The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) was established in 2002 as part of a package of reforms which aim to protect and promote the quality of life and independence of vulnerable people and children. Other changes included improving the performance of social services in Wales, ensuring coordination between health and social care and the establishment of the Care Council to set standards and regulate the workforce.

CSSIW regulates and inspects services for everyone throughout Wales from the very young to older people. CSSIW reviews services at both a national and local level so that they can tell the public whether services are up to standard, suggest ways of improving services and help safeguard the interests of service users and their carers. CSSIW regulates a wide range of social care services, checking that services provided are safe and of a good quality, as set out in law.