Social care

Social Care Standards

We are the independent authority responsible for driving quality, safety and accountability in residential services for children, older people and people with disabilities in Ireland.

We have produced standards to protect vulnerable people of all ages who are receiving residential care services and to ensure that these people are receiving an appropriate standard and quality of service.

Our standards tell people using these services and the people providing them what their services should be like. They also tell the public what they can expect from these services. Where we have statutory powers to inspect and register services, our inspectors will inspect against our standards.

Standards for residential services for older people

We have produced Standards for residential services for older people, including nursing homes and we inspect against these standards to ensure safe and quality care is provided.

Standards for children’s residential services, foster care services and children detention schools

Children’s centres are inspected against the national standards for children’s residential services and foster care services are inspected against the national standards for foster care services developed by the Department of Health and Children. Children detention schools are inspected against standards produced by the Irish Youth Justice Service. 

New Standards for children’s services have been drafted National Quality Standards for Care Services for Children and Young People to cover a range of services including; children’s residential services, foster care services, children detention schools and residential services for children with disabilities.

Standards for residential services for people with disabilities

We have developed standards for residential services for people with disabilities. We will begin registration and inspection against these when the relevant part of the legislation passes into law.

Further information

Please see frequently asked questions for further information on our social care standards. To find out more about inspections, see our section on how the inspection process works. If you are a service provider, please see our providers section to find out how the standards effect your organisation.