This framework sets out Ofsteds process for inspecting secure childrens homes.
Our approach is underpinned by the following 3 principles that apply to all social care inspections:
Minor change to clarify that we may carry out a monitoring inspection to do a premises check as part of the DfE licence approval process or provide advice about building projects.
Added inspection guidance for April 2022: replaced interim inspections with assurance inspections and added additional guidance for when inspectors discover possible unregistered provision.
In The inspection report section, added clarification on the non-publication of child-friendly summary reports.
Removed guidance on assurance visits, as we are no longer carrying these out.
Added guidance on inspecting secure childrens homes during COVID-19 restrictions. Updated guidance to reflect the changes to Ofsteds post-inspection processes and complaints handling (including the timeline) that we introduced in September 2020. Minor edits for readability.
First published.