Care Standards (My support, my life) 2018
Wales: quality framework: RISCA Regulated Services Regulations 2017
Northern Ireland: quality framework: RQIA Minimum Care Standards (service-type-specific)
Scotland: grading system: Numeric grades 1 (Unsatisfactory) to 6 (Excellent)
Wales: grading system: No numeric grades — narrative inspection reports
Northern Ireland: grading system: No numeric grades — compliance-focused inspection reports
Scotland: workforce body: SSSC (Scottish Social Services Council)
Wales: workforce body: Social Care Wales
Northern Ireland: workforce body: NISCC (Northern Ireland Social Care Council)
Scotland: disclosure scheme: PVG scheme (Disclosure Scotland)
Wales: disclosure scheme: DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)
Northern Ireland: disclosure scheme: AccessNI
Scotland: responsible person role: Manager (registered person)
Wales: responsible person role: Responsible Individual (RI) — unique to RISCA
Northern Ireland: responsible person role: Registered person (registered manager)
Scotland: enforcement appeal route: Sheriff Court
Wales: enforcement appeal route: First-tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber)
Northern Ireland: enforcement appeal route: Care Tribunal

Feature	Care Inspectorate (Scotland)	CIW (Wales)	RQIA (Northern Ireland)

Devolved care quality frameworks comparison

Comparison of the quality standards frameworks used by Care Inspectorate Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales, and RQIA Northern Ireland. Scotland is the most outcome-focused, Northern Ireland the most prescriptive, and Wales occupies a mid-point with its Responsible Individual model.

Scotland — Health and Social Care Standards (My support, my life) 2018: Scotland replaced its former National Care Standards in April 2018 with an outcome-focused, human rights-based framework. The five headline standards are: I experience high quality care and support that is right for me; I am fully involved in all decisions about my care, treatment, or support; I have confidence in the people who support and care for me; I have confidence in the organisation providing my care and support; and I experience a high quality environment if the organisation provides the premises. Services are graded on a six-point scale (1 = Unsatisfactory to 6 = Excellent) against quality themes derived from these standards. The approach emphasises what people should experience rather than prescribing how services should operate.

Wales — RISCA 2016 and Regulated Services Regulations 2017: The Welsh framework centres on wellbeing outcomes aligned with the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Providers must appoint a Responsible Individual (RI) who has strategic oversight and accountability for the quality of care. Each service must produce a Statement of Purpose setting out its aims, objectives, and the arrangements for meeting standards. CIW inspections assess wellbeing, care and support, leadership and management, and the environment. There is no numeric grading system; CIW publishes narrative inspection reports. Welsh Language Standards may require bilingual service delivery.

Northern Ireland — RQIA Minimum Care Standards: RQIA uses prescriptive, service-type-specific Minimum Care Standards. Separate standards exist for residential care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care agencies, children's homes, day care settings, and other service types. Each standard prescribes specific requirements (staffing ratios, record-keeping procedures, premises specifications). RQIA inspections assess compliance against the applicable standards and relevant regulations. Northern Ireland's integrated health and social care system means RQIA also regulates some health services that fall under different bodies elsewhere in the UK.

Scotland approach: Outcome-focused, human rights-based — what people should experience
Wales approach: Wellbeing outcomes with RI oversight — mid-point between outcome and prescriptive
Northern Ireland approach: Prescriptive, service-type-specific — detailed requirements per service type
Scotland framework name: Health and Social Care Standards (My support, my life) 2018
Wales framework name: Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017
Northern Ireland framework name: RQIA Minimum Care Standards (multiple, service-type-specific)
Scotland headline standards: 5 headline standards covering experience, involvement, confidence in people, confidence in organisation, environment
Wales key requirement: Responsible Individual (RI) appointment and Statement of Purpose mandatory
Northern Ireland key requirement: Compliance with applicable service-type-specific Minimum Care Standards

Feature	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland

Disclosure and barring schemes across UK nations

Comparison of criminal record disclosure and barring schemes across all four UK nations. DBS operates in England and Wales, PVG scheme in Scotland, and AccessNI in Northern Ireland. No automatic cross-border portability exists between any schemes.

England and Wales — Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): The DBS operates under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Police Act 1997. Enhanced DBS checks with barred list checks are mandatory for staff in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults. The DBS Update Service (annual subscription of £16) allows employers to check the status of an existing certificate online, providing portability within England and Wales. The Update Service does not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Scotland — PVG scheme (Disclosure Scotland): The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme operates under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007, as reformed by the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020, which came into force on 1 April 2025. PVG scheme membership is now mandatory for individuals carrying out regulated roles with children or protected adults, and disclosures are issued as Level 1 and Level 2 products. Disclosure Scotland maintains the barred lists for Scotland. PVG scheme membership costs £59 for a new application. Unlike the DBS Update Service, PVG scheme membership provides continuous updating — scheme members are monitored for new vetting information on an ongoing basis.

Northern Ireland — AccessNI: AccessNI operates under the Police Act 1997 (Part V as applied to Northern Ireland) and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007. Enhanced checks with barred list access are required for staff in regulated activity. AccessNI does not offer an equivalent to the DBS Update Service. Barring decisions in Northern Ireland are managed by the Disclosure and Barring Service under arrangements with the Department of Health (NI). An enhanced AccessNI check costs £32.

Cross-border employers: There is no automatic portability between any of the three disclosure schemes. If you employ staff who work in more than one UK nation, you must obtain separate checks under each nation's scheme. A valid DBS certificate does not satisfy PVG requirements in Scotland, and vice versa. Employers should budget for the cost and administrative burden of maintaining multiple checks for cross-border workers.

England/Wales scheme: DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)
England/Wales legislation: Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006; Police Act 1997
England/Wales enhanced check cost: £49.50 (enhanced DBS check, from 2 December 2024)
England/Wales update service: DBS Update Service — £16/year, online status checks, E&W portability only
Scotland scheme: PVG scheme (Protecting Vulnerable Groups), operated by Disclosure Scotland
Scotland legislation: Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007; Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 (in force 1 April 2025 — PVG membership mandatory for regulated roles)
Scotland PVG membership cost: £59 (new PVG scheme membership application)
Scotland continuous updating: PVG scheme provides ongoing monitoring — no separate update service needed
Northern Ireland scheme: AccessNI
Northern Ireland legislation: Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007; Police Act 1997 (Part V)
Northern Ireland enhanced check cost: £32 (enhanced AccessNI check)
Northern Ireland update service: No equivalent to DBS Update Service
Cross-border portability: None — separate checks required for each nation where staff provide care

For nation-specific registration procedures, see:

Legal basis

Primary legislation and key regulations

RISCWA 2016 Primary 2016 · Wales Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 Primary 2010 · Scotland Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 Primary 2003 · N. Ireland Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 Primary 2020 · Scotland Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 Primary 2014 · Wales PVGSA 2007 Primary 2007 · Scotland Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 Primary 2007 · N. Ireland Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 Primary 2006 · UK-wide Police Act 1997 Primary 1997 · UK-wide

Browse UK legislation legislation.gov.uk

Official guidance

DBS Update Service: employer guide (opens in a new tab)

DBS

AccessNI criminal record checks (nidirect) (opens in a new tab)

GOV.UK

Handling of DBS certificate information (opens in a new tab)

DBS

PVG scheme guidance (mygov.scot) (opens in a new tab)

www.mygov.scot

Apply for a basic DBS check (opens in a new tab)

DBS

Check an applicant's DBS certificate online (opens in a new tab)

DBS

Devolved care inspectorates: quick comparison reference

Legal basis

Official guidance

Related guides in General Compliance

Operating care services across UK nations: cross-border registration and compliance

Healthcare regulation across the UK nations

Social care registration and regulators

Social care workforce qualifications and staffing

Register a health or social care service with RQIA