Welcome to the March 2026 policy updates. Please note policies are changing to a new format. This article was updated throughout March.
What's new
The registration titles have been reviewed and extensively updated. The Key Points have been removed, as the Copilot skill can be used to request these. Quality Statements are evidenced clearly at the start of the policy, and a detailed Procedures section has been clearly separated out in the policies. For structured details on these policy updates, please see this>
Admissions and Commencement of the Service — Domiciliary Support Services
This is a comprehensive rewrite of the Admissions and Commencement of the Service policy for Wales domiciliary support services. The new version restructures the entire document into seven numbered sections, introduces a detailed step-by-step admissions procedure that was absent from the previous version, adds dedicated Welsh language (Active Offer) obligations throughout, expands the regulatory links into a fully annotated reference table, and standardises terminology from “individual/individuals” to “person/people we support” throughout. The update aligns the policy with CIW inspection themes, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 principles, and the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. Terminology has been standardised from “individual” to “person/people we support” throughout.
Released 03/03/2026
Disciplinary Policy
Regulation 39 is now referred to in three places within the policy to strengthen the application of the policy when a safeguarding concern is suspected.
Released 07/03/2026
This is a comprehensive rewrite of the Disciplinary Policy for Wales. The new version replaces the previous edition with a fully restructured document that separates policy detail from operational procedures, introduces detailed regulatory mapping to the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017, and employment law, adds CIW inspection theme mapping, expands the scope to cover both care home and domiciliary support services explicitly, and introduces new sections on Welsh language considerations, service-specific considerations, precautionary suspension, a formal investigation procedure with defined timescales, regulatory notifications with specific deadlines, concurrency with safeguarding investigations, and record keeping. Terminology has been standardised from second-person address (“you”/“your”) to third-person (“the staff member”/“staff”) and from “individuals” to “people we support” throughout.
Released 03/03/2026
Restraint & Physical Intervention Policy - Domiciliary Support Services
This is a structured rewrite of the Restraint & Physical Intervention Policy for domiciliary support services in Wales. The new version reorganises the document into numbered sections with a clear separation between policy detail (Section 5) and procedures (Section 6), adds explicit timescales to reporting requirements, introduces Welsh language considerations as a new standalone subsection, and expands the regulatory links header to include explanatory descriptions and CIW inspection themes. The update adds references to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, and the Mwy na Geiriau / More than Just Words strategic framework. Terminology has been standardised from "individuals" to "people we support" throughout. The policy content remains substantively the same; the changes strengthen governance clarity and procedural specificity rather than altering the organisation's fundamental approach to restraint and physical intervention.
Released 03/03/2026
Management of Medicines Policy - Domiciliary Support Services
This is a comprehensive restructure of the Management of Medicines Policy for domiciliary support services in Wales. The new version replaces the previous edition with a fully reorganised document that introduces numbered sections, separates policy principles from operational procedures, and adds new content on Welsh language obligations, stepped medication error response, and a consolidated controlled drugs section. The update adds regulatory references to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, and the Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Act 2020. Terminology has been standardised from "individuals" to "people we support" throughout.
Released 03/03/2026