Staff induction and probation: building a record that actually protects the home
A new starter's first few months generate more paperwork than almost any other point in their employment. Done properly, it's also some of the most useful evidence a home has.
19 August 2026 · 6 min readFire safety and emergency planning records: what a home actually needs to keep
Regulation 25 asks for more than a fire extinguisher and a laminated escape plan on the wall. Here's what the paperwork behind it should actually show.
29 April 2026 · 5 min readHow much time do care staff actually spend on paperwork?
It's a question every registered manager has an instinct about and almost none can answer precisely — which is itself worth paying attention to.
1 April 2026 · 5 min readReducing staff turnover in a children's home: what actually helps
Pay matters, and no system fixes that. But a meaningful share of turnover in this sector is driven by things that are genuinely within a manager's control.
18 March 2026 · 5 min readBuilding a rota that never leaves a home without night cover
A gap in daytime cover is usually spotted quickly. A gap in night cover can go unnoticed until it's already happened — which is exactly why it needs to be checked deliberately, not assumed.
4 March 2026 · 4 min readReporting outcomes to your local authority commissioner
Commissioners want evidence that a placement is working, not just that it's compliant. That's a different question, and it needs a different kind of record to answer well.
16 February 2026 · 5 min readThe KPIs a registered manager should actually be tracking
Not every number worth watching is a compliance metric. The most useful KPIs for a registered manager tend to be leading indicators — the things that predict a problem, not just confirm one after it's happened.