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Guidance

Register an adoption support agency: guidance for applicants

How to register with Ofsted and apply to open, manage, or be associated with an adoption support agency.

Updates to this page

From:
Ofsted
Published:
11 November 2014
Last updated:
28 November 2025
Show all updates

  1. Adoption support agencies guidance updated. The guidance is now organised into 4 clear sections: - Adoption support agencies registration policy - Apply to register an adoption support agency - Apply to be associated with an adoption support agency - Responsibilities of providers and managers in Ofsted-registered adoption support agencies

  2. Updated to provide more clarity on which adoption support agencies need to register with Ofsted.

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

  4. Updated to reflect the Adoption Support Agencies (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 which came in to force on 18 December 2023. The amended regulations provide a more detailed definition of the circumstances that require an adoption support agency to apply to register with Ofsted.

  5. Revised throughout for clarity.

  6. Updated for references to dates and website addresses

  7. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Adoption support agencies registration policy

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Apply to register an adoption support agency

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Apply to be associated with an adoption support agency

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

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Details

This guidance explains the policies and registration requirements Ofsted uses to assess your application to run an adoption support agency. It also outlines what to expect after your adoption support agency is registered.

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