Wales has changed who may run children’s services, how care services are rated and what providers must publish. Several of these are now legal duties with fixed deadlines.
Since 1 April 2026 only local authorities and permitted not-for-profit bodies can register a new children’s home, secure accommodation or fostering service in Wales. Care homes and domiciliary support services have had published CIW ratings since April 2025, annual returns must be published by 30 June, and new Social Care Wales codes apply from 1 July 2026.
Most of these changes come from the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025 and from Social Care Wales, not from Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) itself. CIW enforces them, so they turn up at registration and at inspection all the same.
Here is each change in date order, what it means for your service, and what is still only planned.
The Welsh changes at a glance
| Date | What changed | Who it affects | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 March 2025 | Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025 becomes law | Children’s services and all regulated services | Law |
| 1 April 2025 | Published ratings for care homes and domiciliary support services | Care homes, domiciliary support | In force |
| 1 April 2026 | Not-for-profit rule for children’s homes, secure accommodation and fostering | Children’s services | In force |
| 26 May 2026 | Annual return merged with the Social Care Wales workforce survey | Regulated services | Done |
| 30 June 2026 | First deadline to publish the annual return on your own website | Regulated services | In force |
| 1 July 2026 | New Social Care Wales Codes of Professional Practice | Employers and workers | In force |
| September 2026 | New joint CIW and Estyn inspection framework for non-maintained nurseries | Nursery settings | In force |
| 30 September 2026 | Social Care Wales registration compulsory for special school residential workers | Residential special schools | In force |
| 1 April 2027 | Narrower childcare exemptions, with a transition year | Some coaching and tuition | Made, starts 2027 |
Children’s services: the not-for-profit rule is now law
Part 1 of the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025 came into force on 1 April 2026. Children’s homes, secure accommodation and fostering are now restricted children’s services. A new provider must be a local authority or a permitted not-for-profit body, so a for-profit company can no longer register one. Existing for-profit providers cannot vary their registration to add services or places. Applications submitted by 31 March 2026 were assessed under the old rules.
The Welsh Government has set out the next stages as policy. From April 2027 existing for-profit providers are not expected to add beds or foster carers, and from 1 April 2030 new placements with for-profit providers will need ministerial approval. It consulted on the detailed regulations from 1 July to 23 September 2026. If you run or plan children’s services in Wales, settle your legal form now, and check it against the permitted forms the Welsh Government lists.
Ratings for care homes and domiciliary support
Since 1 April 2025 CIW has published ratings for care homes, for adults and for children, and for domiciliary support services. Each service is rated excellent, good, needs improvement or poor across four themes. You must show your rating on your website and, in most cases, at the service itself.
After seven months CIW reported that 92.5% of 2,115 ratings were good or excellent. CIW has said it may take up to two years to rate every service, so a service without a rating yet should expect one.
Annual returns: now published, and now a legal duty
The 2026 annual return was due through CIW Online by 26 May 2026, and it now combines CIW’s return with the Social Care Wales workforce survey in one submission. The bigger change is what comes after it. Providers must publish the return on their own website by 30 June. Not doing so is an offence that can be dealt with by a penalty notice.
Social Care Wales: new codes and a wider register
New Codes of Professional Practice for social care workers and employers apply from 1 July 2026, and the service regulations require providers to follow the Employers’ Code. Read it against your supervision, training and recruitment policies.
From 30 September 2026 residential workers in special schools must register with Social Care Wales. The general rules have not changed: managers must be registered before their first day, other care workers within 6 months of starting, and the fees are £80 a year for a manager and £30 a year for a worker.
Childcare and play
From September 2026 CIW and Estyn use an updated joint inspection framework for non-maintained nursery settings. It cuts six themes to three and produces shorter reports.
The Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Revocation and Transitional Provision) (Wales) Order 2026 was made in March 2026 and comes into force on 1 April 2027, with a transition year to April 2028. It narrows the exemptions from registration, especially for coaching and tuition. If you run activities for under-12s that do not need registration today, check whether they will from 2027.
Registration: complete applications only
Since early 2025 CIW has wanted all essential information when you apply, not part-way through, and the named manager must already be suitably qualified and registered with Social Care Wales. CIW says it decides a complete application for a new service within up to 14 weeks. Missing information adds to that.
What to do now
- Children’s services: confirm your organisation is a permitted not-for-profit form before you apply or plan to grow.
- Care homes and domiciliary support: check your rating is on your website and at the service.
- Diary the annual return for May and its publication on your website by 30 June every year.
- Review your policies against the Social Care Wales Codes of Professional Practice that apply from 1 July 2026.
- Residential special schools: make sure every residential worker is registered with Social Care Wales.
- Childcare and activity providers: check whether the 2027 exemption changes bring you into registration.
How Cura Compliance can help
Our free CIW registration guide for 2026 includes the not-for-profit rule and checklists written for Welsh law. If you are registering a new service, see our Care Inspectorate registration support, which covers Wales, or book a free 30-minute consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Can a private company run a children’s home in Wales?
Not a new one. Since 1 April 2026 children’s homes, secure accommodation and fostering must be run by a local authority or a permitted not-for-profit body. Existing for-profit providers cannot add services or places to their registration.
Do care homes in Wales get CIW ratings?
Yes. Since 1 April 2025 CIW has published ratings for care homes and domiciliary support services: excellent, good, needs improvement or poor. Providers must show their rating on their website and, in most cases, at the service.
Do I have to publish my CIW annual return?
Yes. After you submit it through CIW Online, you must publish it on your own website by 30 June. Failing to do so is an offence and can lead to a penalty notice.
What are the new Social Care Wales codes?
New Codes of Professional Practice for social care workers and employers, which apply from 1 July 2026. Providers must follow the Employers’ Code under the service regulations, so policies on supervision, training and recruitment should reflect it.
Are the childcare registration exemptions changing in Wales?
Yes. An Order made in March 2026 narrows the exemptions from 1 April 2027, with a transition year to April 2028. Some coaching and tuition for under-12s will need registration with CIW.
Sources
- Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025
- CIW: removing profit from children’s care, checked September 2026
- Welsh Government: moving children’s social care to a not-for-profit model, consultation 2026
- CIW: ratings for care homes and domiciliary support services, April 2025
- CIW: annual return 2026, April 2026
- Social Care Wales: new Codes of Professional Practice, 2026
- Estyn: updated joint inspection framework for the non-maintained sector, September 2026
- The Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Revocation and Transitional Provision) (Wales) Order 2026