Commentary Part 8 – Inspections
528.This Part of the Act provides for the establishment of the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills and a new office of Chief Inspector of Education, Children Services and Skills. The new arrangements bring together the existing remit of HM Chief Inspector of Schools in England, the children’s social care remit of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service inspection remit of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Court Administration and the inspection remit of the Adult Learning Inspectorate.
529.The Government announced in March 2005 the intention to reduce the number of public service inspectorates from eleven to four, with the aim of enabling better co-ordination and reduced duplication, better and wider identification and promulgation of best practice, a greater ability to track the experience of users across service and institutional boundaries and the ability to prioritise work within larger bodies to focus on emerging concerns.
530.The following definitions are used in these notes in relation to Part 8:
	The Office means the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills
	Chief Inspector means Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills
	HMI means Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Education, Children’s Services and Skills
	CSCI means the Commission for Social Care Inspection
	CAFCASS means the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
	ALI means the Adult Learning InspectorateHMICA means Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Court Administration.