Guidance

Register a children’s social care service (SC1)

Apply to register a children’s home, adoption or fostering agency, residential family centre or residential holiday scheme.

• From: Ofsted
• Published: 27 May 2020
• Last updated: 24 May 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Who can register

You can register as an individual provider, organisation or partnership.

If you are involved in the governance or running of the service (for instance, as a manager, responsible individual or director) you may also need to apply to be connected with the service.

What you will need

If you’ve applied to register with Ofsted before, we will need your unique reference number (URN). We also need the URN of:

• any holding companies registered with Ofsted
• any registered services in which you have financial interests

Evidence of financial viability

You will need to provide:

• your business plan
• a cashflow forecast
• if you are registering as a company, your last 2 annual reports and accounts (if available)

How you will run your service

We will need details of:

• all individuals you want to link to the registration (manager, responsible individual, partners or directors)
• your policies on safeguarding, prevention of bullying, complaints procedure and location assessment
• the range of fees that you will charge
• details of your premises and any travel arrangements between premises
• evidence of planning permission
• the date you plan to open your service

Policy documents for your new service

You will need to provide:

• your statement of purpose
• your equalities policy
• a copy of the certificate of insurance or written confirmation that insurance will be provided
• guidance for children (unless you are applying to register a holiday scheme)
• your missing child policy (children’s homes, independent fostering agencies and residential holiday schemes only)
• your behaviour management policy (children’s homes, independent fostering agencies and residential holiday schemes only)
• safeguarding policy
• prevention of bullying policy (unless you are applying to register an adoption support agency or voluntary adoption agency
• complaints procedure

Children’s homes

If you are registering a children’s home, you will also need:

• the maximum number of children you will look after
• the CQC registration number, if any
• the DfE school number, if any
• a location risk assessment (risk assessment of the home’s local area)

Apply now

Residential holiday schemes for disabled children must contact Ofsted instead.

Fees

You must pay a fee to register.

Once you are registered, you must pay the same fee annually.

What happens next

All managers, responsible individuals, directors or partners linked to the service must tell Ofsted about themselves separately. This application is not complete until they have done this.

We will get in touch if we have any questions.

Residential holiday schemes for disabled children

If you want to start a registered holiday scheme for disabled children you must contact Ofsted by emailing sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk.

Help

If you need help with your application, call 0300 123 1231 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

If you need an accessible version, email sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk.

Published 27 May 2020
Last updated 24 May 2024 + show all updates

1. 24 May 2024

   Removed the need for a financial reference, following a change in legislation.

2. 1 July 2021

   Out of date PDF form removed. If you wish to register a residential holiday scheme for disabled children, you must follow the instructions to contact Ofsted.

3. 27 May 2020

   First published.