Guidance

Responsibilities of providers and managers in Ofsted-registered voluntary adoption agencies

Updated 28 November 2025

Applies to England

Registered providers of voluntary adoption agencies must continue to meet the conditions of registration placed on the children’s home by the Care Standards Act 2000 and associated regulations. This includes telling Ofsted in writing about certain events and changes, or applying to make changes where necessary.  

Providers must continue to demonstrate their suitability to be a social care provider throughout their registration and pay an annual fee.  

The provider must display their registration certificate in a visible place.

We monitor the provider’s continued compliance through:

• inspection under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF)
• other visits, for example to follow up any concerns we receive about the voluntary adoption agency
• repeating or doing additional checks, such as Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, if we receive information that brings the provider’s fitness into question
• evaluating the information that the provider gives us

Due to the exceptionally high number of applications, it is taking us longer than usual to process new submissions. If you are applying to register, it is likely to be several months before you receive a decision.

To help avoid further delays, please ensure that you provide all required information both at the time of application and throughout the process.

Information we ask providers to share with Ofsted

Providers must share certain information with Ofsted as part of our regulatory oversight.

Reports under national minimum standard 25  

National minimum standard 25.6 states that the voluntary adoption agency trustees, board members or management committee members should:

• receive written reports on the management, outcomes and finances of the agency every 6 months
• monitor how the service is managed to ensure that it is effective and delivering good outcomes
• satisfy themselves that the agency is complying with the conditions of registration

We ask for these reports to be submitted to Ofsted once a year based on data for the year 1 April to 31 March.    

Agencies can submit reports by email to enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. They must include Ofsted’s unique reference number (URN) and the date on which the monitoring visit occurred.

What registered providers must tell Ofsted

Providers must tell Ofsted about certain information, to meet regulatory requirements and as part of our regulatory oversight. Some changes need our approval before they can be made.  

Reporting serious incidents

Providers must notify us of serious incidents, as set out in the Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005.

See our guidance on reporting serious incidents in a voluntary adoption agency.

People leaving or joining the provider 

Providers must use the Report changes to your social care service (SC3) form to tell us about a change of:

• responsible individual
• director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the organisation
• partners in a partnership
• an individual provider, if there is more than one individual

We can only accept the SC3 form from people who are registered with us and are associated with the voluntary adoption agency. 

Partners and individual providers joining a voluntary adoption agency will need to complete an Apply to be associated with a children’s social care service (SC2) form as soon as it is practicable to do so.

Responsible individuals             

Providers must use the SC3 form to tell us that a responsible individual is leaving and to inform us about the new responsible individual.

We will:

• send a new registration certificate with the responsible individual’s name removed
• ask the provider how they assessed the capacity and suitability of the new responsible individual
• ask for details of checks they carried out in relation to that person’s suitability

The responsible individual does not need to complete an SC2 form.

If the responsible individual is new to Ofsted, we will interview them. If the responsible individual is known to us, and they are changing or expanding the agencies that they oversee, as a minimum we will telephone them to discuss their new responsibilities.

Once we are satisfied that the new responsible individual meets the requirements of the role and is suitable, we will issue a registration certificate that includes the new responsible individual’s name.

Partners 

If a partner is leaving or joining, they must tell us so using the SC3 form.

A new partner must also complete an SC2 form. Once we receive the SC2 form, we will carry out checks and interviews. If the new partner is suitable, we will register them. 

Individual providers 

If the provider is a group of individuals and one of those individuals leaves or joins, they must let Ofsted know through the SC3 form. 

If the individual leaving is a sole individual provider, they must apply to voluntarily cancel their registration by completing a Social care: apply to cancel registration as a provider or manager form. If they are leaving and selling the voluntary adoption agency, or another company is taking it over, they will still need to apply to cancel their registration.

Failure to do so may result in enforcement action. We will consider cancelling the sole individual provider if they do not apply to voluntarily cancel their registration. 

Officers of the organisation

Providers must use the SC3 form to tell us about changes to any officer of the organisation. This includes a director, company secretary, clerk, trustee, treasurer or a similar officer.   

Managers 

Providers must use the SC3 form to tell us when their manager or branch manager leaves permanently or a new manager joins.

 Temporary absence of managers

The provider must use the SC3 form to tell us if their manager or branch manager will be away for 28 days or more. 

They must give us at least 28 days’ notice of this absence. If the absence is due to an emergency, providers must notify us within one week of the absence starting. 

The SC3 form asks how this absence will be covered and the details of the temporary manager. The temporary manager will be called the ‘interim manager’.

Changes to the criminal status of any person associated to the registration 

Changes to the criminal status of any person associated with the registration must be reported by that person without delay. They must include the following:

• the date and place of the conviction
• the offence
• the penalty imposed for the offence

New branches and changes to branch or principal office size

Providers must use the notification of a new branch (SC4) form to tell us about any new branches or when their principal office or any existing branches are changing in size. The responsible individual or another senior officer must submit the SC4 form to us at least 28 days before the change. 

Changes to the provider’s financial situation 

The registered provider must email Ofsted at sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk as soon as possible if: 

• a liquidator or a provisional liquidator, a manager or a receiver is appointed
• a trustee in bankruptcy is appointed
• a composition or arrangement with any creditors is made

Changes to the statement of purpose and children’s guide

A voluntary adoption agency must keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose and children’s guide.

It is a breach of the regulations to operate the agency in a way that is not consistent with the statement of purpose.

If the statement of purpose changes, providers must let us know and send us a copy of the revised statement to sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk. They must do this within 28 days of making the change. 

If the children’s guide is revised, the agency must supply a copy to each adopter and each child placed by them (subject to the child’s age and understanding).

Administrative changes

The provider should email sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk if:

• anyone associated with the registration changes their legal name
• an organisation changes its name, but the details at Companies House stay the same
• the provider’s address or principal office address changes
• the contact details of the responsible individual or named contact change

If there are no substantial changes to how the agency operates, providers do not need to submit a variation or new application.

Changes that require Ofsted approval

Certain changes require providers to apply to Ofsted for approval before they can be made. Providers must apply to Ofsted to:

• remove or change conditions of their registration
• close their registration

Conditions of registration

Following registration, the provider must monitor whether the conditions in place continue to adequately reflect the statement of purpose. At inspection, inspectors will take this into account. Their findings will form part of their judgement about the agency’s leadership and management.

To apply to remove or change a condition of registration, a provider must email sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk with a brief summary of the change they wish to make. We will send the provider a variation request form with details of the relevant Children’s social care providers variation fee.

The responsible individual, or someone who makes up the registered provider, must sign the variation request form.

An inspector may contact the provider to discuss the variation once we have received the form and the fee. We may discuss whether they have considered the impact of the proposed changes such as:

• the need to increase staffing
• how the registered charity can continue to operate in line with its charitable objects

Refusing a variation 

An inspector will decide whether to grant or refuse the variation application based on any evidence that they have gathered about the application. They will write to the provider with their decision.

If we refuse the variation application, the provider has the right to make written representations and appeal against our decision. See the relevant sections in the social care enforcement policy for further information.

Closing a voluntary adoption agency     

Providers must apply to voluntarily cancel their registration with Ofsted if they no longer wish to carry on a voluntary adoption agency. Providers must complete a Social care: apply to cancel registration as a provider or manager form at least 3 months before the date on which the cancellation needs to take effect.

Providers must include the following information in their application:

• their reasons for applying to cancel the registration
• the proposed date on which the voluntary adoption agency is to be cancelled
• if the proposed date is in less than 3 months from the date of the application, the reasons for this
• a report about whether the agency has ceased to be financially viable
  (or is likely to cease to be financially viable within the next 12 months)
• arrangements made to ensure that children and adult service users will continue to be provided with similar services
• information about how they will keep records safe and stored securely after the cancellation date
• circumstances preventing them from giving people notice and information to cancel (if applicable)
• any other information or any documents Ofsted may reasonably require

They must also show they have given notice or information to the following people and organisations:

• the people who use the service
• representatives of people who use the service including placing authorities
• the local authority in the area where the agency operates

Applications to cancel a registered provider must be signed by someone who makes up the registered provider.

We cannot process forms that are not signed by the correct persons. Any application without the appropriate signatures will need to be resubmitted.

When we receive the application, we will call the provider to confirm the information.

We cannot process a provider’s application for cancellation unless we receive all the required information. If they do not provide the required information, this may delay the processing of the application and result in revising the proposed cancellation date.

If a provider has not applied to voluntarily cancel their registration, they cannot:

• sell the registered voluntary adoption agency
• cease operating permanently

In some situations, we may refuse the application to cancel. Find out more in the ‘Cancellation of registration’ section of the social care enforcement policy.

Records    

The voluntary adoption agency must comply with regulation 43(2) of the Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005. This states that before they stop operating, they must apply to us for permission to transfer case records to another named adoption agency or notify us that they are transferring case records to:

• the local authority in which the agency’s principal office is situated
• a new body if the agency has joined with another registered agency to form a new body

Changes of legal entity

A change of legal entity will require a re-registration of the voluntary adoption agency. Providers will need to complete a new Register a children’s social care service (SC1) form for each service they run.  

Examples of a change in legal entity include: 

• an individual provider registers their business as a company with Companies House
• an organisation becomes a partnership
• a company changes its company number

People with a role of responsibility in the adoption support agency will need to complete an SC2 form. A registration fee will be required for each agency. This is because a new legal entity needs a new registration.   

Taking over an existing voluntary adoption agency

Providers buying, acquiring or taking over a voluntary adoption agency will need to register the service and become the new provider. They may not need to register if the provider is taking over a company and running it under its existing name. 

If you are buying a franchise, the new provider must register the voluntary adoption agency, in most cases. This will depend on the specifics of the franchise agreement. 

As the new provider of this voluntary adoption agency: 

• the applicant cannot take on responsibility of the agency before Ofsted confirms registration
• the applicant must provide an action plan on how they will meet uncompleted statutory requirements (if applicable)

The seller must write to Ofsted to voluntarily cancel their registration. Until we have approved this, the seller remains responsible for the adoption support agency.  

If continuity of assessment for families is an issue, the seller cannot voluntarily cancel their registration until the new registration takes effect (according to the date on the certificate). 

We may not need to carry out a full assessment of the premises or the manager. This will depend on the individual circumstances of the situation and the amount of information we hold.

If a provider is selling their voluntary adoption agency, or a new company or owner is taking it over, the provider must apply to voluntarily cancel their registration at the same time as the new owner completes the registration process. 

Taking over multiple voluntary adoption agencies

If a provider is taking over multiple voluntary adoption agencies, they should contact us at sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk to find out what they need to do.  

Acquiring a company and running it under the existing company name 

If a provider is acquiring a company that already runs a registered voluntary adoption agency, they may not need to register the service again. 

If a voluntary adoption agency is run under the original company’s name and company number, then the provider does not need to re-register the company. Instead, they just need to tell us about any changes to the staff in that agency so we can complete our suitability checks as necessary.