Guidance

Register a residential family centre: guidance for applicants

How to register with Ofsted and apply to open, manage, or be associated with a residential family centre.

• From: Ofsted
• Published: 12 April 2012
• Last updated: 28 November 2025
  Show all updates

  1. 28 November 2025

     Residential family centres guidance updated. The guidance is now organised into 4 clear sections: - Residential family centre registration policy - Apply to register a residential family centre - Apply to be associated with a residential family centre - Responsibilities of providers and managers in Ofsted-registered residential family centres

  2. 24 May 2024

     Removed the need for a financial reference, following a change in legislation.

  3. 22 February 2021

     Revised throughout for clarity.

  4. 21 June 2016

     Updated to reflect the June 2016 amendments to the inspection framework.

  5. 10 June 2015

     Updated to reflect the current inspection framework.

  6. 12 April 2012

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Residential family centre registration policy

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Apply to register a residential family centre

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Apply to be associated with a residential family centre

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Responsibilities of providers and managers in Ofsted-registered residential family centres

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Details

This guidance explains the policies and registration requirements Ofsted uses to assess your application to run a residential family centre. It also outlines what to expect after your residential family centre is registered.