Guidance

Registering a multi-building children's home

Updated 1 April 2022

Applies to England

Please read this guidance together with our introduction to children’s homes and our registration guidance.

Introduction

This guidance reflects the changing ways in which services for children are being delivered, the increasing demand for solo and specialised placements, and the need for more flexible and responsive provision for children.

You may apply to register a children’s home where the care and accommodation is provided in more than one building. You can accommodate up to 6 children in up to 4 buildings within this one single registration. We call this a ‘multi-building children’s home’.

A multi-building children’s home should allow you, in agreement with the placing authority, to make child-centred decisions about where each child lives and to ensure that their individual needs are met within this one registration. It might mean that you are more able to offer a place to a child who needs somewhere to live quickly or who cannot easily live with other children immediately.

Arrangements for children in a multi-building children’s home

Individual children need stability about where they sleep, eat, rest and play. A multi-building children’s home must still provide them with stability and certainty in their day-to-day lives. It should always be made clear to the child and the placing authority which building the child will live in, and this should be recorded on their care plan. We expect that you will agree with the placing authority the specific address (building) where a child will live, and that this is their permanent home. However, we appreciate that in some cases, a building may specifically be used for temporary circumstances, for example emergency accommodation, a short break or a ‘crash pad’.

It is up to you, in agreement with the placing authority, to decide where each child lives. Not all the buildings need to be in use all the time. However, you do need to satisfy Ofsted that you have appropriate plans in place to staff buildings fully. Those staff must be recruited safely and be able to meet the regulations. This must also be the case when staff are recruited quickly or in an emergency.

The buildings and what to consider

In your application, you must specify the names and addresses of each building that makes up the children’s home registration. The addresses of all the buildings will be stated on the certificate.

As a provider, it is for you to decide the location of each building. Your location assessment must take account of this. As part of the application, the manager must demonstrate to us how they will manage the home effectively, considering the geographical spread of the buildings that make up the registration.

In making our registration decision we will want to ensure that the location of buildings offer stability and consistency for children. The location should give children easy access to local services, including appropriate education and healthcare.

We would expect that the location of the accommodation will enable children to develop and maintain relationships in the local community, and that the building they live in provides a sense of belonging.

The registered provider must ensure that the accommodation and setting location provides effective safeguarding for children. They must also ensure that the living arrangements protect against stigmatisation, isolation, or creation of an institutional community.

The buildings must all comply with the relevant requirements. We will assess this during the application process. The building addresses are fixed at the point of registration and cannot be changed once registration is granted. To make these kinds of changes, you would need to apply to register them as a new home. The current legislative framework does not allow these changes to an existing registration.

You must ensure that each building that makes up the application has all of the required information (see guidance on what to provide when you apply). For example, each will need appropriate information about planning permission, fire risk assessments, and insurance. We will check that each building that makes up the home is a safe and homely place for children to live.

The statement of purpose must, as with any registration, specify how the home will operate and the overall vision for the home. It is for you to determine the configuration of each building but you must state the maximum number of children (taking into account the overall maximum) who will live in each one.

We expect that children will see one building as their home, and have stability and consistency in both their relationships with staff and in their accommodation. We do not expect that children will be moved, without good reason, between each building. If this does need to happen, we expect it to be in children’s best interests and only done if agreed by the placing authority as part of its oversight process for care planning. We expect that the child’s independent reviewing officer will have oversight of these arrangements.

Every application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Visiting the buildings

When considering the registration, the inspector will visit each building to assess their suitability. They will determine whether each building can comfortably accommodate the maximum number of children, as stated in the statement of purpose and whether each building can meet the requirements of the Children’s Homes Regulations (England) 2015.

We will tell you if we consider that one or more buildings are unsuitable, or if we determine that the distance between some of the buildings is too far for them to be managed effectively. This will help you to make an informed decision about how to proceed.

Every application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Transferring existing children’s homes

If you want to transfer existing registered children’s homes into one multi-building registration, you must make a new application and provide all of the information set out below and voluntarily cancel your existing registration.

Just because those homes were registered in their own right does not automatically mean that we will grant their registration as one multi-building children’s home.

The statement of purpose and management arrangements need to be appropriate for a new multi-building children’s home.

Before applying to register

Before making an application to register a multi-building children’s home, you should contact eyregulatoryandsocialcare@ofsted.gov.uk to state that you wish to do this.

We will then arrange for you to have a voluntary pre-application conversation with an inspector. This will give you an opportunity to discuss your plans and ideas. The inspector will not be able to confirm at this point whether your application will be successful nor advise you on the suitability of any building, manager or staff. They will be able to explain the process, tell you whether the proposals fit with this guidance and ensure that you have taken account of everything needed in your application.

The inspector will also give you a statement of self-declaration form. Please email this to sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Multi-building self-declaration’.

Responsible individual

You must appoint a responsible individual (see guidance on the responsible individual), unless you are a sole trader or partnership.

During registration, we expect them to demonstrate how they intend to support the registered manager in managing a multi-building children’s home, and during any inspection how they are carrying out their role effectively.

Registered manager

You must appoint a manager (see guidance on managers) who can demonstrate that they have the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills to manage a multi-building children’s home. This will include explaining how they will use effective monitoring systems, set up deputising arrangements, manage admissions and be able to respond to emergency admissions quickly if needed.

How to apply

Visit Register a children’s social care service (SC1) to apply.

There are a few differences from a standard application. Please follow the guidance in the table.

Questions on SC1 application form	Actions required
What type of children’s social care service are you applying to register?	Select ‘Children’s home’.
Have you got planning permission for your premises?	You will need to scan and send us all your evidence in one document. We must have evidence of planning permission for all buildings. If your document is over 2MB and cannot be uploaded please provide one document that states you can confirm that you have the required evidence. We will then request this information after you submit your completed application.
Details of your proposed children’s social care service?	Give your head office address.
Will you use any other premises for the service you are registering?	Select ‘Yes’. This will take you to a new page where you can add the addresses of all the buildings that will make up the children’s home. You can add up to 4 addresses.
Are your premises ready to meet the needs of your service?	This applies to all the buildings.
Does the building meet the access requirements of the Equality Act 2010?	This applies to all the buildings.
What security arrangements are in place for your premises?	Please give specific details for each building.
How many staff posts will you have at your premises?	You must give the total number of staff that will cover all buildings. We will ask for more details at your registration visit.
What type of children’s home are you applying to register?	Select ‘Children’s home’.
How many registered places do you need for your home?	Give the total number of children that will be accommodated across all buildings under this registration. We will gather any building-specific details at our registration visit.
Uploading a children’s home location assessment. You can only upload one document.	You must create a location assessment for each building. You will need to upload one location assessment for one of the buildings. We will then request the remaining location risk assessments after you have submitted your completed application.
Uploading a children’s guide. You can only upload one document	There should only be one children’s guide.

After you apply

Our decision

We will take a reasonable and proportionate view of each application to register a multi-building children’s home. When we make a decision about a registration, children’s safety and well-being remain paramount in our judgement.

Fees

For applications received from 1 April 2022, we charge £2,911 for the registration fee and £910 for the registration of a manager.

This is the usual fee for a home with more than 3 places. The annual fee, payable on registration, will be £4,254 as a flat fee, plus £283 for each place up to 6. This is in line with our existing fees.

Inspections

When we inspect a multi-building children’s home, we will visit each building and talk to the staff and children as we would do in any inspection carried out under the social care common inspection framework.

We make one judgement that covers the registered children’s home, taking account of children’s progress and experiences in each of the buildings. This means that shortfalls in care for children in one building would affect the overall inspection and may affect the inspection judgement.

Enforcement action

Should we need to take enforcement action, this is likely to be against the whole registration even if the problem was in only one of the buildings.

This means that if we have serious concerns about practice in one building, this may lead to the suspension or cancellation of the entire registration. This is because, legally, this is one children’s home.

However, we will always take a proportionate view. There may be situations where it is more appropriate to impose an urgent condition to limit the use of one or more building or to impose a restriction on the number of children who can live at the home.

Independent persons visits

As a provider, you must appoint someone to carry out visits under Regulation 44 of the Children’s Homes Regulations. The inspector will discuss your plans for this appointment during your registration visit.

Once you are registered, they must start their visits within the first month. They must visit each building to ensure that they have a good understanding of the experience of all children living in the home, irrespective of which building they are in, and to check that buildings not in use at the time of the visit remain fit for purpose.

Making notifications under Regulation 40

As a provider, you must notify Ofsted of any incident that meets the requirements under Regulation 40 of the Children’s Homes Regulations.

In completing the notification form, you must be specific about which building the incident took place and which building the child is living in.

This guidance will be kept under review.