Registering children’s homeshomes: inprioritising an emergency: priority applications

Introduction

WeOfsted willreviews prioritise applications tofor register children’s homes that aremeet neededour urgentlycriteria becausefor localpriority authoritiesfirst. require:This page explains how and why we do this. It is for:

• anindividuals emergencyand placementorganisations forintending ato namedapply childto orregister children,a or

  children’s home

• localthose provisionwho tohave meetalready submitted an identifiedapplication urgentto sufficiencyregister need

  a children’s home and that application does not meet the criteria for priority

WeYou willcan continuealso toread considerour allregistration applications,policy butfor provisionmore thatinformation meetson the priorityregistration categoriesprocess.

Our willcriteria befor considered sooner.

priority

We mayare likely to prioritise applications from local authorities or private providers whose application meets one of the following criteria:

• the provisionhome applied for has received capital funding from the Department for Education to develop new children’s homes

• the provisionhome is being opened exclusively as part of the response to accommodate unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who are being transferred under the national transfer scheme

• a child who is subject to a deprivation of liberty order from a court is being accommodated in a children’s home that is currently unregistered  

  unregistered 

• the provisionhome is needed in exceptional circumstances in response to an emergency situation – in this case the Ofsted Senior His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) in the region will determine whether we can prioritise the application

Exceptional circumstances 

circumstances

ExceptionalWhen a home is needed in exceptional circumstances in response to an emergency situation, these circumstances may include: include:

• applications for children’s homes in areas where there is extremely high demand and insufficient placement options; this will be determined using information such as sufficiency data, which may include our Children’s social care in England 2025 data 

  data

• provisiona home that will offer highly specialist care for children with complex support needs and/or disabled children, for example those leaving secure children’s homes or long stays in hospitals 

  hospitals

• provisiona home that was historically registered incorrectly and has been instructed to register with an alternative regulator 

  regulator

Our approach to prioritising applications

The safety and well-beingwellbeing of children remainare always paramount to our decision-making. Prioritising does not mean that we will reduce our examination of your suitability to operate. We will not register any premises, providers or individuals that we do not consider to be suitable. We cannot relax or disapply any element of the Care Standards Act or associated regulations when considering a priority application.

Children’s home providers must not operate a provision without Ofsted registration. This includes applicants who are awaiting a registration decision. Operating an unregistered children’s home is unlawful and poses significant risks to the safety and safeguarding of children. We will take further action if we find an unregistered children’s home.

If you already have registered provision with Ofsted, we will use the information you have previously supplied. We will also consider the quality of any existing registered provision in our decision-making.

Timeframe Timeframe

If your application meets our criteria for priority, and you give us the right information at the right time and show that you are fully prepared and ready to open, we will make a determinationdecision about your priority application as soon as possible. In general, this will usuallybe takewithin a6 minimummonths.

If ofyour 2application todoes 6not months. 

meet the criteria for priority, including existing and newly submitted applications, it will remain on our waiting list. We will process these applications when we have capacity, but we cannot give a timeframe on that. We will keep processingthis allapproach otherunder applicationsreview asso quicklywe ascan possible.process all applications when possible.

We havemanage an exceptionally high volume of new registration applicationsapplications. toWe process.must Thisfocus meansour itresources ison likelysafeguarding tochildren takethrough aregulatory minimuminspection ofactivity 6and toprocessing 18applications monthsthat tomeet reachthe acriteria decisionfor on new applications. priority.

Contacting your Ofsted region

YouIf you want to submit a new application, you must contact your local Ofsted region and speak to a Senior HMI or Regulatory Inspection Manager (RIM)). To do this, you can contact enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk and ask to be put in touch with them. Then, you can explain your intention to register.register and show them how your application meets the criteria for priority.

If you are a private or voluntary provider, you must also ask theyour commissioninghost local authority to email confirmationOfsted, to Ofstedconfirm:

• that your application has been discussed with the local authority
• that it fulfils a clear local need
• the applicationlocal relatesauthority’s toview on setting up a specificnew childchildren’s orhome children.in the area

The Senior HMI/RIM willcannot notguarantee that the application will be ablesuccessful.

If toyou givehave anyalready guaranteesubmitted thatan application and are currently on the waiting list, you should review your application willagainst bethe successful.criteria for priority. If you think your application meets the criteria, let us know and send us supporting information from the host local authority, as explained above.

If you are a local authority wantingintending to apply to register, you should email the Senior HMI/RIM to letoutline themyour know what you intend to do.proposal.

If you are applying because you are providing care and accommodation for a child who is subject to a deprivation of liberty order from a court, you should email the Senior HMI/RIM, including a copy of the local authority commissioning form.form or court order. It is also helpful to ask the child’s local authority to email Ofsted to alert us that your application is being submitted.

IncludePlease include in your email:

• the name of the local authority/provider making the application

• the name of the person within the local authority/provider organisation who is responsible for the application

• the name of the proposed manager

• the name of the proposed responsible individual

• any detail about timescale

• a number that the Senior HMI/RIM can contact you on to discuss your intention to apply

If you decide to pursue the application, the Senior HMI/RIM will email you a self-declaration form for you to confirm that your application is urgent.

We canwill consider accepting the application without a named proposed manager if both the following apply:

•  wewe have received confirmation that the High Court has used its powers of inherent jurisdiction to authorise the Deprivation of the Liberty of a child (DoL) or that local authorities are seeking to accommodate unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who are being transferred under the national transfer scheme

• the child is placed in an unregistered children’s home

This means that we will consider accepting an application without a manager’s SC2 form. However, we cannot accept an application without a completed SC1 form.

We expect to receive the manager’s SC2 application within 12 weeks. If we do not, we will consider closing the whole application through our ‘unable to determine’ process. Any fee you have paid will not be refunded.

Important process for submitting documents

Before you fill out your online application, you must complete the statement of self-declaration form. form.

We can accept priority applications without all of the policies and documents we usually require with the SC1. 

When you are completing your online application, you will be asked the following question: ‘Do you have these policy documents to upload for your new children’s home?’

Priority applicants must tick ‘yes, I have these documents’, even if you do not have all of them ready yet.

It will ask you to upload the following documents:

• statement of purpose

• equalities policy

• copy of certificate of insurance

• children’s guide

• missing child policy

• safeguarding policy

• behaviour management policy

• prevention of bullying policy

• complaints procedure

• location assessment of the local area

Each time, you must either upload the document that has been requested or a copy of your completed self-declaration form and a copy of the local authority’s confirmation that a named child requires urgent accommodation.

You must upload the self-declaration form at least once, and the local authority confirmation at least once, instead of the required policy document. If you have prepared all the requested documents, please choose 2 of these to submit to us later and upload the forms in their place.

This is so that we can receive your self-declaration form and the local authority confirmation with your application and avoid any potential delays to your registration.

Applications from providers accommodating a child, who is subject to a deprivation of liberty order, in an unregistered children’s home

If you are a provider accommodating a child who is subject to a DoL order you must:

• complete the online SC1 form

• submit a signed and dated cover statement with the SC1, to provide a brief explanation of the reasons why it is urgent and meets the priority criteria

Read our guidance on placing children who are subject to a DoL order for more information.

Applications from those that already have registered provision (local authorities or private/voluntary providers)

If the information relating to people connected with your previous application has not changed, we do not need that information again. If you put forward people who are currently known to or registered with us, this will speed up the application.

You must complete the online SC1 and any SC2s together with all other information required as detailed in the Registration guide for children’s social care services, together with a dated cover statement, to provide a brief explanation of the reasons why the application is urgent and meets the priority criteria.

The application process

If you have given us all the necessary information in your application, and the Senior HMI has confirmed the application meets the priority criteria, we will notify you that the application can be progressed.  progressed. 

If information is missing and we cannot progress the application, we will contact you quickly to see how we can resolve this.

Once you have paid the application fee, we will begin all necessary checks. We will chase responses from referees and will ask you to do so too.

The allocated inspector will then contact you and help you to ensure that all other required documentation, staffing details and information will be available at the registration visit and interviews.

Refusing applications

We are legally unable to grant your application to register if it has not demonstrated that your proposed arrangements will comply with the relevant regulatory requirements.

Review Review

We will review this policy regularly. The firstnext review will be in AprilJuly 2026. 2027.