Accessibility statement for the Care Inspectorate

This accessibility statement applies to www.careinspectorate.com.

This website is run by the Care Inspectorate.

We have made every effort to make our website accessible and easy to use for everyone, no matter what browser you choose to use, and whether or not you have any disabilities. 

Maintaining an accessible site is an ongoing process and we are continually working to make sure you have a user-friendly experience while using our website.  However, if you have any problems using this website please contact us on 0345 600 9527 Monday to Friday, between 09:00 - 16:00. You can email us too, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

My Computer My Way has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

• some images do not have image descriptions
• some videos do not have captions or transcripts available
• some parts cannot be navigated to using a keyboard
• some heading orders are not consistent
• many of our documents are in PDF format and are not accessible.

We are working hard with our web developers to ensure everyone has a user-friendly experience while using our website.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us on: 

• email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• call: 0345 600 9527

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems contact the communications team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Care Inspectorate is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

• Some parts of the website cannot be accessed by keyboard
• There is no visible focus around elements across some pages
• Some focus ordering is illogical 
• Some pages do not reflow in mobile view
• Some parts of the website do not have sufficient colour contrast
• Most of our documents are PDFs and are not accessible
• Some images do not have image descriptions.
• Some links are not distinguishable 
• Some links have no discernible text

Non-accessible content 

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible: There is no visible focus on the search bar input box below the navigation bar.
• WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: Select element must have an accessible name (Axe): This is an issue in relation to the combobox at 'Find a care service'.
• WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible: The focus is missing for one tab between the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.' and 'Fill in our complaints form online' links under the 'Complaints' heading.
• WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Color: Links must be distinguishable without relying on colour (Axe): This is an issue in relation to the link within the text 'This page shows details of all currently registered services' because the link cannot be distinguished from surrounding text in a way that does not rely on colour.
• Making a complaint about the Care Inspectorates work PDF
  • WCAG 2.4.2 Page titled:The PDF does not contain a document title.
  • WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships: The PDF does not have correctly marked tables.
  • WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text content: Images have been used in the PDF without text alternative.
• WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): When receiving focus or hover, the 'Cookie Settings' and 'Accept All Cookies' buttons in the cookie banner do not have sufficient colour contrast.
• WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order: When the page is first opened, the focus moves through the rest of the page content before going to the 'Our latest news and updates emailed free to your inbox' pop-out, meaning it cannot be immediately dismissed by keyboard users.
• WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: Buttons must have discernible text: This refers to the magnifying glass icon link below the search bar in the header.
  •  On the Home page, this also applies to the left and right arrow buttons in the carousel.
• WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role Value: Form elements must have labels: This refers to the input box in the search bar in the header.

We are working hard with our web developers to work through the accessibility issues on our website. We will update our accessibility statement accordingly.

If you find an issue that we have yet to identify, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Reporting accessibility problems with this website’ section of this statement.

Disproportionate burden

At this time, we have not made any disproportionate burden claims.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and Word documents: Some of our PDFs and Word documents are not accessible. We are working on fixing these by replacing them with an accessible format or web page content. The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 unless they are essential.  

Third-party content: Some content on our website includes third-party content which we have no control. The accessibility regulations do not require us to manage these kinds of content, but if you have a problem with any of the content hosted on this website, please contact us.

Video content: We have some existing pre-recorded video content that do not have appropriate captions, audio descriptions and transcripts. Those that were published before the 23 September 2020 are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. We are working hard to ensure all videos after this date have the approcate captions, audio descriptions and transripts available. All new video content we produce will have appropriate captions, audio descriptions and transcripts as necessary.

Online Maps: Our contact us page includes the use of online maps to show geographical information of our offices. These are not used for navigational purposes and are exempt under the regulations. If you require the information presented in an online map in a different format, please contact us.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 13 February 2024. It was last reviewed on 16 April 2024.

This website was last tested for accessibility in April 2024. The test was carried out by the Government Digital Service. This was not a full audit but included manual checks and automated tests. 

An audit of the website was also done by an independent party in April 2024. We are working through the points raised in this audit. 

Recite Me tool

Recite Me is innovative cloud-based software that lets visitors view and use our website in a way that works best for them.

We’ve added the Recite Me web accessibility and language toolbar to our website to make it accessible and inclusive for as many people as possible.

It helps 1 in 5 people in the UK who have a disability, including those with common conditions like sight loss and dyslexia, access our website in the way that suits them best.

It also meets the needs of the 4.2 million people in the UK who speak a language other than English at home, by translating our web content into over 100 different languages.

Try Recite Me by clicking the Recite Me accessibility tool button at the top right of our website pages.

This button now appears in the top right corner of every page of our website.

After you click on the Recite Me accessibility tool, the Recite Me toolbar opens and displays a range of different options for customising the way the website looks and ways you can interact with the content.