TL;DR:
Regulation 45 requires the registered person for a children’s home in England to review the quality of care at least once every six months. The review should use evidence about children’s experiences, outcomes and views, then lead to a concise written report and a practical improvement plan. A copy of the report must be sent to Ofsted within 28 days of completing the review.
Images in this guide are AI-generated illustrations, not photographs of Welcare premises or evidence of a particular home’s facilities.
Introduction
A Regulation 45 review is one of the main ways a children’s home checks whether its care is genuinely helping children. It is more than a compliance report and it should not be a catalogue of activity. The purpose is to understand what is working, what is not working and what must change.
This guide explains the legal requirements in England, the evidence a strong review should consider and how registered persons can turn findings into measurable improvements. The separate monthly independent visit is required by Regulation 44.
What Regulation 45 Requires
Regulation 45 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 requires the registered person to complete a quality-of-care review at least once every six months. The system used for the review must monitor, review and evaluate:
The quality of care provided for children
Children's feedback and opinions about the home, its facilities and the care they receive
Actions needed to improve or maintain the quality of care
The system must also make provision for finding out and considering the opinions of children, parents, placing authorities and staff. Once the review is complete, the registered person must produce a written report about its findings and the actions they intend to take.
A copy of that report must be supplied to Ofsted within 28 days of the review’s completion. A placing authority that is not the parent of a child living in the home must also be able to receive a copy on request.
The Review and the Report Are Different
The review is the full process of gathering evidence, listening to people, testing practice and analysing impact. The report is the concise record of what that process found and what will happen next.
This distinction matters. A home may examine a large amount of information during the review, but the final report does not need to reproduce every audit, meeting note or data table. Ofsted says there is no required template or fixed length. A useful report is honest, analytical and focused on the issues that matter most to children.
Evidence a Strong Review Should Consider
The evidence should be broad enough to show children’s day-to-day experiences and progress over time. Depending on the home’s statement of purpose and the children living there
it may include:
- Children’s views, including views gathered in ways suited to each child’s communication needs
- Feedback from parents, social workers, independent reviewing officers, schools, health professionals and advocates
- Placement plans, care plans and records of progress against individual goals
- Education attendance, engagement and achievement
- Health appointments, emotional wellbeing and access to specialist support
- Safeguarding concerns, missing-from-home episodes, complaints and allegations
- Use of restraint, consequences, police involvement and serious incident notifications
- Staffing stability, vacancies, supervision, training, agency use and qualification progress
- Regulation 44 reports, previous Regulation 45 actions and Ofsted findings
- Admissions, placement endings and whether referrals matched the home’s statement of purpose
Numbers can reveal patterns, but they need context. For example, a fall in missing episodes may be positive, but the review should ask what changed and whether children say they feel safer. A rise in recorded concerns may reflect deterioration, better reporting or both. Analysis should connect evidence to children’s experiences rather than treating each figure as self-explanatory.
A Practical Regulation 45 Review Process
Medicines reconciliation means creating an accurate current list and resolving discrepancies when care transfers.
It is especially important when a child:
1. Set the review period and questions
Confirm the dates covered and identify the questions that need attention. The review does not have to test every part of every quality standard each time. It should still give a balanced view of care while focusing more deeply on current risks, repeated patterns or priorities.
2. Gather evidence throughout the six months
Do not wait until the reporting deadline. Maintain a clear evidence trail through audits, children's meetings, key-work records, supervision, Regulation 44 actions and management monitoring. Good routine oversight makes the formal review more accurate and less burdensome.
3. Hear different perspectives
Invite views in ways that are accessible and proportionate. A child may prefer a conversation, visual prompt, advocate or trusted adult rather than a questionnaire. Record disagreement as well as agreement. A report becomes weaker when it presents only the provider's perspective.
4. Analyse themes and impact
Look for patterns across time, children, shifts and incidents. Ask why something happened, what response followed and whether that response made a difference. Compare the current period with previous findings where that comparison is meaningful.
5. Agree a focused action plan
Each action should state what will change, who is responsible, when it is due and how success will be checked. Avoid vague actions such as "continue to monitor" unless the report explains what will be monitored and what would trigger further action.
6. Follow through
Review actions at management meetings, supervision and the next Regulation 44 visit where appropriate. Completion is not the same as impact. The registered person should check whether the action improved children's safety, experience or outcomes.
What a Good Regulation 45 Report Looks Like
A strong report is usually:
Child-centred
It explains what the evidence means for children, not only what staff did.
Analytical
It identifies causes, patterns, strengths and weaknesses rather than listing events.
Balanced
It recognises good practice without avoiding difficult findings.
Evidence-based
Conclusions can be traced to records, feedback or observation.
Action-focused
Priorities have owners, timescales and a way to measure impact.
Readable
It is concise enough for leaders and inspectors to understand the main story quickly
For a multi-building children’s home, Ofsted expects one Regulation 45 report covering every building within the registration. The manager can structure it by building if that makes the analysis clearer.
Worked Example: From a Pattern to an Improvement Test
The following is illustrative, not a report of a Welcare case.
Finding
A child has repeatedly arrived late at school following disrupted mornings.
Analysis
Explain what the evidence supports, what remains uncertain and whether the home or its partners can change the contributing factors.
Action
Agree a plan with the child and relevant professionals, identify the responsible person and set a review date.
Evidence
Compare the child's account, school information, the morning routine and handover records. Explore what is making mornings difficult instead of assuming refusal or poor motivation.
Impact check
Review access to learning, punctuality and the child's experience of the morning. Record whether the plan helped, caused new difficulties or needs changing.
The completed action is not the outcome. A revised timetable only counts as useful improvement when the evidence shows what difference it made for the child.
Regulation 45, Regulation 44 and Ofsted Inspection
These forms of oversight support each other but serve different purposes:
- Regulation 44 provides an external independent visit at least once each month.
- Regulation 45 is the registered person’s internal review of quality and impact at least once every six months.
- Ofsted inspection tests the home’s practice and leadership against the Social Care Common Inspection Framework and the regulations.
Regulation 44 reports are useful evidence for the Regulation 45 review, but they do not replace it. Equally, a polished Regulation 45 report cannot replace safe daily practice. Inspectors may use the report to understand the home’s capacity for reflection, how leaders respond to weaknesses and what they choose to monitor.
Common Weaknesses to Avoid
Common problems include describing activity without evaluating it, omitting children’s views, copying the previous report, using data without context and creating an action plan with no owners or deadlines. A further risk is completing the report only for Ofsted. The main audience should be the home’s leadership and staff, because the review is a tool for improving care.
Final Thoughts
A useful Regulation 45 review tells the truth about the home’s current practice and creates a manageable route to better care. When evidence, children’s voices and leadership judgement are brought together well, the report becomes a living improvement tool rather than a six-monthly administrative exercise.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The registered person must complete a review at least once every six months. A home can review particular issues more often when risk, change or performance makes that sensible.
A copy must be supplied to Ofsted within 28 days of the date on which the quality-of-care review was completed.
No. The regulations and Ofsted do not prescribe one format or length. The report must record findings and intended actions, and it should be clear, analytical and useful.
No. Ofsted says there is no expectation that every part of every quality standard is examined in depth every six months. The registered person should use professional judgement while maintaining a balanced view of the home's care.
The review system must provide for the opinions of children, parents, placing authorities and staff to be found out and considered. Other professionals and advocates can add important evidence where relevant.