Care Inspectorate Wales Publishes Chief Inspector’s Annual Report

Care Inspectorate Wales Publishes Chief Inspector’s Annual Report

The publication of the CIW Chief Inspector's Annual Report for 2024-2025 has highlighted some positives, but also several continuing challenges for care services across Wales. 

For childcare, the pressure on budgets continues with an increasing demand for services alongside difficulties with the recruitment and retention of staff. However, there are positives. The report shows how targeted inspection and enforcement is supporting measurable improvements and increases in quality and standards. For example, the majority of inspection ratings awarded during 2024-25 were ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. In childcare and play services that was as high as 80%. There were also much fewer ‘poor’ ratings – down from 56 to 43.

In addition to that, while the CIW brought forward 239 inspections following concerns from families and staff, the number of Priority Action Notices were down 41% to 373 as fewer services required enforcement intervention.

In terms of the size of the sector, there was a small overall decline in childcare services of 3% which equates to 108 fewer services and resulted in 82 fewer places (0.1% less). However, the number of full day care services grew by 2.7% (30 new services) so the overall decline reflects the reduction in childminder and sessional services.

Indeed, the persistent decline in childminder numbers continues to be worrying. For example, while ten more childminders registered this year than in 2023/2024, 147 cancelled their registration. A change of career and retirement were the most common reasons given for childminders leaving the profession. The report suggests there is some optimism about the self-financial sustainability of childminders, but further details on that are not given. 

It means that there are now 999 less childminders than ten years ago and it reflects a trend towards group-based settings over the last ten years. In 2015 there were 654 full day care services in operation, rising to 1121 for 2025. Conversely, for childminder services the numbers have come down from 2416 in 2015 to 1417 this year.

Sources and more information:

1. https://www.careinspectorate.wales/sites/default/files/2025-10/251013-CIW-Annual-Report-2024-25-en.pdf
2. https://www.corampacey.org.uk/ciw-publishes-annual-report/