Ofsted
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It will be illegal for a supported accommodation provider to operate if they have not submitted a complete application which has been accepted by 28 October 2023.
We have received a very high number of registration applications since April 2023. It is taking us longer than usual to review all these new applications. If you are submitting an application, it is likely to be a few months before you receive a decision.
Introduction
If you are a provider of supported accommodation, you must register with Ofsted. Find out if you are considered a supported accommodation provider.
The provider and the proposed registered service manager must be registered with Ofsted to run a supported accommodation service. The registered service manager must be able to oversee and be accountable for the management of all the categories of supported accommodation and premises you are offering.
As a single service, you can apply to run one, or more than one, category of supported accommodation, on one or more premises, across a large or small geographical area.
However, you may choose to split up your provision into smaller separate services. For example, you may choose to run each geographical area as a separate service. Each service will need its own registered service manager and you will need to go through a separate registration process for each service.
Read our definitions of provider, service and premises.
To register a service you must complete one SC1 form for each service you want to run. The SC1 form is about the provider and the service.
People with specific roles of responsibility will need to complete the SC2 form as part of registering the service.
After registration, legally the registered provider and the registered service manager are both referred to as the registered person.
Why services must register with Ofsted
Registering services allows us to:
- protect children
- assess whether providers and managers meet the requirements of the relevant legislation
- evaluate whether they are able to deliver good services for children
- report on the quality of the service to the public, including to children and young people
Types of provider
The provider is the legal entity providing the service. They are responsible for making sure the service follows the Quality Standards, the Care Standards Act 2000 and the regulations made under it.
There are 3 different types of provider. In the SC1 form you will need to tell us which provider type you are.
An organisation
Organisations include:
- companies or limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
- statutory bodies or schools, for example a local authority or a trust of a school
- charities
- committees, for example a social care committee of a local community
- unincorporated associations
If you are an individual who has registered your business as a company, then we will also consider this an organisation.
A partnership
A partnership is a business where 2 or more people share the profits and liabilities. This is usually under a written partnership agreement. However, a business registered as an LLP or a company does not count as a partnership.
An individual provider
An individual provider can be one person or more than one person. An individual provider 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.
Roles
We need to know about the people who will hold the roles of registered service manager and nominated individual. The same person may hold both of these roles if they meet the requirements of the roles.
We also need to know about people in a number of other roles. Each of these people will need to complete an SC2 form to connect with the service as part of the registration process. Read our guidance on connecting to a childrens social care service.
Registered service manager
All types of supported accommodation provider must have one registered service manager for each registered service. This person must meet the requirements of the role.
The registered service manager will have effective oversight of all the addresses where children will be living. They will be responsible for the running of the service and accountable for all elements of service delivery. They may delegate day-to-day oversight of individual premises to other managers or staff.
A partner in the business or an individual provider can be the registered service manager, as long as they meet the requirements.
You must propose one service manager when you register your service. This means:
- you must list them in the SC1 form
- they must complete an SC2 form
- you must pay a fee to register the service manager
Two people may apply to be the registered service manager as a job share. In this case, each person must complete an SC2 form and pay an application fee. If 2 people are going to job-share the role, you need to email us to let us know. We will contact you to discuss the arrangements so that we can progress your application.
If the proposed service managers application is successful, we will formally register them as part of your service. After you have registered, you will need to let us know if this person changes.
Nominated individual
When you register a service, you must have either a nominated individual or a point of contact, depending on the type of provider you are.
Organisations including LLPs
Organisations and LLPs must have a nominated individual. This person will represent the organisation and act as a point of contact with us. They must be a director of the organisation, or the equivalent. This person must meet the requirements of the role.
We do not register the nominated individual, but we must know who they are. We will carry out checks on them, and may interview them.
This person will need to complete an SC2 form.
Partnerships that are not registered as an LLP and individual providers
If you are a partnership or individual provider, you do not need to have a nominated individual. Instead, we need to know who will be a point of contact for us.
In partnerships, the point of contact must be a partner.
If you are an individual provider, the point of contact must be the person who is solely responsible and accountable for the provision. If your individual provider is made up of 2 or more individuals who jointly share responsibility and accountability, the point of contact must be one of these individuals.
The point of contact/nominated individual will need to fill in an SC2 form.
Other roles
We also need to be aware of people who hold other roles. These people will need to fill in an SC2 form. They must be suitable to be involved in running a supported accommodation service. Find out who needs to fill in an SC2 form.
The registration process
The registration process consists of 3 stages:
- applicants submit forms and any required documents
- we carry out local authority and professional checks
- we visit the provider and interview people in certain roles of responsibility
Throughout the process, we assess the suitability of the provider to run the service. We assess the fitness and suitability of the registered service manager to manage the service.
For organisations, we assess the suitability of the nominated individual.
We will also run checks and assess the suitability on any other people who submit an SC2 form.
Read the DfEs guidance on the requirements of each role.At any stage in the process there may be factors that delay or prevent your registration application.
Changing your application
During the reg