Resource area
Starting a Children's Home
For people researching, planning, registering or preparing to open a children's home. Covers registration, Statement of Purpose, Children's Guide, location, property, planning, business planning and pre-registration preparation.
17 resources
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How to Open a Children's Home in England
Opening a children's home is not simply a case of finding a suitable property and applying to Ofsted.
Developing Your Children's Home Model of Care
Before choosing a property, writing policies or completing an Ofsted application, you should be able to clearly explain
How Much Does It Cost to Open and Run a Children's Home?
There is no single reliable figure for the cost of opening a children's home. A two-bed home operating from a leased pro
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Understanding Local Need and Demand for a Children's Home
A practical guide to assessing local need and demand before opening a children's home, covering where to find data, how to read commissioning landscap…
Choosing the Right Property for a Children's Home
A large house with enough bedrooms is not automatically a suitable children's home. The property needs to work for the children you intend to care for…
Planning Permission for a Children's Home: C2, C3 and Change of Use
A practical guide to planning permission for children's homes in England, covering C2 and C3 use classes, the application process, common reasons for…
Children's Home Location Assessments and Regulation 46
A children's home location assessment should answer a deceptively simple question: is this the right place for this home and the children it intends t…
Choosing Your Children's Home Provider Structure and Understanding the Key Roles
Before applying to register a children's home, you need to establish who is actually going to carry on the home.
The Responsible Individual in a Children's Home: A Practical Guide to Regulation 26, Oversight and Governance
The Responsible Individual, usually shortened to RI, has one of the most important governance roles within an organisation operating a children's home…
The Registered Manager of a Children's Home: A Practical Guide to Regulation 28, Leadership and Management
The Registered Manager is not simply the most senior person on the rota, they are responsible for leading a service where children live.
Writing Your Children's Home Statement of Purpose
A Statement of Purpose should answer three fundamental questions: Who is this home for? What are we trying to achieve? How will we actually do it? Reg…
The Children's Guide: What It Must Include and How to Make It Accessible
The Children's Guide helps children understand the home they may be living in and what they can do if something is wrong.
Children's Home Policies and Procedures: The Complete Guide
Which policies does a children's home in England actually need? This complete guide separates policies explicitly required by the Children's Homes Reg…
How to Register a Children's Home with Ofsted: SC1, SC2, Interviews, the Registration Visit and the 2026 Priority System
A step-by-step guide to registering a children's home with Ofsted, current as at August 2026, covering the three registration stages, the July 2026 pr…
Commissioning, Contracts and Local Authority Relationships for Children's Homes
How children's home providers should manage the relationship with placing authorities, from placement enquiries and information gathering through to c…
Common Reasons Children's Home Registration Applications Are Delayed
Understand issues that can delay a children's home registration application, how to prepare stronger evidence and what applicants remain responsible f…
Do You Need a Consultant to Open a Children's Home?
A practical guide to deciding whether you need a consultant when opening a children's home, what support may be useful and what remains your responsib…