Regulation 7: Children's Views, Wishes & Feelings: Listening, Participation, Privacy, Advocacy & Children's Voice

1. The single question behind Regulation 7

Regulation 7 asks whether children are genuinely listened to, and whether their views make a difference to the care they receive. The standard is not about having a comments box in the hallway or an annual survey. It is about whether children's views, wishes and feelings are actively sought, taken seriously, and used to shape decisions that affect their lives.

The DfE Guide says children should be involved in decisions about their day-to-day lives and the wider running of the home. This includes decisions about their care, their routines, their activities, and the home's development. The standard also requires children to have access to independent advocacy and to be supported to make complaints if they are unhappy.

Child-centred question

If a child in this home said they were unhappy about something, what would happen next? Would they be listened to, and would anything change?

2. The difference between listening and hearing

There is a difference between listening to children and actually hearing what they say. A home can have excellent mechanisms for gathering children's views: surveys, key worker sessions, children's meetings, and complaint forms. But if those views are gathered and then nothing changes, the standard is not being met. The DfE Guide says the home should not only seek children's views but should also explain to children what has happened as a result.

This means telling children when their suggestion has been acted on, and being honest when it has not. A child who suggests a change in the menu and sees it happen learns that their views matter. A child who suggests a change, hears nothing, and sees nothing change learns that their views do not matter. Both experiences shape how willing the child is to speak up in future.

3. Consultation in decisions that affect children

The DfE Guide says children should be consulted about decisions that affect their lives. This includes decisions about their care, their routines, their education, their health, and their contact with family. It also includes decisions about the home itself: changes to the environment, changes to staffing, and changes to policies.

Consultation does not mean children make every decision. A child does not decide whether they need a health assessment, or whether they should attend school. But the child should be helped to understand why those things are important, and their views about how they happen should be taken into account. A child who is told nothing and asked nothing experiences care as something done to them, not with them.

4. Children's voice in care planning and reviews

Regulation 7 connects to Regulation 14, the Care Planning Standard. Children should be involved in their care planning, their placement plans, and their reviews. The DfE Guide says children should be helped to participate in their LAC reviews in a way that is meaningful to them, not just present at a meeting where adults talk about them.

This means thinking about how to help the child contribute. Some children will speak confidently in a meeting. Others will need to talk to their key worker beforehand, or to write down their views, or to have an advocate speak for them. The home's role is to make sure the child's views reach the meeting, not just the child.

The detailed guidance on care planning, placement plans, and reviews is covered in the Hub's dedicated Regulation 14 resource. The point here is that children's participation in their own care planning is a Regulation 7 matter, not just a Regulation 14 matter.

5. Advocacy and independent advocacy

Regulation 7 requires the home to support children to access advocacy services. The DfE Guide says children should know about their right to an advocate, how to get one, and what an advocate can do for them. An advocate is someone who helps the child express their views and speaks on their behalf if needed. An independent advocate is not employed by the home or the placing authority.

The home should not wait until a child is unhappy to tell them about advocacy. Children should know about advocacy from the start, as part of their induction. The home should also make sure that advocacy is genuinely independent: the child should be able to contact their advocate without staff involvement, and the advocate should be able to meet with the child privately.

6. Privacy and children's personal space

Regulation 7 includes requirements around children's privacy. The DfE Guide says children should have personal space they can retreat to, and that their privacy should be respected. This connects to Regulation 21, which covers bedroom privacy, searches, and access restrictions in more detail.

For Regulation 7, the key point is that children's privacy is not just about physical space. It is also about their personal information, their conversations, and their relationships. A child should be able to have a private phone call with their social worker or advocate without staff listening in. A child's personal history should not be discussed in front of other children. A child's diary, phone, or personal belongings should not be read or searched without a proper reason and proper procedures.

The detailed guidance on bedroom privacy, searches, and access restrictions is covered in the Hub's dedicated Regulation 21 resource.

7. Communication for different ages and abilities

Not all children communicate in the same way. Some children speak confidently. Others find it hard to express themselves verbally. Some children have communication difficulties, disabilities, or speak English as an additional language. The DfE Guide says staff should find ways to communicate with each child that work for them.

This might mean using pictures, visual aids, or simple language for a younger child. It might mean allowing extra time for a child with communication difficulties. It might mean using an interpreter for a child whose first language is not English. It might mean using a child's preferred communication method, whether that is talking, writing, drawing, or something else. The standard requires the home to adapt to the child, not the child to adapt to the home.

8. Children's views in staff recruitment and home development

The DfE Guide says children should be involved in the wider running of the home, not just their own care. This can include involving children in staff recruitment, in decisions about the environment, and in the development of the home's policies and procedures.

Some homes involve children in interviewing new staff, which can give both the child and the candidate a sense of whether the relationship is likely to work. This should be done carefully: children should not be asked to make hiring decisions, but their views on whether they would feel comfortable with a candidate can be valuable. Children can also be involved in choosing furnishings, planning activities, or reviewing policies. The level of involvement should be appropriate to the child's age and willingness.

9. Complaints and how children's views drive change

Regulation 7 connects to Regulation 39, the Complaints Standard. The way a home handles complaints is a test of whether children's views are genuinely taken seriously. A home that makes it easy for children to complain, responds promptly and fairly, and changes practice when something is wrong is meeting the spirit of Regulation 7. A home that makes complaining difficult, responds defensively, or does not change anything is not.

The DfE Guide says children should know how to make a complaint, should be supported to do so, and should not be penalised for complaining. The home should also make sure that children know about access to independent advocacy and to the Children's Commissioner, and that they know they can contact Ofsted directly if they are unhappy.

The detailed guidance on complaints procedures, advocacy, and escalation is covered in the Hub's dedicated Regulation 39 resource.

10. Recording children's views

The DfE Guide says children's views should be recorded, and that the record should reflect what the child actually said, not what the adult thought they meant. This means recording the child's words where possible, not paraphrasing them into professional language that loses the child's voice.

Recording is not the same as acting. A record that says the child said they were unhappy, with no record of what was done about it, is not evidence that the standard was met. The record should show what the child said, what the adult did in response, and what changed as a result. If nothing changed, the record should say why.

11. What Ofsted may explore

The SCCIF evaluates the overall experiences and progress of children. Inspectors may explore Regulation 7 through conversations with children, observation of how staff interact with children, and reading of records. They may look at whether children's views are genuinely sought and acted on, whether children know about advocacy and complaints, and whether the home can show examples of children's views leading to change.

Evidence may include: children's own accounts of whether they feel listened to; the quality of communication between staff and children; records of children's views and what happened as a result; how complaints are handled; and whether children know about their right to advocacy and to contact Ofsted.

12. Questions for the Registered Manager and Deputy

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