Ofsted registration for supported accommodation providers
If a local authority places looked-after children or care leavers aged 16 or 17 with you, in accommodation where you give them support, you must be registered with Ofsted before the first young person moves in. We prepare your application, policies and interview preparation from £2,395, and stay with you until Ofsted makes its decision.
If you house and support 16 and 17 year olds in care, you need to register
Supported accommodation is housing with support for young people aged 16 and 17 who are looked after by a local authority or are care leavers, placed there to develop their independence. Since 28 October 2023 it has been an offence to run it without Ofsted registration, and councils can only place a 16 or 17 year old in this kind of accommodation with a registered provider.
It provides support, not care. Department for Education guidance says care is delivered in children’s homes and support in supported accommodation, and does not expect supported accommodation to suit a young person with complex needs or one who needs ongoing care and supervision. Ofsted adds that it is unlikely to suit a young person who needs help with personal care or whose liberty is restricted. Where a young person’s needs are best met in a children’s home or foster care, the guidance says that is where they should be placed.
Read the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023Under 16s cannot be placed
Councils have been barred since 9 September 2021 from placing a child under 16 in this kind of accommodation. The one exception is an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child whose age is uncertain and who says they are 16 or 17. If they are later assessed as under 16, they must move within 10 working days.
Adults aged 18 and over
Some providers also house adults in the same accommodation. That is allowed, but the regulations only cover the 16 and 17 year olds, and their support and accommodation must still meet the regulations and quality standards.
Needs Ofsted registration
- Single occupancy: a self-contained unit for the young person
- Shared housing used only for young people in care and care leavers
- Shared housing where adults who are not care-experienced also live
- Supported lodgings, where a host offers a room in their own home
- Placements of looked-after 16 and 17 year olds by a local authority
- Accommodation a local authority arranges for care leavers aged 16 or 17
Not supported accommodation
- Children’s homes and foster placements, which come under different rules
- Care homes, hospitals and residential family centres
- Further education colleges and 16 to 19 academies
- Schools that accommodate pupils without being a children’s home, and holiday schemes for disabled children
Everything Ofsted asks a supported accommodation provider 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
Your documents
- Statement of Purpose written to the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023
- Young person’s guide
- Location assessment for each of your premises
- Policy suite mapped to the four quality standards: safeguarding, missing from home, behaviour and support, complaints, health and wellbeing, staffing and supervision, and more
- Workforce and staffing plan
Your Ofsted forms
- Ofsted application, and the registered service manager and nominated individual forms, completed with you
Assessment, interview and follow-up
- Additional documents Ofsted may ask for while assessing your application
- Interview question and answer packs for your service manager and nominated 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 supported accommodation applications go wrong
The points Ofsted checks closely in a supported accommodation application, and what we make sure is in place before you submit.
Premises ready before you apply
Each premises needs a location assessment, repeated at least once a year, and every young person needs a private, secure bedroom. On the SC1 you confirm the premises can be used without planning permission, building work or conversion, and an inspector visits a sample before Ofsted decides.
Five policies sent with the SC1
Your missing child, safeguarding, behaviour management, contingency plan and complaints policies go in with the application. The missing child policy must have regard to local authority and police protocols for your area.
A nominated individual who can answer for you
An organisation names a nominated individual, who must be a director and acts as Ofsted’s single point of contact. Ofsted usually interviews them as well as your proposed registered service manager.
A service manager with relevant experience
The registered service manager needs at least two years in a role relevant to the residential support of children or adults, within the five years before applying. Ofsted asks how that experience carries over to supported accommodation.
Evidence the service is viable
Unless you are a local authority or health body, Ofsted wants a business plan and a cashflow forecast of monthly income and spending for your first 12 months. If you have filed accounts, it also wants up to the last two years.
Saying no to the wrong referrals
Ofsted says supported accommodation is unlikely to suit young people who need help with personal care or a high level of ongoing supervision, and expects you not to accept referrals for those who are not ready. Your statement of purpose should make clear who you can support.
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, nominated individual, service manager, categories and premises details, and give you a checklist of the items only you can get.
Stage 1 pack
Your statement of purpose, young person’s guide, location assessments, policies and workforce plan, once your requirements are met.
Submission
We check everything and support your SC1 and each SC2 through the Ofsted portal. Ofsted then asks you to pay its fee.
Visit and interviews
An inspector visits a sample of your premises and interviews your service manager and nominated individual. We prepare them with interview packs and a mock interview.
Decision
Ofsted makes its decision, and once registered you 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. Ofsted’s own fees are set in regulations and reviewed each year: from 1 April 2026 registering a provider costs £4,320 for fewer than 10 premises or £5,520 for 10 or more, plus £910 for each registered service manager.
- Ofsted’s annual fee once registered: £3,888 for fewer than 10 premises, £4,320 for 10 or more
- Insurance for death, injury, public liability, damage or other loss
- Enhanced DBS checks for your manager, nominated individual and staff
- ICO data protection fee
- Rent, furniture and basics such as bedding, towels and kitchen equipment for each premises
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
Supported accommodation policy set
Editable Ofsted policies and procedures for 16 and 17 year olds, covering safeguarding, missing episodes, complaints, referrals and placement planning, to adapt to your service.
CQC and Ofsted consultation
A consultation on your registration requirements, with a review of your documents and clear next steps.
Keep your policies current
CuraFlow Policies keeps your full library up to date with law and Ofsted changes once you are registered.
Supported accommodation registration questions
Do I need Ofsted registration to house 16 and 17 year olds?
What is the difference between supported accommodation and a children’s home?
How long does Ofsted registration take for supported accommodation?
How much does it cost to register supported accommodation?
Can one person be the nominated individual and the registered service manager?
What happens if Ofsted sends my application back?
Guides for supported accommodation providers
The words you will meet in your application
Ready to register your supported accommodation service?
No obligation. We confirm which categories you need, what you still have to get, and a realistic timeline.