Since 28 October 2023, it has been an offence in England to provide supported accommodation for looked-after 16 and 17 year olds, or for care leavers of that age, without registering with Ofsted. The rules providers must meet are in the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023, which came into force on 28 April 2023.
At the centre of those rules are four quality standards. This guide explains each one, the records that sit behind them and how Ofsted inspects against them.
Support, not care
Supported accommodation is not a children’s home. Providers give support, not care, and young people are working towards living independently. Even so, Ofsted is clear that the young people living there are still legally children, and its inspection guidance calls them children for that reason.
The regulations name four categories of supported accommodation:
- a self-contained unit for the child’s sole use, or shared with people agreed by the local authority or provider
- shared or group living used only for looked-after children or care leavers
- shared or group living that is not limited to looked-after children or care leavers
- accommodation in someone’s own home, often called supported lodgings
The four quality standards
Regulation 3 sets out the four standards. Each is a short statement, followed by a list of what the registered person must do to meet it.
1. The leadership and management standard (regulation 4)
The standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture that puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.
In practice that includes running the service in line with its statement of purpose, having enough staff with the right experience, qualifications and skills, safe recruitment, supervision and training, managing referrals and admissions (including emergencies), a workforce plan and a business continuity plan. It also requires that each child knows what they are entitled to, including education and their rights as a looked-after child or care leaver, and is helped to get it.
2. The protection standard (regulation 5)
The standard is that children are enabled to feel safe and that their needs are met.
Children must be protected from harm, helped to keep themselves safe, and have 24-hour access to help in a crisis. The provider must have child protection policies (a safeguarding policy, a missing child policy and a behaviour management policy) and keep them under review. Staff must know the policies, be able to spot signs of abuse, neglect or exploitation, work with other agencies and share information to keep children safe.
3. The accommodation standard (regulation 6)
The standard is that children experience a comfortable and secure living environment.
The provider must carry out a location assessment of each property at least once every calendar year, taking account of the views of relevant people. Properties must be safe, secure, well maintained and homely, give children consistent access to local services such as education and healthcare, and respect their privacy. Monitoring or surveillance devices can only be used in communal areas, for safeguarding, with the local authority’s consent, after telling the children, and no more intrusively than necessary.
4. The support standard (regulation 7)
The standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.
Children should take a lead role in deciding the support they get. Support plans must be based on the referral information, made with the child, and take account of their placement plan or pathway plan. The provider must keep support under review, work with the local authority, help children reach other services such as advocacy and training, and speak up if the local authority or someone else is not providing the support set out in the child’s plans.
Reviewing quality every six months
There is no monthly independent visitor in supported accommodation, unlike the Reg 44 visit in children’s homes. Instead, regulation 32 requires a quality of support review at least once every six months. It must take account of:
- children’s views, including feedback and complaints
- how well prepared each child felt moving in, and feels about moving on
- feedback from local authorities, staff and other relevant people
- relevant research on meeting children’s needs
The registered person must write a report setting out the actions they will take, and send a copy to Ofsted within 28 days of completing it.
How Ofsted inspects supported accommodation
Ofsted inspects under its Social Care Common Inspection Framework for supported accommodation, updated on 1 April 2026:
- Providers get 2 working days’ notice, but the inspection starts the moment it is announced.
- Every provider is inspected at least once in a 3-year window.
- There are 3 outcomes rather than grades. Outcome 1 is consistently strong service delivery, with the next inspection in about 3 years. Outcome 2 is inconsistent quality that leaders must improve, with the next inspection in about 18 months. Outcome 3 is serious or widespread weaknesses, with the next inspection in about 6 months.
During the notice period the provider completes Ofsted’s Annex A information request, and inspectors pick a sample of children whose experiences they will follow. Providers must also have regard to the Department for Education’s Guide to the supported accommodation regulations; Ofsted says ignoring it may suggest a failure to meet the regulations.
Records that show the standards are met
Inspectors judge the impact on children, not the paperwork, but the records are how you show that impact. Most providers will want to be able to produce:
- each child’s support plan, linked to their placement or pathway plan, with reviews
- progress on independence skills, such as cooking, budgeting and managing a tenancy
- the safeguarding, missing child and behaviour management policies, and records of their use
- missing episodes and incidents
- location assessments for every property, updated yearly
- staff recruitment checks, training and supervision
- the workforce plan and business continuity plan
- quality of support reviews and the action taken
Recording that fits supported accommodation
Precinct Care, the recording system we are developing, changes its words, forms and rules for supported accommodation, so staff are not filling in children’s home forms that do not fit. Each young person has a support plan built around their pathway plan, and progress towards independence is recorded against the 2023 Regulations. Precinct Care is in final development and we are taking a small number of pilot providers.
Read more about supported accommodation software, or book a demonstration.
Sources
- The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Social care common inspection framework (SCCIF): supported accommodation (Ofsted, updated 1 April 2026)
- Guide to the supported accommodation regulations including quality standards (Department for Education)
