Our first principle of inspection is to focus on the things that matter most to childrens lives. The SCCIF is not a one-size-fits-all framework. The evaluation criteria are broadly consistent across the different types of childrens social care services but they reflect the unique nature of each type of service.
The SCCIF means that:
we apply the same judgement structure across the range of settings
the experiences and progress of children and other service users, wherever they live or receive help, are central to inspections
there are key areas of evidence that we usually report on at each inspection
Our approach is further underpinned by the following 3 principles that apply to all social care inspections:
to focus on the things that matter most to childrens lives
to be consistent in our expectations of providers
to prioritise our work where improvement is needed most
Published 22 February 2017 Last updated 31 March 2023 +show all updates
Minor changes to the evaluation criteria to align, where applicable, with other framework changes on childrens progress, the management of risk and the need to appoint a registered manager, if the post is vacant, within 26 weeks.Small change to guidance for inspectors on recording evidence in the inspection database.
Minor edits for clarity in the 'Timeframe' and 'Monitoring visit' sections. Revised text referencing the updated 'Ofsted code of conduct' policy.
Added updated SCCIF for April 2022: added guidance for when inspectors discover possible unregistered provision.
Updated guidance on the scheduling of inspections of agencies previously judged inadequate or requires improvement to be good, to make this consistent with our guidance on all adoption and fostering agency inspections.
Added guidance on inspecting adoption support agencies during COVID-19 restrictions. Updated guidance to reflect the changes to Ofsteds post-inspection processes and complaints handling (including the timeline) that we introduced in September 2020. Updates to the 'Frequency of inspection' section to include a rolling 3-year inspection programme. Minor edits for readability.
