	REGULAR MONITORING VISITS REQUIRED BY THE CARE STANDARDS ACT 2000
	Further Information

This page last updated on 1 April 2007

What are the requirements of the various Regulations and Standards?
Your organisation's obligations are generally more onerous in relation to monitoring visits if you are operate a residential care home (adult or children) as opposed to a care agency (eg domiciliary care or fostering). You must:

Arrange for regular visits (eg at least monthly under the Care Homes Regulations 2001, regulation 26; or 'at appropriate intervals' in the case of the Domiciliary Care Agencies Regulations 2002, regulation 21) ...

... By a person who is not involved in or responsible for the day-to-day management of the organisation (Note: This is explicit only in the 'homes' / 'schools' regulations, but in my view implicit in the other regulations also) ...

... Who shall carry out appropriate documentary checks and interviews to assess the quality of care (Again, this is clearly set out in, say, the standard 33 for Residential Special Schools, but more implied in, for instance, regulation 35 of the Fostering Services Regulations 2002) ...

... And prepare a written report that is circulated to appropriate bodies and individuals (eg the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the managers / owners, in the case of 'home' type providers) ...

... So that any concerns highlighted are actioned and the result recorded (Once again, this is not made explicit for the agency providers and / or local authorities)

How could I assist in these visits?
In some cases, it is difficult to find someone who fulfils all the criteria and has the available time to make the visits. For instance, many charitable organisations or schools have trustees or governors who live some distance from the organisation. In other cases, you may want an occasional 'outsider' view, say in preparation for a major inspection. Or yours may be a small organisation where everyone is already stretched to the limit. There is nothing in the Regulations or Standards to prevent appointment of an independent monitor, and indeed this is likely to be more acceptable to Inspectors than attempting to 'squeeze' the wrong person into the criteria.

Whether you require a one-off visit, or a regular arrangement including circulation of the report and follow up on all action points, I would be delighted to help your organisation with monitoring.

You want help with monitoring visits. What do you do next?
Please telephone me on 0117 962 2356 or e-mail me with relevant details.

To return to Alison Castrey's home page, click here

Alison Castrey asserts her intellectual property rights in the images, design, structure and content of this website, which is published in England & Wales, July 2003-May 2007

Visitors: