37.Subsection (2) defines residential family centres. Such centres undertake monitoring and/or an assessment of parenting capacity on a residential basis where there is concern that parents may be unable to respond appropriately to the needs of their children. This could include specific accommodation for teenage mothers and their babies. They may be operated by local authorities, voluntary organisations or private agencies. At present they are not regulated, but in future all residential family centres will be required to register with the registration authority.
38.Subsection (3) defines domiciliary care agencies. These agencies supply staff who provide personal care for people in their own homes. The definition encompasses any agency that arranges the provision of personal care for people who need assistance by reason of illness, infirmity or disability. Individual care workers are not included unless they themselves carry on or manage the agency.
39.Subsection (4) defines fostering agencies. The definition is intended to include both independent agencies which provide a fostering agency service to local authorities, and voluntary organisations (such as Barnardos) who operate in their own right. Both types of fostering agency recruit and train foster parents and place children with them. Agencies defined by subsection (4)(a) make placements under powers delegated to them by local authorities, and they may or may not be voluntary organisations. Agencies defined by subsection (4)(b) are voluntary organisations which place children with foster parents in their own right.
40.Subsection (5) defines nurses agencies. These will now be subject to registration by the Commission. In addition, the Nurses Agencies Act 1957 will be repealed, and nurses agencies will also be subject to the provisions of the Employment Agencies Act 1973 (see notes to section 111).
41.Subsection (7) defines a voluntary adoption agency as an adoption society within the meaning of the Adoption Act 1976, which is a voluntary organisation. An “adoption society” is defined in that Act as a body of persons whose functions consist of or include making arrangements for adoption.
Commentary on Sections Preliminary Section 4  Other basic definitions