Guidance

Registration guide for children’s social care services

Updated 24 May 2024

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-registration-for-childrens-social-care-services/registration-guide-for-childrens-social-care-services

This guide explains how to register to provide social care services. It sets out the processes your application will go through before we decide whether you are fit to be registered as a social care provider or manager.

Introduction

This guide explains how to register to provide or manage social care services under the Care Standards Act 2000. It also describes the requirements for registered managers.

Social care services fall into 2 categories. We refer to them as:

  • establishments: children’s homes (including secure children’s homes), residential family centres and residential holiday schemes for disabled children
  • agencies: adoption support agencies, independent fostering agencies and voluntary adoption agencies

Before beginning to operate, providers and managers of these establishments and agencies must register with us under section 13 of the Care Standards Act 2000. It is an offence to operate any of the establishments or agencies listed without being registered. We can prosecute any individual who provides and/or manages an establishment or agency without registration.

You should check the individual guide for your type of service:

Each application to register, except for voluntary adoption agencies, must include an application to register a manager.

Children’s social care services that do not need to register with us

The children’s social care services that are not required to register with Ofsted (but that we do inspect) are:

  • boarding schools (unless they require registration as a children’s home)
  • local authority adoption services
  • local authority fostering services
  • residential special schools (unless they require registration as a children’s home)
  • secure training centres

The registration process

You should apply for registration online, unless you are applying for a residential holiday scheme for disabled children (please email sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk if so). You should first read this guidance.

The registration process assesses your fitness to provide social care services. If we register you, we will continue to check this through regular inspections and other regulatory activity.

Ofsted must be satisfied that you meet the requirements as to fitness for registration, are suitably qualified and experienced to carry out the role you are applying for, and that the premises you intend to use are suitable and ready to provide care and accommodation for children. If we are satisfied, the application will be granted. Otherwise, it will be refused.

You are responsible for supplying us with the full, correct and suitable information to support your application. It is an offence to provide a false or misleading statement in an application.

To minimise delays in registration, you must supply all of the information within the specified time frame. Otherwise, we may close and return your application to you. In those circumstances, your fee will not be refunded.

We will use the original information you provide, and any other information that we need to gather during the registration process, to make our judgement about your fitness to provide or manage a social care establishment or agency.

Why we register providers and managers of children’s social care establishments and agencies

We register providers and managers of children’s social care establishments or agencies to:

  • protect children, young people and adult service users
  • assess that providers and managers meet the requirements of the relevant legislation
  • evaluate whether they are able to deliver good services for children, young people and adults
  • report on the quality of an individual establishment or agency to the public, including children and young people

People who must register

The provider

Legally, you must apply to register with us if you want to provide a social care establishment or agency. Once registered, you are the registered provider and are responsible for meeting the requirements of legislation.

The registered provider may be one of the following 3 types of provider.

An individual provider

The individual provider can be one person, or can be made up of several people who wish to carry on an establishment or agency together without being a partnership or organisation.

Each person is wholly and equally responsible for ensuring that the establishment or agency follows the Care Standards Act 2000 and regulations made under it, and is named on the registration certificate.

We always carry out checks and interview these individuals. Any regulatory action we take against a registered provider may result in action against each individual person who makes up the registered provider.

A partnership

When a partnership applies to register, each person in the partnership must apply and be granted registration.

We will need to see a copy of the agreement or document that clearly establishes the partnership as a legal entity.

An organisation

Organisations include companies, charities, limited liability partnerships, un-incorporated associations (such as committee-run provision) and statutory bodies (such as local authorities). If an individual is operating as a limited company, they will be known as an organisation for registration purposes.

We need to know about all the individuals that make up the registered provider. This could be the director, manager, secretary, clerk, treasurer, trustee and any other similar officers. You must provide the details of all those who hold office.

All organisations must appoint a person to represent it in its dealings with us. This representative is known as the responsible individual. They are not registered with Ofsted.

The manager

We have separate information on when a new manager applies to be the registered manager of an existing establishment or agency.

You must ensure that each registered social care establishment and agency (and any branches) has a manager. This manager must also register with us unless you are applying to provide a voluntary adoption agency – in this instance, only the provider must register.

If the provider is not suitably skilled, experienced and qualified to manage the establishment or agency, they must appoint a manager to take full-time, day-to-day control of the establishment or agency. That manager must apply to register with Ofsted.

The manager’s registration is personal to them. It is not transferable to another registered provider.

New managers must apply for registration and pay a fee for each application. The manager must demonstrate that they have the skills, knowledge and experience to meet the requirements of the relevant establishment or agency.

For organisations, the registered manager must be a different person to the responsible individual. The law views these as distinct roles: the responsible individual oversees the establishment or agency on behalf of the organisation, and the registered manager is responsible for delivering the provision’s regulated activities.

If the proposed provider and manager is the same person, we will assess their fitness for each role.

Two individuals may apply to be the registered manager as a job share. In this case, both individuals must apply and they must each pay an application fee.

During periods of extended leave, for example parental leave or ill health, you can have a second registered manager while the original manager is still registered. See our guidance on interim managers.

Applying to manage more than one establishment or agency

For all establishments or agencies, the manager must be able to manage the settings and the care of the children effectively day to day. A manager will usually only manage one establishment or agency.

We have guidance for children’s homes on when we will consider registering a manager to manage 2 homes.

Exceptionally, we may register someone to manage more than one other type of establishment or agency. When we receive an application to do this, we treat each case individually. They must demonstrate that they have the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills to meet the requirements of each establishment or agency.

Some factors that may prevent you from registering

There are several factors that may prevent you from registering, including:

Before applying

It is important that you submit your application only when you are confident it can be determined within the timescales. You must:

  • have familiarised yourself with the service-specific regulations and national minimum standards (or quality standards for children’s homes) for the type of establishment or agency you wish to register
  • have an original DBS certificate for everyone who needs one (this includes all those who must submit an SC2 form)
  • have all your policies, documents and procedures in place, as detailed in the service-specific regulations and this guide; these must be bespoke and must relate specifically to the establishment or agency you are applying to register
  • have appointed a manager who meets the service-specific registration requirements, and who is ready to include their application to register with us as part of your application
  • have appointed a responsible individual, where necessary, who meets the requirements of the role, and who is ready to include their application to register with us as part of your application
  • have a completed a health declaration form for everyone who needs one (this includes all those who must submit an SC2 form)
  • have the relevant documentation relating to planning permission (that is, documents that confirm it has been applied for, or is not required or has been acquired)
  • for children’s homes only, have carried out a location assessment
  • for secure children’s homes and secure schools, have carried out specific steps as outlined in the children’s homes guidance

The responsible individual

Unlike a registered manager, a responsible individual is not registered by Ofsted. However, they are connected to the registration and must apply using an SC2 form as part of a new social care service.

An organisation must appoint a responsible individual, who will communicate with us on behalf of the establishment or agency.

The responsible individual can be:

  • a director of the organisation
  • a manager
  • a secretary of the organisation
  • another officer of the organisation

The organisation must also demonstrate that it has assessed the individual’s suitability for the role.

The responsible individual must demonstrate that they meet the requirements for this role as set out in the service-specific regulations.

Assessing the suitability of the responsible individual

We assess whether each responsible individual for a registration is ‘suitable’ to provide the service and/or manage it. Each responsible individual must:

  • be of integrity and good character
  • be mentally and physically fit to carry on the home
  • have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or homes, in respect of which they are nominated
  • be able to meet the relevant requirements The requirements are set out in the legislation and summarised in our introductory guides for specific types of establishments and agencies.

We assess your suitability by:

  • scrutinising the information that you submit with your application
  • carrying out checks, including reference checks
  • interviewing you, even if you are already a responsible individual

We also take into account relevant information about any previous applications you have made, even if you withdrew the application before a decision was made. In addition, we consider any registered settings you have been previously connected with, or are still connected with.

In your interview, you must demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of:

  • law and practice relating to children looked after
  • safeguarding and child protection
  • law and guidance around the service that you will be responsible for, including applicable regulations; national minimum standards or quality standards for children’s homes; and statutory guidance

You must also:

  • have the skills, knowledge and ability to carry on the service in a way that results in good practice and continuous improvement
  • have the business and management skills to supervise the management of the service efficiently and effectively
  • show that you, or another official within the organisation, have the necessary financial skills and expertise to make sure the service is run on a sound financial basis, including ensuring its long-term financial viability

As the appointed responsible individual for a registered provider, you must comply with:

  • any conditions placed on the registration
  • the regulations that apply to each establishment or agency

Assessing your fitness

We assess whether each person connected with a registration is ‘fit’ to provide the service and/or manage it. Each person must:

  • have the relevant skills, qualifications and experience for the position they hold
  • be able to meet the relevant requirements of fitness

The requirements are set out in the legislation and summarised in our introductory guides for specific types of establishments and agencies.

If you are not fit to provide the service and/or manage it, we will refuse your application.

We assess your fitness by:

  • scrutinising the information that you submit with your application
  • carrying out checks, including reference checks
  • interviewing you and anyone else connected with the registration, including any appointed responsible individual
  • visiting the proposed premises

We also consider relevant information about any previous applications you have made, even if you withdrew the application before a decision was made, and any registered establishments or agencies that you have been or are currently connected with.

Once you are a registered manager or provider, or you are the appointed responsible individual for a registered provider, you must comply with:

  • any conditions placed on the registration
  • the regulations that apply to each establishment or agency

Registration fees

You must pay a registration fee as part of your application. The Department for Education sets different fees for each type of establishment and agency.

We will only start processing your application once we receive your application fee in full. This is non-refundable.

You must also pay a single non-refundable fee for each application for a registered manager. This applies to registered managers for both a new or an existing establishment or agency.

If the proposed manager changes during the application process, you must submit the appropriate fee for the new manager’s application.

If the nominated responsible individual changes during the application process, you do not need to pay a new fee.

When you apply for a new registration, we always check whether you owe us fees from any previous registration(s). We will consider any outstanding fees when assessing your fitness, integrity and financial viability to provide a new service.

How to apply

If you want to apply to register a multi-building children’s home, please email eyregulatoryandsocialcare@ofsted.gov.uk to arrange a pre-application conversation with an inspector.

Who must register for each type of provider

In short:

Individual provider

An individual provider is the owner of an establishment or agency. An individual provider can be more than one person. Each person who makes up the individual provider is equally responsible for ensuring that the establishment or agency follows the law. Each will be named on the registration certificate.

The individual provider should complete one SC1 form.

The individual provider and registered manager are connected with the registration and must each complete an SC2 form and be assessed. If the individual provider is made up of more than one person, they will each need to complete an SC2 form.

Company

A company:

  • is legally constituted
  • has a company name
  • has a company registration number
  • is registered with Companies House (for companies based outside England, please contact us before submitting an application)

If you have no current registration with Ofsted, a director of the company should complete the SC1 form. If your company is already registered with Ofsted, a director of the company or a responsible individual who already represents the company should complete the SC1 form.

The person appointed to be the responsible individual and the registered manager are connected with the registration. They must therefore each complete an SC2 form and be assessed.

Some directors of children’s homes may also have to complete an SC2 form.

Statutory body

A statutory body is an organisation set up under legislation, for example a local authority.

If you have no current registration with Ofsted, a senior official responsible for the statutory body, for example the assistant director, should complete the SC1 form. If your statutory body is already registered with Ofsted, a senior official responsible for the statutory body, for example the assistant director, or a known responsible individual who already represents the statutory body, for example the assistant director, should complete the SC1 form.

The person appointed as the responsible individual and registered manager are connected with the registration. They must therefore each complete an SC2 form and be assessed.

Some directors of children’s homes may also have to complete an SC2 form.

Partnership

A partnership is where 2 or more people (partners), including entities, share the profits and liabilities of a business venture or undertaking, subject to their agreement or mutual understanding.

If you have no registration with Ofsted or if you are already registered with Ofsted, a partner on behalf of all partners, 2 or more partners on behalf of all partners or all partners should complete the SC1 form.

All partners and the registered manager are connected with the registration. They must therefore each complete an SC2 form and be assessed.

Limited liability partnership

Limited liability partnerships are registered with Companies House and therefore hold a separate legal identity from the individuals that make up the partnership. These fall within the definition of ‘organisation’ (their organisation ‘type’ is company). Their company name (on the Companies House website) will have the prefix ‘LLP’.

If you have no registration with Ofsted, a partner on behalf of all partners, or 2 or more partners on behalf of all partners, should complete the SC1 form. If you are a limited liability partnership that is already registered with Ofsted, a partner on behalf of all partners, 2 or more partners on behalf of all partners or a responsible individual who already represents the limited liability partnership should sign the SC1 form.

The person appointed as the responsible individual and registered manager are connected with the registration. They must therefore each complete an SC2 form and be assessed.

Some directors of children’s homes may also have to complete an SC2 form.

Charity

A charitable body may be:

  • a charitable incorporated organisation
  • a charitable company (limited by guarantee)
  • an unincorporated association
  • a charitable trust

Registered charities have a ‘registered charity number’ and may also have a registered company number. If the provider type is also a company, please follow the company guidance.

If you have no registration with Ofsted, a director or trustee of the charity should complete the SC1 form. If you are a charity that is already registered with Ofsted, a director, trustee or a known responsible individual should sign the SC1 form.

The person appointed as the responsible individual and registered manager are connected with the registration.

Some directors of children’s homes may also have to complete an SC2 form.

Application forms

For every type of establishment or agency, apart from residential holiday schemes, you must apply online.

For residential holiday schemes, you must apply using a hard copy of the application form.

Correspondence about your application

We will use electronic communication wherever possible.

If we need to contact you about your application, we send any correspondence:

  • for an individual provider to the proposed address for the establishment or agency, or to the principal office used to carry out the administration
  • for an organisation or limited liability partnership to the organisation or limited liability partnership’s registered office or address
  • for a manager to their personal address

Completing the application

If you want to apply to register a multi-building children’s home, please email eyregulatoryandsocialcare@ofsted.gov.uk to arrange a pre-application conversation with an inspector.

Your initial application and our review of it is stage 1 of the process.

You are responsible for providing all the information that we request, within 12 weeks of your application being accepted.

We will not accept any application that does not have all of the initially required information.

We will not process your application until you have submitted everything required and paid the fee.

Some factors that may mean we are unable to determine your application

When we determine your application, we make a decision to grant or to refuse it. You must send us all of the information that we require to make this decision.

If we are not able to determine your application, it may be returned and your fee will not be refunded. This may be happen if:

  • you are not able to provide us with all the information that we need within 12 weeks of us accepting your application (this does not apply for delays in returns from local authority checks)
  • there are planning/property issues
  • there are issues with referees
  • other agencies are carrying out ongoing investigations
  • individuals linked to the application withdraw/leave

In these cases, we will tell you what information we require. We will write to you 8 weeks before the deadline, to ask about the progress you are making in obtaining the information.

If matters are not resolved at that time, we will write to you again 4 weeks before the deadline, to follow up. If any issues are not settled within 12 weeks, we may return your application to you, as we will be unable to determine it without the relevant information.

Additional information

Once we have accepted your application, you will be at stage 2 of the process.

At this point, you will have 12 weeks to supply any additional information that we may need to proceed with your application, including:

  • planning permission, or confirmation that it is not needed
  • confirmation that your premises meet any planning requirements and are ready to accommodate the proposed service
  • confirmation that you have employed sufficient staff to carry out your proposed statement of purpose
  • if any information is received that calls into question an applicant’s fitness for registration, confirmation of the outcome of this, for example if there is an ongoing investigation by police, a professional body or an employer into an allegation against you
  • a replacement for any individual who has withdrawn from being part of your application If issues such as these cannot be resolved within 12 weeks of your application (or within 12 weeks of an individual withdrawing) we may be unable to determine your application and we may return it to you. Your fee will not be refunded.

The application form (SC1) and additional documents required

The SC1 application form asks for information about the:

  • people applying to register
  • type of establishment or agency you intend to offer
  • premises that you intend to use
  • children and young people you intend to accommodate and the type of services you intend to provide for them

Some of the information you give us in the form will become the conditions of your registration. You can find out more information about the specific conditions of registration, depending on your type of establishment or agency, in the individual guides.

When you apply online to register an establishment or agency, you will get an application ID number. You must provide this ID number to each individual who is required to complete an SC2 form. Each individual must include the ID number in section A of their SC2 form.

Statement of purpose

You must have a unique statement of purpose for each establishment or agency that you are applying to register. Its contents will vary according to the type of establishment and agency that you intend to operate.

The statement of purpose should meet the requirements of the service-specific regulations.

We take the quality of the statement of purpose into account when making our decision about fitness.

Equalities policy

The equalities policy must set out how the establishment or agency intends to value individuals, combat discrimination and safeguard those who may face inequality or harassment due to one or more of the characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010.

A copy of a certificate of insurance

You must get a certificate of insurance for death, injury, public liability, damage or other loss before your establishment or agency starts to operate. We appreciate that some insurers will not provide this until registration is granted. In this case, you must give us written confirmation that you will have it before you start operating.

If the name and the address of the establishment or agency are not included on the certificate, you must prove that it is covered before you start to operate.

Children and young people’s guide or resident’s guide

All applications (except for holiday schemes) must include a children’s or service user’s guide.

This must comply with the requirements of service-specific regulations. It must also meet the needs of those you intend to provide services for; for example, it must be in a format they can understand.

Planning permission

In all applications (except for holiday schemes), you must tell us whether any planning permission is required or not. If you are applying to register a holiday scheme, you must check that the use of the premises for this is consistent with existing planning permission requirements or restrictions. You will be asked about this at the registration visit.

In all other applications, you must provide us with a copy of one of the following:

  • evidence that planning permission or a certificate of lawful development is in place
  • written, formal evidence from the local authority planning department that no planning permission is required and/or that the proposed use of the premises will still fall within the premises’ existing use class
  • a copy of your planning permission application

If you include a copy of your planning permission application, we will accept your Ofsted application and the fee. We will be unable to carry out a registration visit until you have provided us with one of the documents listed. If we do not receive a copy of your planning permission within 12 weeks, we may refuse your application. If you are appealing a planning decision, you should notify us of this and we can extend this timescale.

Unless you are applying from a local authority or an NHS trust, you must include with your application your:

  • business plan
  • cash-flow forecast
  • annual reports and annual accounts

If you are a type of trust, other than an NHS trust, we need your latest set of annual accounts, but you do not have to provide all of the above. Instead, you can provide in writing from the local authority:

  • assurance that it is content with the financially viability of the trust (this could be in the form of a service-level agreement or a memorandum of understanding)
  • what mechanisms it has in place to review the trust’s ongoing performance, including its financial standing

Business plan

As a minimum, the business plan should cover:

  • background information
  • a marketing plan
  • an operational plan
  • a financial plan
  • a discussion of the decision-making criteria that should be used to approve the plan

Cash-flow forecast

A cash-flow forecast sets out the projected monthly income and expenditure for the first 12 months of operation. This is simply a summary of the money that is expected to be paid into and out of the establishment or agency, in cash terms, over the period. This is usually broken up into a month-by-month forecast.

Annual reports and accounts

You should provide the last 2 annual reports and accounts. Where applicable, you should also include the annual reports for the holding company and any subsidiaries of that holding company. New companies do not need to submit annual reports or accounts.

Safeguarding policy and complaints procedure

All applications must include a safeguarding policy and a complaints procedure.

Additional information required

If you are a charity that is applying to register, the application form asks you for your Charity Commission registration number. You must also provide the charitable objects as set out in your Charity Commission registration. You can provide these in a separate document and include it with your application.

Some establishments and agencies must include additional documents. These are set out in the individual guides for each type. All policies and procedures must meet with the requirements set out in the relevant legislation.

The declaration and consent form (SC2)

The SC2 declaration and consent form relates to each individual who completes it and information is personal to them.

The form asks for your consent for us to carry out a series of checks and to use information from these to decide whether you are suitable to be a registered provider or a registered manager.

We carry out checks with:

  • the director of children’s services in the area(s) where you live or have lived for the last 5 years
  • professional referees
  • where necessary, any other person or organisation who has relevant information about you, for example your GP or another medical professional; for a full list, see Annex A

Professional references

The declaration and consent form asks you for the details of 2 referees who can give professional references about you. You should agree in advance with each referee that they are able to provide a reference and let them know what we will ask them to comment on (detailed below).

Your first referee must be your most recent employer. If you have been employed by them for less than 3 months, you must also provide details of your previous employer (unless you have not previously been employed).

Your second referee must be someone who has known you in a professional capacity and can comment on your work. This person should be from a different organisation to your first referee.

One of the 2 referees must have employed you for a minimum of 3 months. Neither referee can be a relative or live at the same address as you.

We accept an employer’s reference from a senior officer of an organisation, for example the owner, director or an HR manager.

Both referees must be able to comment on:

  • your honesty and integrity
  • your ability to safeguard and protect children and, where applicable, vulnerable adults
  • your leadership and management skills
  • your knowledge and understanding of the particular type of service you are applying to register for

Your most recent employer referee must also be able to comment on:

  • any disciplinary processes you have been subject to
  • your financial management skills

If we cannot get the information we need, we will ask you to provide another suitable referee. This will prevent your application from progressing to the next stage.

Five-year address history

We will ask you to provide all the addresses where you have lived in the past 5 years.

We ask the local authorities you have lived in during this time whether:

  • you have been subject to any child protection inquiries, including whether you have had a child removed from your care
  • there is any other information held about you that might affect your ability to be a registered provider or a registered manager

Fit/suitable person questionnaire

If you are the proposed manager, the provider and/or appointed responsible individual, you must complete a fit/suitable person questionnaire. You must upload this when you fill out your SC2 form.

We will use the questionnaire as part of assessing your fitness/suitability. You must complete this form in your own words. If you fail to do so, we will take this into account when making decisions about your fitness. You may wish to keep a copy to help you at the interview.

Qualifications for managers

Your qualifications are another important part of how we decide your fitness to register. As a manager, you must prove that you:

  • have the qualification set out in the service-specific national minimum standards, or the qualification for children’s homes set out in The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015
  • have a qualification that your provider has decided is equivalent to the above, complete with evidence that it has checked this and is satisfied
  • are working towards attaining either of the above, and that you have the necessary experience and skills to manage the establishment or agency

You must show the original versions of your qualifications at your fit person interview.

Health declaration form

Everyone who completes a consent form (SC2), apart from directors of children’s homes, must also complete a health declaration form. The form contains questions about your current and past health so that we can determine your mental and physical suitability to provide or manage a service.

You must:

  • complete the health declaration form
  • submit the completed health declaration form to us with your application

DBS certificates

Before submitting your application to register, everyone who is completing an SC2 form must have a DBS certificate. The exception to this are directors of children’s homes who are not also the appointed responsible individual. They must submit an SC2 form, but are not required to get a DBS certificate.

The DBS certificate must:

  • be at an enhanced level
  • include barring information

You must have your original DBS certificate to show us at the registration visit or suitability interview. We use the information from the certificate to inform our decision about your suitability and fitness.

If you or anyone else who needs a certificate already has one that was applied for through Ofsted, please check with us to see if we will accept it as current. You should give as much detail about your past registration with Ofsted as possible.

We strongly recommend that you also register with the DBS update service.

Applying for your DBS certificate

You must either:

  • apply for a DBS certificate through the Ofsted DBS service (you must obtain your certificate before you submit your application and it must be dated within the last 3 months) or you must be subscribed to the DBS update service.
  • provide us with an enhanced DBS certificate carried out through another organisation and be subscribed to the DBS update service

If you live or have lived abroad in the past 5 years and are unable to provide a DBS certificate that covers the whole period, you must contact us before you submit your application. We will require supplementary evidence of your fitness. The types of evidence we require will depend on your history and what information you can supply to demonstrate your fitness. We will discuss this when you contact us.

Including your DBS certificate in your application

You must include a copy of your DBS certificate with your SC2 form, unless you applied for it through the Ofsted DBS service and it shows no recorded information on it. The certificate will state ‘none recorded’ in each section. If there is a delay or you have a question about your DBS application, contact the Ofsted DBS service.

Each person must put their DBS registration number on the SC2 form, state whether they subscribe to the DBS update service and give consent for Ofsted to check their DBS status.

After we have accepted your application

Once you have submitted your application and we have accepted it, we will begin processing it. However, this does not mean that we have approved it as suitable or that we must make a decision on it within a specific timeframe. This is because applications are not subject to ‘tacit approval’ under the European Union (EU) Services Directive. This will remain the case until January 2022. Tacit approval relates to a situation in which an authority does not process an application for registration within the published timescales and as a result the application is deemed as having been granted. It does not apply to applications to Ofsted for registration as a children’s social care provider because different arrangements are in place for overriding reasons relating to the public interest, namely the need to safeguard and protect children’s welfare.

There are 3 stages of the application process.

Stages of the application process

Stage 1: accepting

Within 5 working days of receiving your application, we assess it to see whether it is complete.

If your online application is:

  • incomplete: we will not accept it and we will contact you to say why
  • complete: we send you a request for the application fee and, within 5 working days of receiving payment, we start to process your application and request references and the local authority check(s)

For residential holiday schemes, if your hard copy application is:

  • incomplete: we will not accept it and we will contact you to say why
  • complete and includes the relevant application fee: we start to process your application and request references and the local authority check(s)

Stage 2: receiving responses to checks and references

An inspector will contact you to explain what happens next.

You will be at stage 2 of your application until we have received:

  • responses to all our requests for information, for example from referees and local authorities
  • a copy of any planning permission that you were waiting for at the time of application
  • a completed ‘Tell us about your property’ form

If you applied with a copy of your planning application, we will hold your application at stage 2 for 12 weeks, to give you time to receive and send to us a copy of the planning permission. If after 12 weeks we have received all other checks and references but not the planning permission, we will be unable to determine your application and will return it to you. We will consider requests to extend this deadline on a case-by-case basis.

After we have accepted your application, an inspector will send you a ‘Tell us about your property’ form. This will give us important information to help us decide whether your premises are suitable for providing the service you wish to register.

If after 8 weeks we do not have all the information we need to determine your application, we will send you a letter. This will be to remind you that we need to have the information before 12 weeks is up, otherwise we may return your application to you because we are unable to determine it. If we return your application, we will not refund the fee. If you wish to apply in the future, you must submit a full new application, and pay an appropriate fee.

If your referees do not give us a reference for you, we will ask you to provide another referee. If referees have not given us references within 12 weeks, your application may be returned.

We are unable to complete stage 2 until all the checks including the local authority check are complete. When necessary, we will chase this information.

Stage 3: site visit/interview and decision

When we have received all of the information we need, including responses to references and checks, your application will move to stage 3.

At this stage, the inspector will contact you to arrange a site visit (only for applications to register an establishment or agency) and the fit/suitable person interview(s). Interviews and visits may take place on different days and will be arranged with each individual concerned.

For an application to register an establishment or agency, the site visit and interviews will be arranged within 4 weeks of your application moving to stage 3.

For an application to register a manager at an existing establishment or agency, the interview will be arranged within 4 weeks of your application moving to stage 3.

In some instances, the inspector may need to arrange for the interview to happen somewhere else. This may be an Ofsted office, the applicant’s offices if suitable, or a pre-booked external venue.

When the visit and interview(s) have been done, the inspector will discuss their findings with their manager.

The inspector’s manager will grant or refuse registration, usually within 7 working days of the visit and interview(s).

Changes to your application

If you want to change your application before we have granted registration, you must write to tell us about changes:

  • to the name or address of the proposed provider, responsible individual or manager
  • in the person who is applying to be the provider, responsible individual or manager
  • to members of a partnership
  • of director, manager, secretary, trustee, clerk, treasurer or another similar officer in the organisation

If you do not tell us about these changes, it will delay registration and may mean that we cannot determine your application, or that we refuse your registration.

If you wish to change the person who is applying to be the provider, responsible individual or manager, you will need to complete an SC2 form. Your application will stay at stage 2 until you have submitted a new SC2 form, and all checks and references have been returned.

If your application is already at stage 3 when you request such a change, it will revert to stage 2. In these cases, we will hold the application in stage 2 for 12 weeks from the point of the initial applicant withdrawing, to give you time to find a replacement. After this, we may return your application to you because we are unable to determine it without suitable applicants to consider. This will not affect any future application that you may make.

Withdrawing your application

You may change your mind about registering. You must tell us in writing if this is what you decide so that we can stop the process. The application fee is non-refundable.

If you do not tell us that you want to withdraw your application, then we will continue the process and may have to refuse your application.

If we have concerns about your fitness to register as a provider or manager, but you withdraw your application before we have made a decision on registration, we will consider those concerns if you apply to register as a provider or manager of a social care establishment or agency in the future.

If we have issued a notice of proposal to refuse your registration, we may not allow you to withdraw your application. This may happen if we have concerns about your ability to safeguard the welfare of children due to a lack of integrity, poor safeguarding practice or knowledge, any relevant offences you may have committed or other relevant information.

The registration visit and fitness/suitability interviews

We do not arrange to carry out the registration visit and fitness/suitability interviews until we have received all the required information from checks and references. We expect to carry out one registration visit for each application. During the visit, we assess the premises and services you intend to provide and interview all those connected with the application.

There is separate guidance for secure children’s homes and secure schools.

For holiday schemes, there is no registration visit unless the provider has permanent premises they intend to use for the scheme, but we will arrange to interview those connected with the application. See our guidance on residential holiday schemes.

What to expect at interviews

The registration visit may include the fitness/suitability interviews. The interviews may take place at another premises, such as an Ofsted office, the applicant’s offices if suitable, or a pre-booked external venue.

Inspectors will interview both the proposed manager and the appointed responsible individual, even if the responsible individual has been interviewed by us before. We may also interview any directors, as we see fit.

The inspector will ask questions about their understanding of important aspects of your establishment or agency, for example about their professional knowledge, how they propose to lead and manage the service, safeguarding, staff recruitment and management, and promoting good outcomes for children.

What inspectors will assess at the registration visit

The inspector’s role at the registration visit is to assess:

  • your fitness to provide or manage an establishment or agency
  • whether the proposed services protect and promote children, young people and adult service users’ safety and welfare
  • whether you have appointed a suitable responsible individual (when necessary)
  • whether the proposed premises are safe and suitable for the purposes intended in the application (this does not apply to holiday schemes)

Documents that inspectors will need at the registration visit

You must provide your original birth certificate and DBS certificate. We do not accept copies of these.

You must also provide original or authenticated copies of:

  • government-issued photographic identification, such as a current passport or driving licence
  • evidence of any change of name (if you have changed your name by marriage, deed poll, adoption, statutory declaration or any other means, you need to provide evidence of this change, for example a marriage certificate or decrees)
  • 2 pieces of evidence (dated within the last 12 months) confirming your current address, for example: a utility bill (gas, telephone, electricity); a credit card, bank or mortgage statement; any recent communication from your local authority or a government agency, for example the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenue and Customs
  • your qualification certificates

Inspectors will review all the policies and procedures you need to have in place for registration, as set out in the relevant national minimum standards (the quality standards for children’s homes) and regulations for each establishment or agency.

You must have available all the necessary certificates relating to the premises (this does not apply to holiday schemes). For example, utility safety certificates, maintenance certificates for equipment (such as lifts and hoists) and insurance certificates.

You must have available all recruitment records for the staff you have recruited before the registration visit, including those of the proposed manager and, where applicable, the responsible individual. If you normally hold these records elsewhere, you must arrange for them to be available at the registration visit.

Read our guidance on recruiting staff for children’s homes.

Showing us that the premises are fit for purpose

You must show us that the premises you propose to use are fit for purpose and suitable for those you intend to provide a service for. You must prove that you have assessed and managed any risks associated with the building. For some establishments or agencies, this will be demonstrated though a location risk assessment.

There is separate guidance for secure children’s homes and secure schools and for holiday schemes.

For all others, the below applies.

We require evidence that the premises comply with:

  • national and local planning, building and environmental legislation, including disability discrimination requirements where appropriate
  • fire regulations, including requirements of your local fire authority, and that you have a suitably trained fire safety officer who has completed a fire risk assessment of the premises and can describe what fire safety procedures will be in place, having consulted an appropriate expert
  • environmental health regulations, if you will be preparing food on site

At the end of the registration visit

Before leaving, the inspector will:

  • summarise the evidence that they have collected
  • check your proposed conditions of registration
  • explain what happens next, including arrangements for any remaining interviews

What happens after the registration visit

The inspector sends all of the information to their manager, who makes a decision about whether or not to register your establishment or agency. We sometimes ask you for more information to help us with this decision, when required.

We can impose any conditions of registration that we think necessary to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and other service users.

Registration decisions: granted

There are 2 ways we can grant you permission to register. We either send you a:

  • notice of decision to register, if the decision was to register with no conditions or with conditions agreed with you, and your certificate
  • notice of proposal to register, if we decide to impose conditions to which you have not yet agreed

If the latter applies and you agree with the conditions, you should write to us and accept the proposal. We will then issue a notice of decision and your certificate.

If you disagree, you may object to our proposal by making written representations to us on or before the cut-off date stated in your notice of proposal. After any representations have been made and a decision has been taken to refuse these, you may also lodge an appeal with the first-tier tribunal.

If you intend to make written representations, you must do so within 28 days of the date that we serve you with the notice of proposal. The 28-day representations period is a statutory timeframe and we cannot extend it. Please see the ‘Representations’ section of the social care enforcement policy for more details.

If we do not receive a response or representations within 28 days, we issue a notice of decision. If the decision is to grant registration subject to conditions you have not agreed to, those conditions will be included on your certificate.

We will email your notice of decision and certificate to you at the email address of your organisation’s office or an alternative email address that we have agreed with you. We will ask whether you agree for the certificate and notice to be sent in this way.

Your registration certificate

Your certificate of registration includes:

  • your unique registration number
  • the name of the registered provider
  • the name of the registered manager (if applicable)
  • the name of the responsible individual (if applicable)
  • the name and address of the service
  • date of registration
  • any conditions that apply to your registration

Legally, you must display the certificate. If you lose, damage or destroy your certificate, you must apply to us for a replacement.

Your certificate remains valid until it is replaced by a subsequent certificate, we cancel your registration or you voluntarily cancel your registration.

In any of these cases, you must return the certificate to us if we posted it to you.

If we emailed it to you, you must destroy the copy you printed and delete the original email.

Registration decisions: refused

If we propose to refuse registration, we send you a notice of our proposal to do so.

Refusing registration is a serious step and may negatively affect any subsequent application you wish to make.

If you disagree with our proposal to refuse, you may object by making written representations to us on or before the cut-off date stated in your notice of proposal. After any representations have been made and a decision has been taken to refuse these, you may also lodge an appeal with the first-tier tribunal.

If you intend to make written representations, you must do so within 28 days of the date that we serve you with the notice of proposal. The 28-day representations period is a statutory timeframe and we cannot extend it. Please see the ‘Representations’ section of the social care enforcement policy for more details.

If we do not receive a response or representations within 28 days, we issue a notice of decision.

Once you are registered

We provide regular updates about all aspects of our work on GOV.UK. You can subscribe to email alerts for new or updated Ofsted content.

Payments

Once you are a registered provider, you must pay the first annual fee to maintain your registration immediately and then again on the anniversary date for every subsequent year.

Continuing registration

You must continue to demonstrate your suitability to be a social care provider or registered manager throughout the time that you remain registered. We give you more information about this with your certificate of registration.

We monitor your continued compliance through:

  • inspection under the social care common inspection framework
  • other visits, for example to follow up any concerns we receive about the service you provide
  • repeating or carrying out additional checks where we receive information that brings your fitness into question, including a check on your DBS status (for those who subscribe to the DBS online update service)

Making changes once you are registered

Once you are registered, you must tell us if you make certain changes. The specific regulations that apply to your type of establishment or agency are clear about what you have to tell us. You can also find this detailed in our guidance on changes to children’s social care services. You should familiarise yourself with the detail in this guidance if we agree your registration.

You can also ask to vary your conditions of registration.

Sharing your information

We will follow all applicable data protection laws in how we treat your personal information. Our privacy notice for social care gives more information on how we handle your information.

We use the information from checks and any interviews to make a decision about your fitness to work with or be in regular contact with children. It may be necessary to repeat these checks from time to time in order to assess your ongoing fitness.

We may provide information about social care providers to other government departments and local authority departments, such as social work teams.

We may also give information to a local authority or the police if there are any concerns about the welfare of children and young people in a provider’s care.

Further help with applications to register

If you need help with a query that is not covered in this guide or you do not understand what you need to do in your circumstances, please contact us.

Complaints

The great majority of our work is carried out smoothly and without incident. If concerns arise during registration, these should be raised with the inspector, their manager or the applications team as soon as possible. This provides an opportunity to resolve the matter before the registration is completed.

If it has not been possible to resolve concerns through these means, a formal complaint can be raised under our complaints procedure.

Contact us

You can get in touch at:

Annex A: Checks that we carry out on individual people

This table details the application information required from applicants and the minimum checks that will be completed.

Managers

Type of individual SC2 DBS check, either a new check or a previous DBS certificate and DBS Update Service reference number 2 references Local authority check Health declaration form Interview
Manager not known to Ofsted Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Manager currently registered as a manager with the same provider Yes Yes No No No Yes, unless the inspection manager agrees it is not required
Manager currently registered as a manager with a different provider Yes Yes Only 1 reference is required, from the previous employer (see professional references) No Yes (unless previously provided within the last 6 months) Yes, unless the inspection manager agrees it is not required
Manager previously registered as a manager Yes Yes Yes Yes (unless previously obtained by Ofsted within the last 3 years) Yes (unless previously provided within the last 6 months) Yes

Individual providers and partners

Type of individual SC2 DBS check, either a new check or a previous DBS certificate and DBS Update Service reference number 2 references Local authority check Health declaration form Interview
Individual provider never registered before Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Individual provider already registered as provider Yes Yes No, unless providing a different type of service Yes (unless previously obtained by Ofsted within the last 3 years) Yes (unless previously provided within the last 6 months) Yes
Partner never previously registered Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Partner already registered as a provider Yes Yes No, unless providing a different type of service Yes (unless previously obtained by Ofsted within the last 3 years) Yes (unless previously provided within the last 6 months) Yes

Directors

Type of individual SC2 DBS check, either a new check or a previous DBS certificate and DBS Update Service reference number 2 references Local authority check Health declaration form Interview
Director (not for a children’s home) No No No No No No
Director of a children’s home where the organisation’s sole purpose is to carry on children’s homes. Yes No Yes No No Yes, unless the inspection manager agrees it is not required
Director of a children’s home and the director is involved in the carrying on of their children’s home Yes (unless they have submitted an SC2 since 1 April 2015 in relation to the same provider and have been in a continuous role with that provider) No Yes No No Yes, unless the inspection manager agrees it is not required
Director of a children’s home and the director is not involved in the carrying on of their children’s home No No No No No No
An individual who is part of the registered provider but is not a director, manager or responsible individual No No No No No No

Responsible individuals

Type of individual SC2 DBS check, either a new check or a previous DBS certificate and DBS Update Service reference number 2 references Local authority check Health declaration form Interview
Responsible individual not known to Ofsted Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes, unless the inspection manager agrees it is not required
Responsible individual previously checked as part of an application for the same provider Yes Yes No No No Yes, unless the inspection manager agrees it is not required
Responsible individual previously checked as part of an application for a different provider Yes Yes Yes Yes (unless previously obtained by Ofsted within the last 3 years) Yes (unless previously provided within the last 6 months) Yes
Responsible individual previously registered as a manager for the same or different provider Yes Yes Yes Yes (unless previously obtained by Ofsted within the last 3 years) Yes (unless previously provided within the last 6 months) Yes
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