Today we are launching a survey asking registered childcare services about Care Inspectorate Inspections to better understand services' experiences of inspections. This survey is primarily for daycare of children services registered with the Care Inspectorate: school age childcare services, nurseries, creches and playgroups, also including specialist services for children with disabilities/ASN/complex needs, and outdoor registered services.

The survey has been designed mostly with multiple choice questions, and although some questions require additional information, it is anticipated that it should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Although in general, responses will be anonymised, should you wish to highlight particular issues then there is the opportunity to provide your contact details so this can be followed up with the Care Inspectorate. If you operate multiple sites we would ask that each individual Care Inspectorate registered site completes a separate response.

CALA, Early Years Scotland, National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Scotland are also conducting this same survey; this means we shall be able to collate overall childcare sector results as well as sector-specific ones. We shall share the results of the survey with the Care Inspectorate as we believe it is vital that, as the regulator and improvement body, they have a good understanding of services' experience of, and perspective on, inspections. The results will also be shared with our members, Scottish Government and made available on our websites.

(The Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) has already undertaken a similar survey and are only asking some of the questions to their members but responses to these questions will be included in the overall results.)

With thanks in advance- this is your opportunity to have your say in terms of your experience of Care Inspectorate inspections and the processes involved.

The survey can be accessed here: https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/ldLhnt9B and it will be open from Wednesday 1st November until Friday 1st December 2023.