Choose which cookies we can use. Strictly necessary cookies are always on. You can change your mind at any time with the Cookie settings link at the bottom of every page. More about cookies

Always on

These make the website work and remember the choices you make on it. They don’t track you and can’t be switched off.

What they set (3)
  • slc_cookie_consent SLC Training UK · 6 months Remembers your cookie settings, so we don’t ask you on every page.
  • slc_admin SLC Training UK · Until signing out, or 12 hours without use Keeps our staff signed in to the website’s admin area. Only set when a member of staff signs in.
  • slc-admin-sidebar SLC Training UK · Until cleared in the browser Browser storage rather than a cookie, used only in the admin area: remembers whether a member of staff has collapsed the menu.

Shows a Google map of where we are on our home and contact pages. When the map loads, Google receives your IP address and details of your browser, and can set its own cookies, which it may also use for its own purposes such as advertising.

What it sets
  • NID, AEC, SOCS, __Secure-ENID and others Google · Up to 13 months Set by Google when the map loads, to remember preferences, protect against fraud and abuse, and record cookie choices for Google’s own services. Google may also use them for advertising.

How Google uses cookies

SLC Training Blog

The Responsible Individual in Wales: Visits, Reviews and Oversight

  • Rhys Herbert
  • 1 view

The Responsible Individual in Wales: Visits, Reviews and Oversight

The Responsible Individual (RI) is the person accountable for the quality and safety of a regulated care service in Wales. While the registered manager runs the service day to day, the RI makes sure the organisation is meeting its legal duties and that people are receiving good care and support.

Two duties sit at the heart of the role: visiting the service at least every three months and reviewing the quality of care at least every six months. Done well, they give the provider an honest picture of what life is like for the people it supports.

This guide explains the RI's main duties, what Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) expects from visits and reviews, and how to make oversight meaningful rather than a paper exercise.

Please note: This article provides general information, not legal or case-specific advice. Check the regulations and statutory guidance that apply to your type of service. The scenario is a fictional learning example.

What is a Responsible Individual?

The Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 requires every regulated service provider to have a Responsible Individual. Where the provider is an organisation, the RI is a senior person, such as a director, who is named on the provider's registration with CIW. Where the provider is an individual, that person is the RI.

The RI's duties are set out in regulations for each type of service. For care homes, including children's homes, and domiciliary support services, they are in the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017. Fostering, adult placement, advocacy and adoption services have their own regulations with similar requirements.

The RI's main duties

In summary, the RI must make sure that:

  • the service is managed effectively, with a suitable manager in post
  • there are enough resources, including staff, to provide safe care and support
  • the service operates in line with its statement of purpose
  • the views of people using the service, and those who support them, are sought and acted on
  • the quality of care is monitored, reviewed and improved
  • CIW is kept informed when required

The RI can draw on others for help, but they remain personally accountable for this oversight.

RI visits: at least every three months

Regulation 73 of the 2017 Regulations requires the RI to visit the service at least every three months. CIW expects these visits to be in person. During a visit, the RI should:

  • meet people using the service and hear their views
  • talk to staff about how things are going
  • look at the premises
  • review a sample of records, including incidents, complaints and safeguarding

The statutory guidance was amended in 2024 to set out what the RI must document about each visit. That includes the date, details of discussions with staff and with people using the service, and the RI's conclusions from reviewing events and complaints. CIW's guidance for RIs on statutory visits explains the expectations.

Quality of care review: at least every six months

Regulation 80 requires the RI to put in place a system for monitoring, reviewing and improving the quality of care and support. The review must happen as often as needed, and at least every six months.

A good review draws on:

  • feedback from people using the service, families and professionals
  • findings from the RI's own visits
  • complaints, incidents, safeguarding concerns and notifications
  • audits of records, including care plans and medication
  • use of restrictive practices and physical intervention
  • staff training, supervision and turnover

The RI must then write a report to the service provider. It must include an assessment of the standard of care and support, and recommendations for improvement. CIW inspectors may ask to see the report, and inspection reports often comment on it.

Making oversight meaningful

Visits and reviews add most value when they test what is really happening. Practical ways to do that include:

  • Varying the time of visits, including evenings and weekends
  • Speaking to people privately, in a way that suits their communication needs
  • Observing everyday moments such as mealtimes, handovers and activities
  • Tracking patterns over time, such as incidents on particular shifts
  • Following up actions from the last visit before agreeing new ones
  • Checking that restrictive practices are recorded, reviewed and reducing

Our guide to restrictive practices in Wales covers what RIs should look for in incident and intervention records.

Common pitfalls

  • Visits that become a quick chat with the manager rather than time with people
  • Reports that describe activity but do not reach a judgement on quality
  • Recommendations that are not tracked or completed
  • Gaps in the three-monthly or six-monthly timescales
  • Relying on the manager's reports without testing them

Example: spotting a pattern on a visit

The situation: An RI for two small children's homes reviews the incident log during a visit. She notices that most physical interventions in the last quarter happened on Friday evenings, just after staff handover.

A useful response: She talks to the young people about how Friday evenings feel, speaks with staff on that shift and looks at the rota. She finds that weekend contact arrangements often cause anxiety, and that the handover leaves the home short of experienced staff for an hour.

Her visit report records what she found. The quality of care review recommends changing the handover time and a de-escalation refresher for the team. At her next visit, she checks whether incidents have reduced.

Frequently asked questions

Can someone else carry out the RI visit?

Others can help with preparation, audits and additional monitoring. However, the regulations place the visit duty on the RI, and CIW expects them to visit in person.

How often must the RI visit?

At least every three months, with a quality of care review at least every six months. Many RIs visit more often, especially when a service is new, growing or facing difficulties.

Is there a set template for the quality of care report?

No format is required. CIW publishes guidance on completing the review, including a template providers can use if they wish.

What is the difference between the RI and the registered manager?

The manager runs the service day to day. The RI provides oversight on behalf of the provider and is accountable for making sure the service is safe, well run and improving.

Support for Responsible Individuals

Strong oversight protects people, supports staff and gives providers early warning when something is going wrong. It also gives RIs the evidence they need when CIW asks how they know their service is safe.

SLC Training offers RI Outreach & Support for children's homes and fostering services across South Wales. Contact SLC Training to discuss support for your service.