§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when residential children's services will be registered in Herefordshire and Worcestershire under the new requirements governing residential child care. [31674]
§ Jacqui SmithThe new National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) will register residential children's services when its powers, as set out in the Care Standards Act 2000, come into force on 1 April 2002. Until that date, applications for registration will continue to be dealt with by the local council in which area the proposed residential service is situated. Applications that have not been processed by councils by the end of March 2002 will have their applications transferred to NCSC.
Children's residential services, which are already registered with local councils, will have their current registration transferred to the NCSC on 1 April 2002. 1166W Councils are currently compiling the necessary information to ensure that transfer of registration takes place on that date.