Learning reviews, Initial Case Reviews (ICRS) & Significant Case Reviews (SCRS) – Adults

Initial Case Reviews and Significant Case Reviews

National Guidance for Adult Protection Committees Undertaking Learning Reviews was published on 26 May 2022. This sets out that Adult Protection Committees will inform the Care Inspectorate of the decision to proceed with a learning review, or the reasons for not doing so. On completion of a learning review, an anonymised copy of the review report should be sent to us, and a notification of completion submitted.

There will be reviews ongoing that pre-date 26 May 2022. As such, there will be an overlap in submission of learning reviews and of Initial and Signficant Case Reviews which commenced on or after 5 November 2019, and before 26 May 2022.

For the foreseeable future we will accept all reviews, regardless of their structure.

The relevant online notification system for learning reviews, ICRs and SCRs should be used for all submissions. The forms have in built prompts and guidance to support completion.

Please note online submissions require to be completed in one sitting – they cannot be saved when partially completed and then returned to. There is work ongoing to develop this system.

Learning Reviews

For all situations considered under the learning review guidance, a decision notification form should be completed. This electronic notification form is to be completed at the point when a decision has been made to conduct a learning review, or to detail the reasons for not doing so.

A word version of the notification form has been provided here. This could be used to develop the submission, and then be copied into the online version.

Learning review decision notifications should be submitted here: learning review decision notification.

On conclusion of the learning review, an outcome notification form should be completed within seven days of ratification of the outcome of the learning review by the Chief Officers Group.

A word version of the learning outcome notification form has been provided here. This could be used to develop the responses, and then be copied into the online version.

The learning review outcome notification should be submitted here: learning review outcome notification.

Following completion of the learning review outcome notification, an anonymised copy of the learning review report should be sent via secure email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ICR and SCR

A word version of the ICR notification has been provided here. This could be used to develop the responses, and then be copied into the online version.

Adult Protection Committees should note the word version is to support the development of the submission. The submission should however be returned through the online tool.

Adult Protection Committees are required to submit the full ICR report to the Care Inspectorate along with the completed ‘Form B’ (ICR notification) within seven days of ratification of the outcome of the ICR by the Chief Officers Group.

The ICR notification should be submitted here: ICR notification.

The Care Inspectorate, on behalf of Scottish Government, acts as a central collation point for all Significant Case Reviews completed across Scotland at the point at which they are concluded. Further to agreeing the Final Report, in accordance with the steps detailed in The Guidance (2019), Adult Protection Committees should timeously agree a dissemination approach, including submission to the Care Inspectorate.

A word version of the SCR notification has been provided here. This could be used to develop the responses, and then be copied into the online version.

SCR notifications should be submitted here: SCR Reporting Form.

Adult Protection Committees can request to receive a pdf version of the information they submit via the online submission mechanism.

The Care Inspectorate is the central repository for all ICRs and SCRs as a way of supporting learning from these reviews to be shared and implemented more widely. As such, it is important that all reviews that are similar in purpose though not labelled as an ICR, SCR are also submitted.

Following completion of the ICR or SCR, an anonymised copy of the ICR and SCR report as applicable should be sent to us via secure email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The main contact for this work is:

Caroline Doherty, Strategic Inspector

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Deaths of young people in continuing care

Deaths of young people in continuing care

Local authorities are required to submit written notification to the Care Inspectorate of any death of a young person in receipt of continuing care as soon as is reasonably practicable.

Please complete attached form - DCC1

Please note this is separate from the duty of a registered care service to notify us of the death of a service user. These are submitted separately via the registered services eforms.

More information about notification and reporting arrangements can be found here.

Please submit all relevant forms/reports through secure email to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The main contact for this work is: 

Karen McCormack, Strategic Inspector or Sharon Telfer, Strategic Inspector  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Deaths of Looked After Children

Deaths of Looked After Children

Local authorities are required to submit written notification within 24 hours of any death of a looked after child to the Care Inspectorate.  

Please complete attached form – DLC1

Please note this is separate from the duty of a registered care service to notify us of the death of a service user. These are submitted separately via the registered services eForms. 

More information about notification and reporting arrangements can be found here.

Please submit all relevant forms/reports through secure email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The main contact for this work is: 

Karen McCormack, Strategic Inspector or Sharon Telfer, Strategic Inspector  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Notification on controlled drugs

Notification on controlled drugs

Providers should notify the Care Inspectorate to any adverse events and concerns involving schedule 2, 3, 4, and 5 controlled drugs used in care settings, when they occur, and while the service user is receiving care in the care service.

• Notifications about controlled drugs: guidance for providers

Please note, it is a legal requirement for care services to notify the Care Inspectorate of the matters listed in this document. Where the requirement is limited to a specific type of care service, this is detailed in the guidance.

Guide to using the portal

Creating an account

To register for an online account and link your current service information to the portal please read:

• How to create an account on the digital portal

To create your online portal account visit: https://portal.careinspectorate.gov.scot/Account/Register

Managing access to your service or provider

You can also grant additional user access to the service information.  For example, a provider may want to allow a service manager access to a service, in order for them to view service information, submit applications and update service details.

Find out how to add a new user with service access. 

Find out how to add a user with provider access.

If you have access to a service on the eForms system, you can also use this to grant access on the digital portal. Please read our guidance on granting access to a service or provider.

Registering a new care service

You can apply to register a new care service using the digital portal. If you are an individual applicant, please see our guidance for contents of the application form for an individual applicant. If you are an organisation, please see our guidance for contents of the application form for an organisation.

We also have guidance to support you with accepting your conditions and becoming registered, and how to withdraw an application to register a care service.

If you need to add or amend a service managers details while you are in the process of registering a care service, please see our guidance for adding and amending managers details.

You can request advice from our registration team before you submit your application form using the portal. To do this, you must create an application to register a care service and fill in some details first.  If you need support with this please see our guide for requesting advice.

Viewing and changing  your service and provider details

For support with seeing your service details, please read our guides to viewing your service and provider details.

You can apply to change your service details such as change of manager or change the service address. These changes will require Care Inspectorate approval. 

You can also update (without the need for approval) your contact details –  email address and phone numbers and these will be updated on your record immediately.

Please see our guidance for changing service details and changing provider details for support with this.

Apply to become inactive 

You can apply online to become inactive.  Registered services must operate within the legal framework laid out within the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, (the “Act”).  We have policy where any service can make an application to stop operating for up to 12 months, without having to cancel their registration.  Where such an application is granted, a service will be referred to as ‘inactive’. 

Reasons for a service to be treated as inactive would be limited to:  

• refurbishment of premises
• provider has caring responsibilities for a limited period of time
• provider maternity leave
• provider health issues.

There may be, on occasion, other exceptional circumstances, which we may consider on an individual basis. 

If you need help with this form, please read our guide to becoming inactive.

Apply to cancel a service 

Any registered service can voluntarily apply to cancel their registration, giving a minimum of three months’ notice.   

If you want to cancel your registration, you can now complete the application to cancel a care service form through your portal account.  This must be completed  before we can progress with your cancellation.   

If you need help with this form, please read our guide to cancelling a service

Apply to vary conditions of registration

If you need to vary, (add, amend or remove) the conditions of registration of your service, you should in the first instance discuss this with the inspector responsible for your service.  You will now be able to make an application to vary the conditions of your registration on the portal.  Note, you are currently only able to have one application for variation in progress at a time.

Unless otherwise agreed with us, the date the variation is to take effect from must not be less than three months after the date of application.  We can only grant or refuse an application to vary a condition – we cannot change the detail of the variation that you have originally requested.  However, whilst the application is still in progress you can update/amend the application yourself within the portal.  Where you subsequently decide that you no longer wish the variation request to be progressed, for instance, if it is no longer necessary due to a change of circumstances, then you should discuss this with whoever has been dealing with your application.  You must then withdraw the application via the portal, and we will receive automatic notification of this.

If you need help with this form, please read our If you need help with this form, please read our guide to a variation for a premises based service and guide a variation for a non-premises based service.