Guidance

Children's homes: inspection forms

Annex A form for children's homes and secure children's homes to fill in ahead of inspections under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

• From: Ofsted
• Published: 22 February 2017
• Last updated: 1 April 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 1 April 2026

     Updated Annex As for children's homes and secure children's home.

  2. 4 April 2025

     Updated Annex A forms for children's homes and secure children's homes for use in inspections from 4 April 2025. Amended to improve clarity of questions on immediate notice (including additional sub-question), operating capacity and/or occupancy, sanctions and, for secure children’s homes, physical restraints and separations. Other minor amendments have been made to update references and improve question wording and table format.

  3. 5 April 2024

     Updated Annex A forms for children's homes and secure children's homes.

  4. 27 March 2023

     Updated Annex A forms for secure children's homes.

  5. 24 March 2023

     Updated Annex A forms for children's homes.

  6. 11 March 2022

     Updated Annex A forms for children's homes and secure children's homes.

  7. 1 April 2021

     Updated Annex A forms for children's homes and secure children's homes.

  8. 18 August 2020

     Updated Annex A for assurance visits that Ofsted will carry out from September 2020.

  9. 29 March 2019

     Following feedback from providers the form has returned to Word format. Other changes include a glossary, re-worded questions around staffing and qualifications, and further guidance and examples on which staff to include when completing the form.

  10. 22 May 2018

      Updated Annex A spreadsheet to fix issues with functionality.

  11. 10 April 2018

      Annex A spreadsheet updated in response to user feedback.

  12. 23 March 2018

      Added revised versions of Annex A for inspections from April 2018.

  13. 22 February 2017

      First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Annex A: Request for information at a full inspection of a children’s home

ODT, 252 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Annex A: Request for information at a full inspection of a secure children’s home

ODT, 422 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Details

Children’s homes (including secure children’s homes) need to complete Annex A when they receive notice of inspections.

Read the social care common inspection framework for children’s homes.

Read the social care common inspection framework for secure children’s homes.