Guidance

Introduction to residential holiday schemes for disabled children

Updated 22 February 2021

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-to-residential-holiday-schemes-for-disabled-children/introduction-to-residential-holiday-schemes-for-disabled-children

This guide defines what a residential holiday scheme for disabled children is and what you must do if you intend to open one.

This guide is specific to residential holiday schemes for disabled children and provides information that only applies to them. However, you must also read our main guide to registration, which applies to all children’s social care services.

About residential holiday schemes for disabled children

A residential holiday scheme for disabled children provides care and accommodation wholly or mainly for disabled children for a specified period for the purposes of a holiday, or for recreational, sporting, cultural or educational purposes.

You may operate at any time throughout the year. There is no minimum number of days you can operate. However, you cannot operate for more than 56 days in any 12-month period. These 56 days can be broken into as many periods as you need, but you cannot look after any individual child for more than 28 consecutive days in any 12-month period.

About registration

Residential holiday schemes for disabled children must register with us. It is a criminal offence to carry on or manage a residential holiday scheme for disabled children without registration.

You must demonstrate how you meet several legal requirements, including those within the:

  • Care Standards Act 2000
  • The Care Standards Act 2000 (Registration)(England) Regulations 2010
  • The Residential Holiday Schemes for Disabled Children (England) Regulations 2013

You must also take account of the national minimum standards for residential holiday schemes for disabled children.

Schools

Schools are not required to also register as a residential holiday scheme for disabled children if:

  • they are also registered as a children’s home
  • they provide for their own disabled pupils only a care and accommodation service for a specified period for the purposes of a holiday, or for recreational, sporting, cultural or educational purposes

Providing services for both disabled and non-disabled children

It is very likely that you will need to register if you look after more disabled children than non-disabled children. If you are unsure, you should get legal advice about the specific service you intend to provide.

Before you apply

For your residential holiday scheme for disabled children, you will need:

  • to appoint a manager
  • a statement of purpose that sets out the overall aims and objectives for the children’s home

If you are an organisation, such as a company, you will also need to appoint a person known as a ‘responsible individual’ who is not a registered person, who represents the organisation to Ofsted. You do not need to appoint a responsible individual if you are a sole trader or partnership.

What to provide when you apply

You must submit an SC1 application. As part of this, you must include:

  • your details as the provider and, if you are an organisation such as a company, the responsible individual
  • details of the manager(s)
  • your statement of purpose
  • your safeguarding policy
  • your missing child policy
  • your behaviour management policy (including restraint)
  • your prevention of bullying policy
  • your complaints procedure
  • your equalities policy
  • a copy of a certificate of insurance or written confirmation that insurance will be provided (for example, a letter of intention and an insurance quote)
  • a financial reference
  • your business plan
  • your cash-flow forecast
  • if applicable, your last 2 annual reports, including reports for any holding company and any subsidiaries
  • if applicable, your last 2 annual accounts
  • if applicable, your charitable objects
  • if you are applying to register as a partnership, a copy of the agreement or a document that clearly establishes the partnership as a legal entity

Fees

You will need to pay an application fee for each registration.

Registration timescales

Once Ofsted has received everything necessary for your application to register, we usually make a decision within 47 days. We recommend that you allow at least 16 weeks from the start of your application before you intend to open. You cannot operate before you’re registered.

After registration

You will receive a certificate of registration.

You need to pay an annual fee for each residential holiday scheme for disabled children you register. We will contact you when any fees are due.

What you need to tell us

After you are registered, you must tell Ofsted no less than 28 days before you start operating:

  • the addresses your service will run from
  • the dates the service is to operate

You must also tell us as soon as reasonably practicable:

  • if the address your service operates from changes (including details of the new premises or site)
  • if you are not going to provide any scheduled services in the 12-month period

You must use the SC3 form to tell us about any changes to registered managers.

You can find further information about changes to registered children’s social care services.

Conditions of registration

Conditions of registration restrict the services that your residential holiday scheme for disabled children is registered to provide.

After registration, you will receive a certificate that details the conditions of your registration. It is an offence not to follow these. The social care enforcement policy sets out information about actions we may take if you do not follow your conditions.

Once registered, you will need to apply for a variation to your conditions of registration if you intend to provide other services.

We apply the following conditions to all holiday schemes.

The registered person:

  • must notify Ofsted by the 31 March in each year of the address of all premises or sites scheduled to be used for the purposes of a residential holiday scheme for disabled children (‘scheduled provision’) in the 12-month period commencing on the 1 April in that year and ending on the 31 March the following year (‘the 12-month period’)
  • must notify Ofsted of the address of any other additional premises or sites to be used for the purposes of a residential holiday scheme for disabled children in the 12-month period no later than 28 days before that scheme is to provide care and accommodation for children
  • must notify Ofsted as soon as reasonably practicable:
    • where the address of the premises or the site to be used for the purposes of the residential holiday scheme for disabled children, originally notified to Ofsted in accordance with the above, changes (including with that notification details of the new premises or site to be used by the scheme)
    • where any scheduled provision is not to be provided in the 12-month period

If we grant registration with conditions that you have not agreed, you may object by making a ‘written representation’ to us. For information on this, see the social care enforcement policy.

Inspections

Your first inspection will occur during your first period of operation. We will give you up to 5 working days’ notice of the inspection.

After this, we will inspect you at least once a year, as set out in the social care common inspection framework.

Complaints and concerns

We may receive complaints or concerns about a residential holiday scheme for disabled children. We will take these seriously and we may take actions as a result, as set out in our guidance about social care concerns.

There is also guidance on how we respond to concerns in our social care enforcement policy.

Enforcement

Our social care enforcement policy provides more information about what will happen if you do not meet the relevant regulations.

List of regulations

You should also consult:

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