Ofsted has quoted an average of around 17 weeks from a complete application being accepted to a decision, and it can take longer if anything is missing or changes part-way through. The most common causes of delay are incomplete SC2 forms, unresolved planning permission, slow referees and Companies House details that don't match the application.Our readiness review is designed to remove those problems before you submit, so your application isn't the one sitting in the queue waiting for corrections.

For a children's home, yes. Ofsted expects the manager to apply to register at the same time as the provider, and assesses their qualifications, experience and fitness as part of the application. If you haven't yet appointed a suitable manager, we can help you define the role, the qualifications Ofsted expects and the timeline, so recruitment and the application run in parallel rather than one holding up the other.

Once your documents and background checks are through, an Ofsted inspector interviews the proposed registered manager and the responsible individual separately. There's no set script. The questions are built around your own application and test your understanding of the regulations, the Quality Standards, safeguarding and your Statement of Purpose. We run realistic mock interviews and give structured feedback beforehand, so nothing on the day is a surprise.

Often, yes. Ofsted asks for evidence that the property can lawfully be used as a children's home, which usually means confirmation from the local planning authority about whether change of use is required. Outstanding planning is one of the most common reasons applications stall, so we help you check this with the local authority early rather than discovering it once the application is in.

The SC1 is the provider's application to register the service itself. An SC2 is completed by each individual Ofsted must assess, typically the registered manager and the responsible individual. The details across all of them have to match, which is where many applications fall down. We prepare and check them together so the story is consistent from form to form.

Yes. Many of the providers we support come to us before they have a property, a manager or a registered company. Our Start Your Own Care Business service covers business set-up, a business plan with financial forecasts, Start Up Loan support, policies and governance, and a dedicated adviser for Companies House, banking and staffing, so you arrive at the Ofsted application with the foundations already in place.

Yes. Ofsted regulates children's social care across England and the whole registration process can be handled remotely, with calls and video meetings at times that suit you.

We'll call you within one working day for a free, no-obligation conversation of around 30 minutes. We'll confirm which registration route applies to your service, talk through where you are now and what's still needed, and explain how we'd approach the application. If you decide to go ahead, we agree a fixed fee and a timeline before any work starts.