New notifications about visiting restrictions
From 31 March 2026, we are introducing new notifications for providers of adult/older people’s care home services. This is in order to comply with the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 and associated regulations, and to ensure people’s rights and wellbeing – including their right to maintain meaningful connection with those important to them - are supported.
In normal circumstances, there should be no restrictions on visits into or out of a care home. Homes should not operate booking systems and should not normally impose any limitations on the number of visitors or on the frequency, timing, or duration of visits or trips out of the care home.
You must notify us within 24 hours of any situation where restrictions have been placed upon visits.
- If the restriction is related to an outbreak of an infectious disease, you should complete the questions within the existing outbreak notification.
- If the restriction is for any other reason, you should complete the new notification titled “Non-outbreak related visiting restrictions (care homes )”.
Your notification should include:
- details of the reason(s) for the restrictions
- date restriction(s) started and expected end date
- if outbreak related, which Health Protection Team has been contacted for advice.
- confirmation that visits are being supported where it is likely that the resident will have died or undergone serious deterioration before restrictions are lifted, and/or to avoid serious harm to health and wellbeing.
- confirmation that visits by Essential Care Supporters are being supported.
- how details of the restrictions, their reasons, and the expected end date have been communicated to people experiencing care and their family carers.
- who else you have notified.
If you have any questions, please contact your caseholding inspector or the Meaningful Connection, Visiting and Anne’s Law Team at
Digital Transformation
Introducing Manage my Service
The Care Inspectorate is transforming its digital presence, including a new website (launching May 2026) and a new 'Manage my Service' portal (launching August 2026). Manage my Service is a single, unified platform, which will replace eForms and the Care Inspectorate’s Digital Portal following a two-year person-centred project.
Scheduled to launch in August 2026, the Manage my Service portal will simplify how you communicate with us, making processes more efficient and improving security, so we can all focus on what matters most: improving the quality of care for people who experience care.
All users will be required to log into the Manage my Service portal using an individual, unique email address. This should be provided to us before launch via the Manage my Service User Details Form issued to all registered care services in May 2026. For security reasons and to support multi-factor authentication, it will not be possible for users to login into the new Manage my Service portal using shared email addresses.
You can see an overview of Manage my Service by watching this short video.
How to prepare for launch
In May we contacted all registered care services about the first step in your Manage my Service onboarding journey: if you haven’t already done so, we need you to complete the Manage my Service User Details Form with details of the users who will require access to Manage my Service.
Providing this information when we request it will ensure the staff members whose unique email addresses you have provided can access the Manage my Service portal to complete the first-time login journey in August. After completing the Manage my Service User Details Form, no additional action is required from you at this stage.
You will be notified when Manage my Service goes live, you will then be asked to follow a simple first-time login journey. You will enter your unique email address, verify your identity, and set your own secure password.
Until then, please continue to use our eForms and CI Digital Portal systems as usual with your existing login details.
Coming soon: on-boarding resources
To ensure a smooth transition, we will launch a comprehensive programme of support, which includes a suite of on-boarding resources - bitesize videos, frequently asked questions, and guides - as well as a schedule of online events. These resources will give you and your team the knowledge and confidence to begin using the provider portal immediately.
We look forward to working with you to deliver this important modernisation for the care sector. Your support in preparing for the launch will be invaluable as we work towards a more efficient and effective regulatory system.
Frequently asked questions
|
Question |
Answer |
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What is Manage my Service? |
Manage my Service is the Care Inspectorate’s new single online portal that will replace the existing Care Inspectorate Digital Portal and electronic forms (eForms). |
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Why is Manage my Service being introduced? |
We are making it easier to use our systems which will free up time for both the Care Inspectorate and your service to focus on improving the quality of care for people who experience care. |
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When will Manage my Service launch? |
Manage my Service is scheduled to launch in August, and services will start using it from then. |
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Which user details should I provide for my care service? |
To use Manage my Service, each registered care service must provide us with new user details assigned to one of two roles:
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How do I provide the Care Inspectorate with the user details for my registered care service? |
In May your care service was sent an email from the Care Inspectorate, titled “Action needed: Confirm the contact details for your registered care service”. In this email is a link to the Manage my Service User Details Form and instructions on how to provide us with details of your Care Service Administrator and other staff that will require access to Manage my Service. |
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What should I do if my care service hasn't received an email from the Care Inspectorate requesting user details for Manage my Service? |
If you haven’t received an email from us requesting user details for Manage my Service, please call our contact centre on 0345 600 9527. Please have your Care Service Number to hand. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:00 You can email us too, at |
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Why are unique individual email addresses required for login to Manage my Service? |
For security purposes. The new solution is built on a secure, named-user identity model that requires unique, individually authenticated accounts per user. Today multiple users could use the same email address to access our systems; the same email address could also be used by some registered care providers to log into multiple services. From August, all users will need to log in to Manage my Service using their own unique email address. For security reasons and to support multi factor authentication, shared email addresses will no longer be supported. |
|
Can I use the same email address that I use to login to the Care Inspectorate's existing eForms and Digital Portal systems? |
Yes, you can use the same email address to login to Manage my Service that you use currently. However, this can only be used by one person. You still need to provide the Care Inspectorate with this email address now using the Manage my Service User Details Form. |
|
What are the responsibilities of a Care Service Administrator? |
This role can manage all aspects of the registered care service online, including updating details, submitting notifications and variations, managing the service's status, communicating, and responding to inspection reports and enforcement actions. The Care Service Administrator can add additional users. |
|
Is the Care Service Administrator a new role in Manage my Service? |
No, the Care Service Administrator is how we refer to users currently called ‘Main Account Holders’ or ‘Main Users’ within our current eForms and Care Inspectorate Digital Hub systems. |
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Can one person be the Administrator for multiple services? |
Yes, a Care Service Administrator (currently referred to as ‘Main Account Holder’ or ‘Main User’) may manage multiple care services within the same provider. |
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Can a service have more than one Care Service Administrator? |
Yes, it is possible to have multiple Care Service Administrators. |
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What can a Care Service Support user do? |
The Care Service Support role (currently referred to as ‘Additional User’) is for other tasks, such as sending notifications and communicating with us. Users in this role cannot change service details or respond to reports. |
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How many users can we register initially? |
You must provide contact details for at least one Care Service Administrator. You can also provide details for up to nine other priority users (either Administrators or Support users). |
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What if we need to add more users after Manage my Service is launched? |
Care Service Administrators can add and edit user access after Manage my Service is launched. |
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What happens if we do not confirm our user details before Manage my Service launches? |
If you do not provide us with user details, you won’t have access to Manage My Service when it launches. Reporting notifications and other engagements will require an account, which will take longer to register once Manage my Service is launched. The most efficient and convenient way is to register in advance using the Manage my Service User Details Form. |
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What happens after I provide user details for Manage my Service? |
After providing these contact details no further action is needed for now while we upload the contact details provided into the new portal. Please continue to use our eForms and CI Digital Portal systems as usual with your existing login details. |
|
When will my user account be set up? |
You will be able to complete the first-time login journey for the Manage my Service portal when it goes live in August 2026. You will enter your unique email address, verify your identity, and set your own secure password on that date. |
|
What happens to my existing Care Inspectorate accounts that I use for other applications? |
Our eForms and CI Digital Portal systems will be active until August with your existing login details. From this date onwards your interactions with the Care Inspectorate will be administered via Manage my Service and you will not have access to eForms or the CI Digital Portal. |
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What happens at the launch of Manage my Service if I am administering an in-progress registration or inspection? |
For a small number of care services, in-progress registrations and inspections will continue to be managed via the eForms and CI Digital Portal systems. You will be informed if this is the case. For all other care services, Manage my Service will be the single portal for managing your care service with us. |
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Will I have to re-enter data on Manage my Service? |
Before the launch of Manage my Service your core care service data will be integrated into the new portal, so you don't have to re-enter it. |
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What should I do if I do not know who my Care Service Administrator should be? |
The Care Service Administrator is the person responsible for managing your service online and adding other users. If you are unsure, you should coordinate internally to designate a lead contact before August. |
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National review of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation
The Care Inspectorate (CI) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) have been asked by Scottish Government Ministers to lead a joint inspection working with Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMIE) into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Information for members of the public
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The national review of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation is considering how well local services in Scotland are working together to prevent, identify and act appropriately on instances of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation. The focus of the review is on current practice. You can find out more about the review below.
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Separately, plans for a Statutory Public Inquiry and Scottish Truth Project have been announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills. This work is being progressed by the Scottish Government. As part of this, arrangements are being made to enable survivors of group-based sexual abuse or exploitation to share their experiences. We will provide links to the website(s) for the public inquiry and truth project when developed.
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All children and young people have a right to be protected from harm. If you are worried about the safety of a child or young person, contact Police Scotland or your local social work service.
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If you have experienced or witnessed abuse or exploitation, we encourage you to report this to Police Scotland. You do not need to deal with this alone. Many organisations can offer help and support. More information can be found on the Parent Club website.
Letter from Scottish Government requesting National Review (pdf)
Care Inspectorate response to request for National Review (pdf)
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Partnership guide
Partnership guide documents
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Why your annual return is so important
This year’s annual returns have now closed. We would like to thank everyone who submitted their annual return to us by the deadline, Tuesday, 17 February 2026. The information you have provided will help us plan, inform and carry out our inspections and improvement work.
Why your annual returns are so important
Every year in January and February, we ask care service providers to complete an annual return. It asks for a great deal of information about your service and the people who use it. It is important to know why you are asked for this information, and what we do with it.
First and foremost, the information you provide in the annual return helps us understand your service. This means inspectors are able to plan and prepare for effective inspections that are focused appropriately.
Not only is the annual return important for planning and focusing inspections, but the information you also give provides a national picture, which can help the us and other partner organisations in a number of ways.
Even inactive services must submit an annual return.
If a service was registered on or after 1 October 2025, it should try to complete an annual return this year. Although it is not mandatory for these services, any information supplied will be used by the Care Inspectorate and Scottish Government.
Benchmarks and comparisons for inspectors
Inspectors can compare a service they are looking at with national averages to identify potential issues. For example, if the inspector is preparing to inspect a service with higher staff turnover than average, when they inspect, the inspector might look at the impact this could have had on the quality of care and outcomes for people using that service.
Publishing statistics
We also publish statistical reports of some of the annual returns data. We also use the annual return data to inform many of our other publications such as:
National policy makers (the Scottish Government) can use these summaries and publications to shape and evaluate national policies and providers can see how their service compares with other services.
Supporting improvement
The intelligence we gather through annual returns helps us target our improvement activity and support within social care. It is a great source of baseline data across a variety of health and wellbeing indicators which we use to identify, drive and track improvement, for example infection control, nutrition and the recruitment and retention of staff. The data also helps us to identify trends and topics by both geographical area or service type, so that we can see where best to focus our improvement support work, for example, improvement workshops or new resources and guidance for care services across the sector.
Reducing duplication and sharing information
We also share information with other public bodies to reduce duplication and the costs of data collection for both the taxpayer and the people providing data. For example, anonymised staffing information is shared with the Scottish Social Services Council, so they can develop intelligence about the workforce without having to collect additional data from care services.
If you need help accessing the annual return, you can call our contact centre on 0345 600 9527 or read our frequently asked questions.
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