Ofsted registration for children’s homes in England
Anyone who runs or manages a children’s home in England must be registered with Ofsted before the first child moves in, with a manager and, for a company, a responsible individual in place. We prepare your application pack, policies, location assessment and interview preparation from £2,995, and stay with you until Ofsted makes its decision.
If you provide care and accommodation for children, you need to register
Under section 1 of the Care Standards Act 2000, a place in England is a children’s home if it provides care and accommodation wholly or mainly for children, meaning people under 18. Running or managing one without Ofsted registration is an offence under section 11 of the Act, and Ofsted is clear that this stays true while your application is being processed.
Young people aged 18 and over can live in a children’s home, but they must be in a minority. Some places that look after children are not children’s homes in law, either because the Act says so or because the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 except them. The main ones are listed below.
Read the legal definition (Care Standards Act 2000, section 1)Supported accommodation or a children’s home?
Supported accommodation gives 16 and 17 year olds housing and support to live semi-independently, under its own regulations. Ofsted says it is unlikely to suit a child with high or complex needs, or one who needs a high level of ongoing care and supervision.
Multi-building homes
One registration can cover up to 6 children in up to 4 buildings. Ofsted asks you to email its regulatory team and discuss the plan with an inspector before you apply.
Needs Ofsted registration
- Residential homes for children looked after by a local authority
- Homes for disabled children, including homes that provide short breaks
- Schools that accommodate a child for more than 295 days a year
- Refuges for children at risk of harm, once the DfE has issued a certificate
- Secure children’s homes, once approved by the Secretary of State
Not a children’s home
- Supported accommodation for 16 and 17 year olds, registered separately under the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023
- Children living with a parent, relative or foster carer (fostering agencies register separately)
- Hospitals, residential family centres, further education colleges and bail or probation hostels
- Holiday or activity stays where no child stays more than 27 days in a year
Everything Ofsted asks a new children’s home for
Written for your service, not a template pack. Stage 1 gets your application in. Stage 2 carries you through assessment and the interview.
Your application pack
Documents that go in with your SC1
- Statement of Purpose covering every Schedule 1 matter
- Children’s guide
- Location assessment
- Full policy suite mapped to the Quality Standards: safeguarding and child protection, behaviour support and restraint, missing from care, complaints, health and wellbeing, education, staffing and supervision, and more
Staffing and application forms
- Workforce and staffing plan
- SC1 application, and the manager and responsible individual SC2 forms, completed with you
Assessment, interview and follow-up
- Additional documents Ofsted may ask for while assessing your application
- Fit person interview question and answer packs for the manager and responsible individual
- Two-hour mock interview with written feedback
- Follow-up with Ofsted on your behalf until a decision is made
- Appeal support if your application is challenged
Where children’s home applications go wrong
The points Ofsted checks closely in a children’s home application, and what we make sure is in place before you submit.
A location you can defend
Your location assessment has to show the home is needed locally and in the right place, with risks such as exploitation identified and reduced. You consult the police and local authority children’s services before applying, then review the location every year under regulation 46.
A manager who meets regulation 28
Within the last 5 years your manager needs at least 2 years in a role relevant to the residential care of children, plus a year supervising care staff. They must hold the Level 5 Diploma for residential childcare, or an equivalent, within 3 years of starting.
A responsible individual ready for interview
A company must name a responsible individual to supervise the management of the home. Ofsted does not register them, but checks them through an SC2, usually interviews them, and can refuse the application if they are not suitable.
Proof the home is financially viable
Ofsted asks for a business plan and a cashflow forecast showing monthly income and spending for the first 12 months. The plan must show a manager and enough staff for the children you first intend to look after.
DBS checks through Ofsted
The manager and responsible individual need an enhanced DBS check that covers the children’s barred list. Ofsted accepts one from its own DBS service within 3 months of issue, or a certificate kept current on the DBS update service.
Planning permission sorted first
Ofsted will not visit until it has your planning evidence, and if full permission does not arrive within 12 weeks of a pending application it may not be able to decide. It strongly advises getting permission before you apply.
Five steps from first call to certificate
Our part is fast. Ofsted’s assessment sets the overall timescale, and we stay with you through it.
Onboarding
We collect your provider, responsible individual, manager, home and location details, and give you a checklist of the items only you can get, such as DBS checks, planning evidence and insurance.
Stage 1 pack
Your Statement of Purpose, children’s guide, location assessment, policies and forms, written for your home once your requirements are met.
Submission
We check everything and support your SC1 and the SC2 forms for the manager and responsible individual through the Ofsted portal.
Visit and interviews
Ofsted visits the home and interviews the manager, and usually the responsible individual. We prepare both with question packs and a two-hour mock interview.
Decision
You receive your certificate of registration, with its conditions such as the maximum number of children, and can accept placements.
One package, paid in two halves
Our fee covers both stages. The regulator’s fee and your set-up costs are separate, so budget for them too.
Ofsted registration package
Or pay in full and take 10% off.
Also budget for
Paid to others, not to us. At the rates Ofsted published in April 2026, its registration fee is £2,006 for a home with 3 or fewer places, or £3,284 plus £910 for the manager with 4 or more.
- Ofsted annual fee once registered, from £5,390 for a home with 3 or fewer places
- Enhanced DBS checks for your manager, responsible individual and staff
- Insurance, in place before the home opens
- Level 5 Diploma for your manager, if they do not hold it yet
- ICO data protection fee
- The property, planning and fire safety work
If Ofsted rejects or returns your application before it reaches an inspector, we fix it and resubmit at no extra cost, as many times as it takes. Subject to our terms and conditions.
Buy single documents instead
Children’s home policy set
All 69 editable policies, mapped to the Quality Standards and the SCCIF, if you are writing the application yourself.
Statement of Purpose
Written for your home: aims, care model, admission criteria, staffing, safeguarding, complaints and quality assurance.
Consultation
Advice on Ofsted registration requirements, a review of your documents and a clear action plan.
Keep your policies current
CuraFlow Policies keeps your full library up to date with law and Ofsted changes once you are registered.
Children’s home registration questions
Do I need Ofsted registration to open a children’s home?
How long does Ofsted registration take for a children’s home?
How much does it cost to register a children’s home?
What experience does a children’s home manager need?
Do I need a responsible individual as well as a manager?
What happens if Ofsted sends my application back?
Guides for children’s home providers
The words you will meet in your application
Ready to register your children’s home?
No obligation. We confirm what Ofsted will need from you, what you still have to get, and where your application is likely to sit in Ofsted’s queue.