Contact, Communication, Family & Friends in Children's Homes: Regulation 22, Family Contact, Private Calls, Phones, Social Media, Restrictions, Advocacy & Ofsted Expectations

Regulation 22 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 starts from contact, not restriction. A child living in a children's home has not entered a closed environment. They still have family, friends, relationships, social workers, advocates, solicitors, independent visitors, and a life outside the home. This guide explains what Regulation 22 requires, why contact matters, private calls and communication access, social media, professional contact, when and how contact may be restricted, emergency restrictions, court requirements, recording and review, and what Ofsted looks for.

Child-centred question

Are we restricting this relationship because it presents a genuine safeguarding risk, or because managing the relationship is difficult?

1. Quick answer and current position

Contact is not just about parents. Regulation 22 is wider. It includes parents, friends, relatives, and specified professionals. The statutory Guide also expects appropriate forms of contact to be promoted and facilitated, including visits, letters, emails, texts, social media and other internet-based communication where appropriate. For many children, the person who matters most may not be a parent. It might be a sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, former foster carer, family friend, school friend, mentor, or another significant adult.

The starting position is support communication. Not control it. Regulation 22 allows restrictions, but only where necessary to safeguard or promote the welfare of the child, and only with the right consents. The power to restrict is not a general power to manage behaviour by removing relationships.

2. Why contact and communication matter

Children do not arrive at a home as a new blank file. Their relationships help them maintain identity, history, belonging, culture, family connection, community, continuity, and emotional security. The April 2026 SCCIF expects children to have appropriate, carefully assessed and supported contact with family, friends and other important people, including previous carers, and specifically says there should be no unnecessary restrictions.

Relationships are part of identity

A child's relationships are part of who they are. Removing or restricting those relationships without good reason is not just a practical matter. It affects the child's sense of self, their history, and their belonging. Good residential care holds two things at once: relationships matter, and some relationships can be dangerous. The task is to support safe relationships and manage dangerous ones, not to treat all contact as a risk.

Contact can also create risk

The opposite is equally important. A relationship may expose a child to exploitation, abuse, coercion, drugs, criminality, gang activity, domestic abuse, trafficking, emotional harm, unsafe family dynamics, or pressure to go missing. Good residential care must therefore identify and manage these risks. But the response should be targeted at the actual risk, not at the child's entire social world.

Do not confuse safeguarding with isolation

A child experiences exploitation. The response is: no phone, no friends, no social media, no unsupervised contact, no going out. That may feel safer administratively. But ask: have we protected the child, or just removed their entire social world? Current Ofsted expectations focus on careful assessment, individual safeguarding, and avoiding unnecessary restrictions. Isolation is not safeguarding.

3. What Regulation 22 requires

Regulation 22 sets out several specific duties. Understanding each one is essential to providing the right facilities and support.

Suitable facilities for private meetings

Regulation 22(1) requires the registered person to ensure suitable facilities are provided within the home for any child to meet privately at any reasonable time with their parents, friends, relatives, and specified professionals. The specified professionals include a solicitor or other adviser or advocate acting for the child, a CAFCASS officer, a social worker assigned to the child, a person authorised by HMCI, a person authorised by the local authority, an independent visitor, a person authorised by the Secretary of State to conduct an inspection, a person appointed under the Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure Regulations, and an independent person visiting under Regulation 44.

Private telephone calls

Regulation 22(3) requires the registered person to ensure children are provided at all reasonable times with access to a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private, and facilities to send and receive post and, if the necessary facilities are provided for the use of children, electronic mail, in private. Children should be able to use these facilities without reference to persons working in the home, subject to any restrictions imposed under Regulation 22(5).

Communication aids for disabled children

Regulation 22(4) requires the registered person to ensure a disabled child is provided with access to such aids and equipment as the child may require as a result of their disability to facilitate communication with other persons. This may include communication devices, hearing equipment, software, or other assistive technology. The duty is specific to the child's needs and should be reflected in the care plan.

Facilities at a different address

Regulation 22(2) allows the facilities for private meetings to be at a different address if a certificate under section 51 of the Children Act 1989 is in force in relation to the home. This is a specific provision that applies in particular circumstances. Most homes will provide facilities within the home itself.

4. Family, friends and important relationships

Contact is about more than parents. The statutory Guide expects appropriate forms of contact to be promoted and facilitated, including visits, letters, emails, texts, social media and other internet-based communication where appropriate. For many children, the most important person may not be a parent.

Siblings

Sibling contact is often particularly important to children in care. Siblings may be placed in different homes, and maintaining their relationship may require active support, transport, and planning. The care plan should address sibling contact, and the home should support it unless there is a specific reason not to. Sibling contact should not be treated as optional or less important than parent contact.

Previous carers

The SCCIF specifically expects contact with previous carers to be supported. A child who has lived with a foster carer or in another home may have a significant relationship with those carers. Maintaining that connection can support continuity, identity, and emotional security. The home should support contact with previous carers where it is in the child's interests.

Friends

Friendships matter to children. A child in a children's home should be able to maintain friendships from school, their community, or previous placements. Friends may visit, subject to the usual safeguarding considerations. The home should not treat friendships as inherently risky or require them to be justified in the way that family contact might be. Friendships are part of ordinary childhood.

Other significant adults

A child may have significant relationships with adults who are not family: a teacher, a mentor, a coach, a youth worker, or a family friend. These relationships can be important to the child's wellbeing and identity. The home should support them unless there is a specific reason not to.

5. Private calls, phones, post and email

Regulation 22(3) requires access to private telephone calls, private post, and, where facilities are provided, private email. These are not optional extras. They are statutory entitlements, subject to properly imposed restrictions.

Private telephone access

The home must provide access to a telephone on which children can make and receive calls in private. This may be the home's landline, a mobile provided by the home, or the child's own mobile. The key is that the child can use it privately, without staff listening, at reasonable times. If the child has their own mobile, that may satisfy the requirement, but the home should still ensure access for children who do not have one or whose phone is restricted.

Post and parcels

Children should be able to send and receive post in private. This means not opening a child's post as a matter of routine. There may be safeguarding reasons to screen post in specific cases, such as where there is a risk of harmful items being sent, but this should be specific and justified, not a blanket practice. Parcels may need to be checked for safety reasons, but this should be done transparently and with the child's knowledge.

Email where facilities are provided

Regulation 22(3)(b) refers to email where the necessary facilities are provided for the use of children. If the home provides email facilities or internet access, children should be able to use them for private communication. If the home does not provide email facilities, the requirement does not arise, but a child's own device may provide email access.

Mobile phones

A child's personal mobile phone is a communication device protected by Regulation 22. Removing or restricting a child's phone is a restriction on access to communications under Regulation 22(5)(b) and requires the same safeguards as any other restriction: it must be necessary for safeguarding, the placing authority must consent (unless an emergency), and the child must be informed. A blanket phone ban is not compliant with Regulation 22.

6. Social media and digital communication

Social media and digital communication are part of ordinary life for most children. The home's approach should balance the benefits of connection with the risks of online harm.

Social media as communication

Social media is a way children communicate with friends, family, and peers. It can support relationships, identity, and belonging. The statutory Guide expects appropriate forms of contact to be promoted and facilitated, including social media and other internet-based communication where appropriate. A blanket ban on social media is a restriction on communication that requires the same safeguards as any other restriction.

Online exploitation and risk

Social media can also expose children to online exploitation, grooming, bullying, and harmful content. The home should assess the specific risks for each child and provide support, education, and safeguards. The response should be targeted at the actual risk: restricting the dangerous contact or platform, not the whole internet. Removing all online access because of a specific risk is a broad restriction that may not be proportionate.

Digital safeguarding education

Children need help to understand online safety. This includes education about privacy settings, what to share, who to trust, what to do if something goes wrong, and how to report concerns. Digital safeguarding education is part of preparing a child for adulthood, not just a risk management exercise. The home should provide it as part of its wider care.

Restricting the dangerous contact, not the whole internet

If a child is being exploited online, the response should focus on the specific risk: who is contacting the child, what platform is being used, and what can be done to block or manage that contact. A blanket internet ban may remove the child's entire social world and may not address the specific risk. The least restrictive option that manages the actual danger should be chosen.

7. Advocates, social workers and professional contact

Regulation 22(1) specifically lists professionals with whom children must be able to meet privately. This includes solicitors, advocates, CAFCASS officers, social workers, independent visitors, and others. These contacts have particular importance.

Solicitors and advocates

A child has the right to meet privately with a solicitor or other adviser or advocate acting for them. This is a legal right that the home must support. The home should not monitor, restrict, or interfere with a child's communication with their solicitor or advocate. Doing so would undermine the child's legal rights and could breach Regulation 22.

Social workers

A child's social worker is a key professional contact. The home should support regular contact between the child and their social worker, provide private space for meetings, and not interfere with the relationship. The social worker is the placing authority's representative and has statutory responsibilities for the child.

Independent visitors

An independent visitor is a volunteer who befriends and supports a child in care. The home should support the child's relationship with their independent visitor, provide space for visits, and not interfere with the relationship. Independent visitors can be an important source of consistent adult support for children who may have disrupted family relationships.

Regulation 44 independent visitors

Regulation 22(1)(i) specifically includes an independent person visiting the home under Regulation 44. Children should be able to speak privately with the Regulation 44 visitor. The home should support this, not hinder it. The Regulation 44 visitor is a safeguarding check on the home, and children should be able to raise concerns with them privately.

8. When contact or communication may be restricted

Regulation 22(5) allows the registered person to impose conditions, prohibitions or restrictions on contact or communication access where necessary to safeguard or promote the welfare of the child. This is a real power, but it is not unlimited and it is not a behaviour management tool.

The safeguarding test

The restriction must be necessary for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the welfare of the child. This is a safeguarding test. It is not a behaviour management test. A child who has broken a rule, behaved badly, or upset staff cannot have their contact restricted as a consequence. That is not what Regulation 22(5) is for. The restriction must address a genuine safeguarding concern.

Placing authority consent

Regulation 22(6) says no measure may be imposed unless the placing authority consents, or the measure is imposed in an emergency and full details are given to the placing authority within 24 hours. This means the home cannot unilaterally restrict contact. It must involve the placing authority. The consent should be specific to the restriction being imposed, not a general consent to the home's policies.

Precise and targeted restrictions

A restriction should be as precise and targeted as possible. If one person poses a risk, restrict contact with that person, not with everyone. If a specific time or context is risky, restrict that, not all contact. The least restrictive option that manages the risk should be chosen. Blanket restrictions are harder to justify and more likely to be unnecessary.

Conditions rather than prohibitions

Regulation 22(5) allows conditions, prohibitions, and restrictions. A condition (such as supervised contact) may be less restrictive than a prohibition (no contact). The home should consider whether a condition would manage the risk before imposing a prohibition. The least restrictive option should be chosen.

9. Emergency restrictions and court requirements

Regulation 22 makes specific provision for emergency restrictions and court requirements. These are distinct situations with their own rules.

Emergency restrictions

Regulation 22(6)(b) allows a measure to be imposed in an emergency without prior placing authority consent, but full details must be given to the placing authority within 24 hours. An emergency means a situation where the child's safety requires immediate action and there is no time to obtain consent. The home should contact the placing authority as soon as possible, explain the situation, and seek consent for the restriction to continue. The emergency provision is not a way to avoid seeking consent. It is a way to act quickly when waiting would put the child at risk.

Court orders

Regulation 22(7) says the regulation is subject to any requirements imposed by a court in relation to contact between a child and any other person. A court order takes precedence over the home's decisions. If a court has ordered, prohibited, or conditioned contact, the home must follow the court order. The home should understand what any court order says, keep a copy, and ensure staff are aware of it. If a court order is unclear, the home should seek clarification through the placing authority or its own legal advice.

Recording emergency restrictions

An emergency restriction should be recorded immediately, with the reason, the time, the action taken, and the time the placing authority was informed. The record should show why it was an emergency, what was done, and what consent was sought. The restriction should be reviewed as soon as the emergency has passed, and the placing authority should be asked to consent to any continuing restriction.

10. Recording, review and management oversight

Contact and communication arrangements should be recorded, reviewed, and overseen. The placement plan is the primary record, and management should check that arrangements are current and appropriate.

The placement plan

The statutory Guide says both contact arrangements and contact details should be included within the placement plan agreed between the home and the placing authority and kept updated. That makes contact planning a care planning matter, not a house-rule decision. The home should read the placement plan on admission, understand the contact arrangements, and update them when circumstances change.

Contact records

Contact should be recorded in a way that is factual and non-judgemental. Records should note who had contact, when, how, and any significant events. They should not record staff opinions about the value of the contact or the people involved. Judgemental recording can undermine relationships and does not help the child. Records should be shared with the child and the placing authority as appropriate.

Review of restrictions

Any restriction on contact or communication should be reviewed regularly. The review should ask: is the restriction still necessary? Is it still proportionate? Has the situation changed? Can it be reduced or removed? The review should be recorded, and the outcome should be communicated to the child and the placing authority. Restrictions should not drift on indefinitely without review.

Management oversight

The Registered Manager and Responsible Individual should maintain oversight of contact and communication arrangements. This means checking: are placement plans current? Are restrictions justified and reviewed? Are children able to communicate privately? Are staff following the Regulation 22 framework? Are there patterns of unnecessary restriction? Management oversight is the check that the home supports relationships, not just manages them.

11. Children's views and relationship-based practice

Contact and communication are ultimately about relationships. The child's views, wishes, and feelings should be central to how the home supports and manages them.

Ask the child

The home should ask the child who is important to them, what contact they want, and how they feel about the arrangements. The child may want more contact, less contact, different contact, or no contact. Their views should be heard and recorded, even where the home or the placing authority decides that a restriction is necessary. The child's views are not the only factor, but they are an important one.

Wanting contact versus safe contact

A child may want contact with someone who poses a risk. The home should not simply allow it because the child wants it, nor simply refuse it because it is risky. The task is to understand why the child wants the contact, what the risk is, and whether the contact can be made safe through conditions, supervision, or support. The child's wishes and the safeguarding risk both need to be held.

Not wanting contact

A child may not want contact with someone. The home should not force contact that the child does not want, unless there is a specific reason (such as a court order). The child's right to refuse contact should be respected, and the home should support the child in communicating their wishes to the placing authority and others.

Explaining restrictions

Where a restriction is imposed, the child should be told why, in a way they can understand. The explanation should be honest, age-appropriate, and non-blaming. The child should not be told that the restriction is their fault. The restriction is a safeguarding measure, not a punishment. The child should know who made the decision, why, when it will be reviewed, and what they can do if they disagree.

Preparation and post-contact support

Contact can be emotionally difficult. The home should prepare children before contact, support them during contact where needed, and provide support after contact. This may include talking through what to expect, being available afterwards, helping the child process their feelings, and recognising that contact can stir up difficult emotions. Post-contact support is not interrogation. The child should not be quizzed about what was said or pressured to report on the contact.

Child-centred question

Does the child understand why a restriction exists?

Child-centred question

Are we helping the child maintain relationships that matter to them?

12. Tools and audit

These tools are for Registered Managers and Responsible Individuals to check and improve their contact and communication practice. They do not replace the placement plan or legal advice.