Wales: SASS, your Quality of Care Review and the Statement of Purpose
The three Welsh rhythms England doesn't have — the annual SASS window, the Quality of Care Review and your Statement of Purpose — plus the Childcare Offer and Flying Start, claimed not invoiced.
4 min read
MinderHQ speaks Wales
If you picked "Wales (Care Inspectorate Wales)" when you signed up, your workspace already works the Welsh way: observations sit on the five developmental pathways — Belonging, Communication, Exploration, Physical development, Well-being — your checklist follows the National Minimum Standards, and the inspection-day card builds a CIW pack grouped under the four inspection themes.
This guide covers the statutory rhythms Wales has that England doesn't.
SASS season and the Quality of Care Review
Two dates rule the Welsh year. The SASS — your Self Assessment of Service Statement — is completed on CIW Online in a fixed window early each year (in 2026 it ran 13 February to 27 March). And at least once a year you must review the quality of your care and write the report within 28 days, available to parents.
MinderHQ seeds both into your compliance checklist when you join — look for the "SASS" and "Quality of Care Review" items — and reminds you as they come round.
- 1Open "Compliance" — the SASS and Quality of Care Review items are already on your Welsh checklist.
- 2Tap "Edit" on each card and keep "Last done" and "Next due / expires" up to date — the Monday nudge does the remembering.
- 3When you've written your Quality of Care report, note the date — the CIW pack includes it as evidence.
Tip: The SASS itself is submitted on CIW Online, not from MinderHQ — but your workspace already holds most of what it asks for: numbers, staffing, fees and your language of provision.
Your Statement of Purpose, section by section
Wales requires a Statement of Purpose — the document that tells CIW and parents what your service is: aims, numbers and ages, hours, routines, the language(s) you work in, admissions, complaints route, your own family and household, and how assistants fit in.
MinderHQ builds it as a guided document so it's never a blank page.
- 1Open "Compliance" and find "Wales regulatory profile & Statement of Purpose".
- 2Work through the sections — each one matches what the National Minimum Standards ask for, from "Aims and intended outcomes" to "Your own family and household composition".
- 3Tap "Print / save Statement of Purpose" for the copy you give parents and show CIW.
- 4When life changes — a new assistant, a house move, a change in hours — update the section and re-save. It stays your current statement, not a stale PDF.
The Childcare Offer and Flying Start: claimed, not invoiced
Funded childcare in Wales doesn't go on parent invoices — you claim it. Childcare Offer hours are paid on booked hours via your local authority through the national digital service, across a 48-week year: term weeks (up to 20 funded childcare hours) and school-holiday weeks (up to 30). Flying Start covers eligible two-year-olds for 12.5 hours a week in term time.
MinderHQ's "Money" tab has a claim log for both — and it keeps funded time off parent invoices entirely. Hourly top-ups against funded hours are banned in Wales, so MinderHQ blocks them rather than letting one slip through; permitted extras (like meals, within the caps) are invoiced separately.
- 1In "Money", open the Wales funding section and set "Funding mode" to "Childcare Offer for Wales" or "Flying Start".
- 2Pick the "Week type" — "Term week" or "School-holiday week" — and log booked hours per child; the rate is pre-filled with the current national rate and stays editable.
- 3Reconcile against the national digital service's weekly timesheets — payment follows booked hours, and your attended hours stay as a separate record.
Quick answers
Why can't I add an hourly top-up line?
Because Wales bans hourly top-ups against funded hours — MinderHQ blocks them so an invoice can never put you on the wrong side of the rules. Permitted extras, like meals within the published caps, go on as their own lines.
Does MinderHQ submit my SASS or my Childcare Offer claims?
No — the SASS is completed on CIW Online and Childcare Offer payments run through the national digital service. MinderHQ keeps the reminders, the prep and the reconciliation so the official bit takes minutes.
What about medication records in Wales?
Wales asks for prior written permission before any medication and a parent counter-signature acknowledging each administration — MinderHQ's medication log includes that counter-signature step for Welsh settings.