Blog
Guidance for people running children's homes
Practical writing on Ofsted, safeguarding and compliance, from the team building CareOptix.
The Children's Homes Quality Standards, explained
Nine standards set out in the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 sit behind every Ofsted judgement. Here's what each one actually asks of a home.
Care plan vs placement plan: what's the difference?
These two terms get used almost interchangeably in conversation, but they're not the same document, and they don't come from the same place.
How to track staff DBS and training renewal dates without losing the thread
A spreadsheet works fine for one home and a handful of staff. It stops working quietly, not dramatically, as an organisation grows — which is exactly when the risk is highest.
What separates a Good children's home from an Outstanding one
The gap between Good and Outstanding is rarely about doing more. It's usually about consistency, and about evidence that goes beyond "this happened" to "this changed something."
How to evidence a child's wishes and feelings for an inspector
Ofsted wants to see that a child's views actually shaped a decision — not just that a consultation box was ticked before the decision was made anyway.
What records does Ofsted expect for staff supervision?
Supervision that happens but isn't recorded is, from an inspection standpoint, close to supervision that didn't happen at all.
What is a Regulation 44 visit, and how often does it need to happen?
Every children's home in England has to be visited by an independent person at least monthly. Here's what that actually involves — and where to go for the detail on what makes those visits count.
What should go in a daily log or key-work record
A good daily log is specific enough to be useful to the next shift and honest enough to be useful at review. Most fall short on one or the other.