Guidance

Residential family centre registration policy

Updated 28 November 2025

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-a-residential-family-centre/residential-family-centre-registration-policy

This policy sets out the processes Ofsted uses to decide whether a residential family centre provider or individuals seeking to be associated with a registration are suitable to be registered.

This policy is for:

  • anyone wanting to start a residential family centre
  • individuals applying to be a manager of a residential family centre
  • an appointed responsible individual for a residential family centre

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.

Providing residential family centre services in England and Wales 

If you intend to provide residential family centre services in both England and Wales, you may also need to register with the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), regardless of where your office or branches are located. You may need to follow the regulatory framework under both the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 (RISCA) and the Care Standards Act 2000.

Read about how Ofsted works with CIW. 

Residential family centres  

A residential family centre is any building where: 

  • accommodation is provided for children and their parents
  • the parents’ capacity to respond to the children’s needs and to safeguard their welfare is monitored or assessed
  • the parents are given advice, guidance or counselling, as necessary

If it is the provider’s intention to accommodate: 

  • a parent who is under 16, they are a child who will need care and support themselves and should not be accommodated in a residential family centre
  • a parent for a pre-birth assessment, it is likely to mean that the centre is operating outside of regulation before that parent’s child is born

A residential family centre may operate in multiple buildings. Each arrangement for the number and geographical spread of the premises is individual to the provider. More information can be found in Operating a residential family centre from more than one building. 

Starting a residential family centre 

Individuals, partnerships or organisations that want to start a residential family centre must register with Ofsted before doing so.

To register a residential family centre, applicants must complete one Register a children’s social care service (SC1) form for each service you want to run. The SC1 form is about the provider and the service.    

It is an offence under section 11 of the Care Standards Act 2000 to run a residential family centre without the appropriate registration.

Anyone found running or managing a residential family centre without registration will be liable for prosecution.

When applying to register you must take account of the following:

Types of accommodation that do not need to register as a residential family centre with Ofsted

There are some types of accommodation for parents and their children that are not residential family centres and therefore do not have to register with Ofsted: 

  • provision with the primary purpose of offering housing and additional services to adults, even when children are present, but not assessing or monitoring parenting capacity
  • a health service hospital, an independent hospital, an independent clinic or a care home
  • a hostel or a domestic violence refuge

Providers who are already running a registered children’s home 

If you are already running a registered children’s home and a child becomes a parent, or a child and their baby are accommodated in the children’s home, Ofsted will discuss this with you during our inspections. 

Operating a residential family centre from more than one building 

Although legislation allows for a residential family centre to comprise more than one building, it lacks the flexibility to change arrangements once the centre is registered. Adding buildings after registration will require a voluntary cancellation of the existing registration and a new application to register with all the buildings being used.  

Before making an application to register a multi-building residential family centre, contact us at eyregulatoryandsocialcare@ofsted.gov.uk.  

Ofsted will then arrange for you to have a voluntary pre-application conversation with an inspector. This will give you an opportunity to discuss plans and ideas. The inspector will not be able to confirm at this point whether any application will be successful or advise on the suitability of any building, manager or staff. The inspector will be able to explain the process to you and advise whether the proposals fit with this guidance.  

Each application will be judged on its own merit. Once an application is received, we will: 

  • look at the suitability and oversight of leadership to support the size and range of premises
  • review staffing arrangements to support effective assessments or monitoring of parental capacity
  • look at the details of every premises that are part of the residential family centre application

  • follow our published residential family centre interview and registration process, including our expectations that:

    • there will be one full-time equivalent manager (or 2 people who may equate to one full-time equivalent manager)
    • each building will be sufficiently close to enable the registered manager to be in day-to-day charge of the whole centre
    • the assessing social worker will be able to visit any building that makes up the centre when needed
    • the centre will demonstrate the ability to keep children safe throughout their family’s assessment and monitoring arrangements
    • comprehensive risk identification and management processes will be consistent across all premises

Who Ofsted needs to know about  

Ofsted needs to know about everyone in a role of responsibility for what we call ‘managing or carrying on the residential family centre’. This means anyone in a governance or management role of the residential family centre. 

This covers:

  • an individual, partnership or organisation that is registered with Ofsted (the ‘provider’)
  • a manager who is registered with Ofsted (‘the registered manager’ of the residential family centre)
  • a ‘responsible individual’ if the provider is registering as an organisation. This is someone who has the skills necessary to carry on the residential family centre and is the point of contact for the organisation

These individuals will need to submit a Apply to be associated with children’s social care service (SC2) form as part of the application to register.  

Ofsted must be satisfied that those in a role of responsibility meet the requirements under the Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002 and are suitably qualified and experienced to carry out the role they are applying for. If you intend to hold more than one role, we assess your suitability and capacity for each role.

We will interview the person applying to be the registered manager. We may also interview: 

  • an individual provider or partner
  • the responsible individual

How Ofsted uses your data

Ofsted needs to make sure that providers and managers can remain fit to carry on or manage a registered children’s social care service.

We need to keep some data, including personal data, for as long as you are registered to provide these services. This includes information about your suitability to provide children’s social care services.

We may keep this information for longer if any regulatory issues or concerns were raised when you were registered.

Factors that may prevent an individual from being associated with a residential family centre

There are several factors that may prevent individuals from being associated with a residential family centre, including: 

We also take into consideration whether individuals have previously been disqualified from working in a children’s home. You can find a full list of reasons for disqualification in our social care enforcement policy and in the Disqualification from Caring for Children (England) Regulations 2002.

Types of providers

You are the legal entity providing the residential family centre. You are responsible for making sure that the provision meets the Care Standards Act 2000, the regulations made under it, the Residential Family Centres (Amendment) Regulations 2013 and the national minimum standards.

There are 3 different types of residential family centre providers:

  • organisations
  • partnerships
  • individual providers

Organisations 

Organisations include: 

  • companies or limited liability partnerships (LLP) – the details provided must match what is recorded by Companies House
  • statutory bodies
  • charities
  • trusts, for example those appointed by a local authority
  • committees, for example a social care committee of a local community
  • unincorporated associations

Charities must ensure that their organisation is set up correctly and they can demonstrate this to Ofsted.

Read the Charity Commission’s guidance on setting up a charity for more information.

Partnerships 

A partnership is a business where 2 or more people share the profits and liabilities. This is usually under a written partnership agreement. A business registered as an LLP or a company does not count as a partnership. When a partnership applies to register, each person in the partnership must apply and be granted registration. 

We will need to see a copy of the agreement or document that clearly establishes the partnership as a legal entity.

Individual providers 

An individual provider can be one person or more than one person. They can provide a service, without having to set up a partnership, a company or an organisation. We name each person on the registration certificate. Any regulatory action we take may result in action against each person.  

If an individual registers their business as a company, then this is an organisation. 

Roles

Certain roles must be in place to register a residential family centre, depending on the type of provider responsible for the agency.

Responsible individuals 

An organisation must appoint a responsible individual. They will communicate with Ofsted about the residential family centre on behalf of the organisation and have the experience, qualifications and skills necessary to supervise the management of the residential family centre.

Individuals and partnerships do not need to appoint a responsible individual. The individual or partnership must meet the same fitness requirements as responsible individuals. They will also need to nominate a point of contact to communicate with Ofsted.

The responsible individual must be an individual who has the appropriate skills. They will perform the functions of, or functions similar to those of, a director, whatever job title they have, for example:

  • a director of the organisation
  • a manager of the organisation
  • a secretary of the organisation
  • another officer of the organisation

A responsible individual, individual provider or partner must:

  • be of integrity and good character
  • have regard to the size of the residential family centre, its statement of purpose, the number and needs of residents, and the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
  • carry on the residential family centre with sufficient care, competence and skill
  • be mentally and physically fit to carry on the residential family centre
  • be financially fit to carry on or manage the residential family centre
  • ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to Schedule 2 of the Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002

Ofsted does not register the responsible individual, but we must know who the individual is. This responsible individual will need to complete an SC2 form. We will carry out checks and will interview them. As a proposed provider, you should only appoint a responsible individual who you have assessed as suitable to represent the service to Ofsted. We may refuse the application if we do not consider the responsible individual to be suitable. We will contact you to discuss our concerns. 

Suitability of responsible individuals

Responsible individuals must demonstrate in their written application and interview that they are suitable and have the appropriates skills to carry on the residential family centre, on behalf of the organisation. We also consider relevant information about any previous applications they have been or are still associated with.  

You can read more information on what to expect at interview.

Registered managers

You must ensure that each registered residential family centre has a manager. The manager is responsible for carrying out the residential family centre’s regulatory activities. The manager must be registered by Ofsted.

Fitness requirements for managers 

You must not allow a person to manage a residential family centre unless they are fit to do so. A person is not fit to manage a residential family centre unless that person: 

  • is of integrity and good character
  • has regard to the size of the residential family centre, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs of the residents
  • has the qualifications, skills and experience necessary for managing the residential family centre
  • is physically and mentally fit to manage a residential family centre
  • can ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in respect of each of the matters listed in Schedule 2 of the Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002
  • undertakes from time to time such training as is appropriate to ensure that they have the skills necessary for managing the residential family centre

The manager’s registration is personal to them and is for the residential family centre they are applying to manage. It is not transferable to another registered provider or to another centre run by you.

Managers must apply for registration and pay a fee for each application. The manager must demonstrate that they have the skills, knowledge and experience to meet the requirements of the residential family centre.

Find out what to expect at an interview on the Apply to register a residential family centre page.

In a few cases, we receive applications from managers who are wholly unfit for registration because they are unable to meet the requirements in relation to integrity and good character. In rare circumstances, some applicants may, similarly, be wholly unfit for registration due to lack of experience, skills and qualifications. For example, they may have no experience of any kind related to managing residential provision or carrying out or overseeing the assessment and monitoring of parenting capacity. We are likely to refuse these applicants at an early stage of the process. 

Partners and the manager

When a partner and the manager are the same person, we will assess their fitness for each role. 

Individual providers and the manager

If an individual provider and the manager are the same person, we will assess their fitness for each role.  

Organisations 

Organisations must appoint a manager to manage the residential family centre. We will assess the manager’s fitness for the role. In rare circumstances where the responsible individual and manager are the same person, we will assess their fitness for each role. 

Managing multiple residential family centres 

A manager will usually only manage one residential family centre. 

We may consider registering a manager to manage 2 centres run by the same provider, and usually when each centre consists of only one building.

We will only register managers when we are satisfied that they are able to demonstrate that they have the experience, knowledge and skills to be in full-time, day-to-day charge of each centre and support the best outcomes for children.  

In addition, we will consider: 

  • the reason for having one manager to manage both centres
  • your arrangements for oversight and support for the manager
  • the location of the centres and the geographical spread of the manager’s responsibilities
  • your plans for when the manager is absent, or the position becomes vacant

It is for you and the manager to demonstrate to us how the arrangements will be effective. 

The manager must complete an SC2 form for each centre they are applying to manage. Each registration is separate. We will consider each application on its own merits and make separate decisions about the manager’s suitability to manage each centre.

We will consider each application for registration and make our decision about whether to grant registration based on the order in which we receive the applications.

If an existing registered manager is applying to register as the manager for an additional centre, we will only make the registration decision about that application.

Manager’s application

If we decide to refuse the manager’s application for an additional centre, we will issue a notice of proposal. We will explain to the applicant that they can ask to withdraw the second application, and we will accept their written request unless there are safeguarding concerns.

If the applicant does not withdraw their application, we will proceed to a notice of decision and continue to follow the refusal process.

See our social care enforcement policy for more details about what happens if we issue a notice of decision to refuse any application to manage a residential family centre. 

Two managers for one residential family centre 

Two individuals may apply to be registered managers of a residential family centre. This can be through a job share or 2 people working full-time to run the same centre. In either case, each person must complete an SC2 form and pay an application fee.

We will consider how both managers will be held accountable for meeting the requirements of the Care Standards Act 2000 and the national minimum standards, and how these relate to the size and scope of the proposed centre.

The provider must email sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk before the individual managers apply. We will contact the applicants to discuss the arrangements. Proposed applicants should wait for a response from Ofsted before submitting an application.

Conditions of registration 

We may place conditions on the registration that set out our expectations of how the residential family centre will operate. When a residential family centre registers with Ofsted, we always apply the condition that sets out the maximum number of families the centre can accommodate. We determine this number during our registration activities. 

Occasionally, you may not agree with the number of families Ofsted has determined. In this case, we will issue a notice of proposal to you, which you can object to by making a ‘written representation’ to us. For information on how to make a written representation, see the social care enforcement policy. 

The conditions of registration are recorded on your registration certificate.

It is an offence under the Care Standards Act 2000 to operate outside of the conditions set.

The social care enforcement policy sets out information about actions we may take if you do not follow the conditions.  

Registration stages 

The registration process consists of 3 stages:

  • the application
  • information gathering
  • determining suitability

Stage 1: application

The application should include: 

When submitting an SC1 form, you will get a submission reference number. This is 14 characters long and includes numbers, hyphens and upper-case letters, for example ABCD-1234-1234.

Once we confirm that all the information has been provided, we will ask you to pay the required fees.

Once the required fees are paid, we will allocate a unique reference number (URN) for the centre and we will start to process the information. Everyone who submitted an SC2 form as part of this application will be linked to this URN. The URN is a 6-digit number and is used to identify the application from this point in the process.

Having a URN does not mean you can operate. You must wait until Ofsted has granted your registration before you can operate.

Stage 2: information gathering  

After we have accepted the application, we will contact the local authority children’s services department for any local authority areas the individuals have lived in within the previous 5 years to check whether it holds any relevant information about any of the individuals that may affect their suitability to provide care or have regular contact with children.

After we have accepted the application, we will contact the local authority children’s services department for any local authority areas in which the individual has lived within the previous 5 years. We will ask the local authority whether it holds any relevant information about any of the individuals that may affect their suitability to provide care or have regular contact with children. 

This information could include:

  • whether an individual has been connected with a child protection inquiry
  • whether an individual has had a child removed from their care
  • whether an individual is subject to ongoing investigations
  • whether there are any concerns that children may be at risk of harm on childcare premises
  • whether there are any previous childcare professional conduct concerns

Other checks we carry out include:

  • requesting references
  • further health checks if we require medical advice about any individual’s health and well-being

If necessary, we will discuss the information received from suitability checks with the associated individual as part of our decision-making process.

We will contact you to discuss the application and whether any additional information is required. 

We may return your application if there are delays in receiving the necessary information; this is when we are ‘unable to determine your application’.  

Unable to determine an application 

In some situations, we may be unable to progress your application to the next stage or make a decision on it. 

This may be because: 

  • we do not have all the information we need
  • there are delays with your references
  • there are delays caused by planning or property issues
  • other agencies or regulators are carrying out ongoing investigations that involve you
  • individuals linked to the application leave or withdraw and you do not identify anyone to replace them

If we are unable to progress your application, we will begin a formal process known as ‘unable to determine an application’. We will warn you that your application may be closed without a decision being made because we do not have all the information we need. 

We do not start this process if there are delays in receiving information from local authority checks. We will continue to chase the information so that we can make a decision about the application. 

If there is other missing or delayed information, we will write to you to tell you what information we require.

If you do not send us the information within 12 weeks of paying your registration fee, we may write to you to tell you that your application has been closed because we have been unable to process it without the relevant information. The fee you paid will not be refunded. Any people associated with the application will also have their applications closed down, and we will not refund their fees.  

Applicants may re-apply in the future and pay another fee. 

Stage 3: determining suitability

At this stage, the inspector will contact you to arrange interviews and ask you whether you need any reasonable adjustments.

We usually carry out one registration visit for each application and visit all buildings that are included in the application. During the visit, we assess the premises and services you intend to provide and interview all those associated with the application.  

Interviews and visits may take place on different days and we will arrange them with each individual. The interview is your opportunity to show us how you meet the requirements of the regulations and guidance. Inspectors will usually interview both the proposed and the appointed responsible individual, even if we have interviewed the responsible individual before.   

To reassure Ofsted of suitability, the inspector will:  

  • interview all people in certain roles of responsibility
  • read and discuss all necessary documentation provided
  • consider the skills and capacity of the social worker registered with Social Work England who will carry out parenting assessments
  • assess and evaluate all the information we have gathered

You can find more information on what to expect at an interview and what original documents you must provide in our Apply to register a residential family centre guide.

After the visit and interviews, the inspector will go over with you:  

  • a summary of the evidence that they have collected
  • the proposed condition of registration
  • what happens next and the steps leading to a registration decision being made by the regulatory inspection manager

Regional manager’s decision

Following the visit and interviews, the inspector will discuss all the evidence with their regional manager. The regional manager will decide whether you will be registered. Occasionally the regional manager may ask for more evidence before making their decision. In these cases, the inspector will contact you.   

The regional manager will make separate registration decisions for you and for the residential family centre’s manager. They will grant or refuse registration, usually within 7 working days and will send you one of the following: 

  • a notice of decision to register
  • a notice of proposal to change the proposed conditions
  • a notice of proposal to refuse registration

Notice of decision to register 

If the condition is agreed between you and us, we will issue a notice of decision to register. 

The notice of decision to register confirms that you are now registered with us as a provider and we will send you a registration certificate. 

Registration certificate               

The registration certificate includes: 

  • the URN
  • the name of the registered provider
  • the name of the registered manager (if applicable)
  • the name of the responsible individual (if applicable)
  • the name and address of the residential family centre
  • the date of registration
  • the condition that applies to the registration

Legally, you must display the certificate.  

Registration refusal

If we are not satisfied that you can meet the regulatory requirements for registration, we will issue a notice of proposal to refuse the registration. 

For more information on the notice of proposal to refuse a registration, see the social care enforcement policy.

You will have the opportunity to tell us why we should not refuse the registration. To do this, you must write to us with reasons, also known as ‘representations’, within 28 days of the date that the notice of proposal is served. This time period cannot be extended. 

If we do not receive a response within 28 days, we will send a notice of decision to refuse the application.

What happens if the application is refused  

If we refuse the registration, this may have a negative impact on any application you or the manager make in the future.

Withdrawing an application 

You may withdraw your application by emailing sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk. We will accept a withdrawal request if we have not already issued a notice of proposal to refuse. We will write to you if we have concerns about your fitness to register as a provider or manager to tell you that we will consider those concerns if you apply in the future. 

Notice of proposal: request to withdraw

If we have issued a notice of proposal to refuse an application, you can ask to withdraw the application. We may not allow this, for example if we have concerns about: 

  • your ability to safeguard children
  • other relevant information in the application, for example offences that you have committed

If we refuse a withdrawal request, you can still appeal the notice of proposal. More information can be found in the social care enforcement policy.

If we decide to refuse the registration, we will issue a notice of decision to refuse the application.

Further information 

You can go to our Apply to register a residential family centre guide for information on the application process, including the documents that you will need to apply and what to expect at interview. 

You can read our Report changes about a residential family centre to Ofsted and find out more about what to expect when registered, including fee payment and making changes.

You can contact us if you need help with a query that is not covered in these guides or you do not understand what you need to do in your circumstances.

Legislation 

The following legislative and regulatory frameworks underpin the registration, operation, and oversight of residential family centre registration policy in England, ensuring that services meet the required standards of care, safety, and governance.

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