Compliance guidance

Childminder compliance
in Wales.

In Wales, all registered childminders are regulated by Care Inspectorate Wales and must meet the National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare. Where a childminder is funded to provide nursery education, Curriculum for Wales requirements may also apply. Clariti applies every Welsh requirement automatically from your registered postcode.

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Regulator Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)
Who regulates you
Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)

Care Inspectorate Wales is the independent regulator of social care and childcare in Wales. It inspects all registered childminders against the National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare. Inspections assess the quality of care, the environment, leadership, and outcomes for children.

The frameworks that apply to you.

National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare

The standards set by the Welsh Government that all registered childminders must meet. They cover care and development, safeguarding, health and safety, management, and the environment. Clariti generates documentation that evidences compliance with each standard.

The Regulation of Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Order 2016

The primary regulatory order governing childminding in Wales, alongside the Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010. These set out the registration and operating requirements for all Welsh childminders. Clariti's policy generation references these correctly.

Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014

The legislation underpinning safeguarding and the promotion of wellbeing in Wales. All childminders operating in Wales must be aware of their duties under this Act. Clariti's safeguarding documentation references it directly.

Curriculum for Wales

Where a childminder is funded to provide nursery education, Curriculum for Wales requirements may also apply. The Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 provides the legislative basis. Clariti maps observations to the Areas of Learning and Experience where applicable.

Safer Recruitment and DBS

All childminders in Wales must hold a current enhanced DBS check and follow safer recruitment practices. Clariti's training log tracks DBS renewal dates and alerts you before a certificate lapses.

Welsh Language Active Offer

CIW-registered services are expected to consider the Welsh language Active Offer, proactively offering Welsh language services where possible. Clariti supports this with bilingual-aware documentation prompts.

Flying Start

The Welsh Government's early intervention programme for children under four in disadvantaged areas. Clariti supports practitioners working within Flying Start with appropriate documentation.

UNCRC

Wales was the first part of the UK to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law via the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011. All Clariti documents reference children's rights consistently.

What paperwork you need to have.

Policies and procedures

Welsh childminders must have written policies covering safeguarding, health and safety, complaints, medication, mobile phones, and more. Clariti generates every required policy with correct Welsh legislative references, including The Regulation of Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Order 2016, the Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010, and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.

Risk assessments

A risk assessment is required for all areas of the setting, outings, and activities. These must be reviewed regularly. Clariti tracks review dates and alerts you when a review is due.

Children's records

A full record for every minded child covering personal details, emergency contacts, permissions, and relevant medical information. Clariti keeps all records connected and up to date.

Observations and learning records

Regular observations evidencing each child's development mapped to the Areas of Learning and Experience within the Curriculum for Wales. Clariti structures observations from your notes.

Training log

Evidence of qualifications, DBS checks, first aid certificates, and CPD relevant to Welsh requirements. Renewal alerts mean nothing lapses before an inspection.

Self-evaluation

CIW expects childminders to reflect continuously on the quality of their provision. Clariti builds a self-evaluation record automatically from all platform activity.

Accident and incident records

All accidents and incidents must be recorded and reported to CIW where required. Clariti provides structured recording and flags where notification may be needed.

How Clariti helps

Everything above, handled.

When you register with Clariti, your postcode tells the platform which nation you are in. Every document, framework reference, and legislative citation is applied automatically. You never need to know which framework applies. Clariti handles it and generates inspection-ready documents built specifically for Wales.

Nation-specific from day one
Your postcode determines your nation. Every document uses the correct frameworks and legislation for Wales automatically.
Inspection-ready documents
Policies, risk assessments, observations, care plans, and training records all generated to the standard inspectors expect.
Self-evaluation builds itself
Everything you complete feeds your self-evaluation automatically. Live gap indicators show exactly where your evidence needs attention.
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Common questions from Welsh childminders

Welsh childminders must have written policies covering safeguarding, health and safety, complaints, administration of medication, confidentiality, mobile phones, and more. CIW expects all policies to reference the relevant Welsh legislation, including the National Minimum Standards and the Regulation of Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Order 2016. Clariti generates every required policy with the correct Welsh legislative references.
CIW does not publish a fixed inspection timetable. New registrations are typically inspected within the first year. Subsequent inspections depend on previous outcomes and any concerns raised. Inspections are generally unannounced. Maintaining current documentation at all times is the most effective preparation.
Not to all childminders. The Curriculum for Wales applies where a childminder is funded to provide nursery education. In that context, childminders must comply with the relevant Areas of Learning and Experience. For childminders not in receipt of nursery education funding, the National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare are the primary compliance framework. Clariti applies the correct requirements based on your setting.
Childminders in Wales must hold an enhanced DBS check before registration and must keep it current. CIW must be notified of any changes in circumstances. Clariti tracks your DBS renewal date and alerts you before action is needed.
The Welsh language Active Offer means proactively offering Welsh language services to those who may wish to use them, without waiting to be asked. CIW-registered services are expected to consider this in how they operate. Clariti supports bilingual-aware documentation for Welsh childminders.
The primary legislation includes the Regulation of Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Order 2016, the Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010, and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. The National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare set out the practical compliance requirements in detail. Clariti references all relevant Welsh legislation in the documents it generates.

Further reading from the Clariti blog

CIW inspection preparation guide → Risk assessment guide → Policies guide →

Clariti covers all four UK nations. Read the compliance guide for:

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