Regulation 9: The Enjoyment and Achievement Standard: Activities, Hobbies, Friendships, Community, Fun & Ordinary Childhood Experiences

1. The single question behind Regulation 9

Regulation 9 asks whether children are enjoying their lives and making progress in things that matter to them. The standard is not about providing a fixed programme of activities. It is about whether each child has opportunities to develop interests, build friendships, take part in things they enjoy, and experience the ordinary things that make up a childhood. For many children in residential care, these experiences have been disrupted or absent. The home's job is to help rebuild them.

The DfE Guide says the home should help children access a range of activities, support them to develop interests and hobbies, and celebrate their achievements. This is not about treating activities as a box to tick. It is about whether the child is having a childhood that includes fun, friendship, interests, and a sense of progress and accomplishment.

Child-centred question

What does this child do for fun? What are they interested in? What have they achieved recently that they are proud of?

2. Ordinary childhood experiences

Many children in residential care have missed out on ordinary childhood experiences. They may not have had birthday parties, family days out, trips to the cinema, or the chance to join a club. Regulation 9 asks the home to help children access these experiences. The DfE Guide says children should have opportunities to take part in activities that are appropriate to their age, interests, and abilities.

This means thinking about what a child of this age, with these interests, in this situation, would normally be doing. A teenager who wants to go to the cinema with friends, a younger child who wants to join a football club, a child who wants to learn to play the guitar: these are ordinary childhood experiences. The home's role is to make them possible, not to treat them as extras.

Activities, hobbies and interests

The DfE Guide says the home should help children develop interests, hobbies, and talents. This means providing opportunities to try things, supporting children to pursue interests, and helping them access activities outside the home. It also means being attentive to what each child actually enjoys, rather than imposing a standard programme.

Some children will know what they want to do. Others will need help to discover interests. The home can help by offering a range of activities, by paying attention to what engages the child, and by supporting them to try things without pressure. A child who tries football and does not like it should be helped to try something else, not made to continue because the home has a football session on Tuesdays.

Hobbies and interests also support children's sense of identity and self-worth. A child who develops a talent for art, music, or sport has something that is theirs, something they can be proud of, and something that connects them to the wider world. The home's role is to help children find and develop these things.

4. Friendships and social development

The DfE Guide also links this standard to children's wider social experiences, including opportunities to develop and maintain friendships. Supporting friendships is important practice, but Regulation 9's express requirements focus on activities, interests, hobbies, skills and positive contribution. The home should help children access activities and wider experiences that support their social development and sense of belonging.

Supporting friendships means more than allowing them. It means helping the child meet peers, supporting them to manage the ups and downs of friendship, and being aware of whether the child is isolated or struggling socially. A child who has no friends, or whose friendships are causing concern, needs active support, not just observation.

Friendships outside the home are particularly important. A child who only socialises with other children in the home is missing out on the broader social experiences that most children have. The home should support children to maintain friendships from before their placement, to make friends at school, and to take part in community activities where they can meet other children.

5. Community involvement and belonging

The DfE Guide says the home should help children feel part of their community. This means supporting children to take part in community activities, to use local facilities, and to feel they belong somewhere. A child who feels connected to their local area has a stronger sense of identity and belonging than one who experiences the home as an isolated institution.

Community involvement can include joining local clubs, taking part in community events, using the library, going to the park, or volunteering. It can also include building relationships with neighbours and local businesses. The home should help the child access the community in a way that is safe and appropriate, while also recognising that over-restriction can leave a child cut off from ordinary life.

6. Celebrating progress and achievement

Regulation 9 requires the home to support children to progress towards their goals and to celebrate their achievements. The DfE Guide says the home should recognise and celebrate progress, whether in education, activities, personal development, or relationships. Celebration is not about certificates and ceremonies. It is about whether the child feels that what they have done matters and is noticed.

For some children, progress is small and hard-won. A child who has struggled to attend school attending for three days in a row is an achievement. A child who has been afraid to join a group activity taking part for ten minutes is an achievement. The home should notice these things, name them, and help the child see them as progress. This builds the child's sense of themselves as someone who can overcome difficulties and succeed.

7. Access to activities and overcoming barriers

Some children face barriers to taking part in activities. These can include: cost, transport, anxiety, lack of confidence, disability, or a history of being excluded from activities. The DfE Guide says the home should help children overcome these barriers and access activities that are appropriate for them.

Overcoming barriers often requires active planning. If transport is a barrier, the home needs to work out how the child will get there. If cost is a barrier, the home needs to know what funding is available, including the Pupil Premium for looked-after children. If anxiety is a barrier, the home needs to support the child to build confidence, perhaps by starting with a shorter session or by going with a trusted staff member. The standard requires the home to address barriers, not just to note them.

8. Risk and activity planning

Supporting children to take part in activities involves managing risk. The DfE Guide says the home should support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development. This means not wrapping children in cotton wool, but also not exposing them to unnecessary danger. The home should assess risks and plan activities in a way that balances safety with the child's right to ordinary experiences.

Risk assessment for activities should be proportionate. A trip to the cinema does not need the same level of planning as a climbing session. Over-planning simple activities can make them feel institutional rather than ordinary. Under-planning risky activities can put children in danger. The home should use professional judgement, supported by its policies and procedures, to get the balance right.

9. Children who struggle to participate

Some children find it hard to take part in activities. They may be anxious, withdrawn, or have had experiences that make group activities difficult. The DfE Guide says the home should support these children to participate at a level that is appropriate for them. This may mean starting with individual activities, building confidence, and gradually extending the child's range.

A child who struggles to participate should not be left out. The home should find ways to help the child engage, even if this looks different from what other children are doing. A child who cannot manage a group activity might manage a one-to-one session with a staff member. A child who cannot leave the home might be helped to find interests they can pursue at home. The standard requires the home to adapt to the child, not to wait for the child to adapt to the home.

10. Cultural, creative and physical activities

The DfE Guide says children should have access to a range of activities, including recreational, sporting, and cultural activities. This means the home should not limit activities to one type. A child should have the chance to try sport, art, music, drama, outdoor activities, and cultural experiences. Different children will be drawn to different things, and the home should support that range.

Cultural activities can include visits to museums, theatres, concerts, or cultural events. They can also include activities that reflect the child's own cultural background. The home should be aware of the child's cultural identity and should support them to explore and express it. This connects to the broader requirement under Regulation 6 to provide care that respects each child's individuality.

11. What Ofsted may explore

The SCCIF evaluates the overall experiences and progress of children. Inspectors may explore Regulation 9 through conversations with children about what they enjoy, observation of activities and how children engage, and reading of records that show how the home supports each child's interests and progress. They may look at whether children are accessing a range of activities, developing interests, and making progress.

Evidence may include: children's own accounts of what they enjoy and what they do; the range of activities available; how the home supports children who struggle to participate; how achievements are recognised and celebrated; and whether children are making progress towards their goals. Inspectors may also consider whether children have friendships and community connections.

12. Questions for the Registered Manager and Deputy

Related resources