Independent Regulation 44 Visits & Reports

Regulation 44 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 requires the registered person to ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once a month and produces a written report. The independent person must:

• Visit the home (visits may be unannounced).
• Speak in private with consenting children, relatives and staff, and review premises and key records.
• Provide an opinion on whether children are effectively safeguarded and whether the conduct of the home promotes their well‑being.
• Recommend actions and timescales where improvements are needed.

These visits give ongoing external scrutiny between Ofsted inspections and provide assurance to providers, Responsible Individuals, placing authorities and regulators.

Our independent person role

We act as your Regulation 44 independent person, bringing frontline social care experience together with strong regulatory and quality expertise.

Our offer is:

• Truly independent – we are separate from your management structure and avoid conflicts of interest so our judgement is impartial and credible.
• Child‑centred – we focus on children’s day‑to‑day experiences, safety, relationships and progress, not just paperwork.
• Strength‑based and honest – we recognise good practice and culture, while clearly identifying shortfalls and risks.
• Solution‑focused – our recommendations are practical, prioritised and proportionate to your home’s context.

We work with local authority and independent sector providers, single‑home operators and organisations with multiple homes.

What we look at during a visit

Each monthly visit is tailored to your home’s statement of purpose, current inspection history and any known risks, but typically includes:

• Time spent in the home observing routines, interactions and the overall atmosphere.
• Speaking with children and young people (where appropriate and with consent), and where relevant, parents/relatives and professionals.
• Speaking with staff across different shifts and with the Registered Manager or person in charge.
• Reviewing a sample of key records, for example:

1. Care plans and placement plans.
2. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans.
3. Incident and physical intervention records.
4. Missing‑from‑home episodes and return‑home interviews.
5. Health records, keywork sessions and education records.
6. Complaints, compliments and consultation records.
7. Staffing levels, rotas, supervision notes and training matrices.

• Checking the premises in relation to safety, security, privacy, homeliness and suitability for the children placed.
• Reviewing progress against previous Regulation 44 recommendations and any Ofsted requirements or recommendations.

Where appropriate we may undertake some visits unannounced, in line with regulatory expectations and your agreed visiting protocol.

The Regulation 44 report

After each visit we provide a clear, structured report that:

• Summarises the date and time of the visit, who we spoke to and what was reviewed.
• Gives our opinion on whether children are effectively safeguarded and whether the conduct of the home promotes their well‑being, as required by Regulation 44.
• Highlights strengths and examples of good practice in care, leadership and culture.
• Identifies any concerns, shortfalls or emerging risks and links them to relevant regulations, quality standards and statutory guidance.​
• Sets out recommendations and, where necessary, actions with suggested timescales and responsible roles.
• Tracks progress on previous actions so you can evidence sustained improvement over time.

Reports are sent to the registered provider / Responsible Individual and, in line with regulations and your procedures, can be shared with Ofsted and placing authorities.

Example visit
A four‑bed children’s home supporting young people with high levels of risk had experienced an increase in missing‑from‑home episodes. During our Regulation 44 visit we:
– Spoke with two young people about how safe they felt going out in the community and what happened when they returned.
– Reviewed missing‑from‑home records, return‑home interviews and incident reports for the previous month.
– Noted that staff were working hard to keep young people safe, but debriefs were not consistently recorded and actions from return‑home interviews were not always fed into risk assessments.

In our report we recognised positive relationships and staff commitment, but recommended specific changes to recording templates, clearer thresholds for escalating risk, and a monthly management review of missing‑from‑home patterns. At the next visits, we were able to evidence more consistent recording and a reduction in repeat episodes linked to improved planning.

This kind of scenario helps managers understand what to expect without referring to any real home.

Appointment, independence and conflict of interest

• The registered person must ensure the independent person is reasonably independent and able to provide an objective view.
• Before accepting an appointment we discuss any existing connections, consultancy work or roles to make sure there is no conflict of interest.
• Where we also provide separate consultancy (for example, training or policy development), we keep that clearly distinct from the independent person function, with transparent boundaries and documentation

We aim to provide a consistent visitor for each home, with the option of a second visitor for occasional visits if you want a fresh perspective.

How Regulation 44 links to Regulation 45 and your QA systems

Regulation 44 visits sit alongside, and do not replace:

• Your internal quality assurance systems and audits.
• Regulation 45 quality of care reviews completed by the Registered Person.

We can:

• Ensure our Regulation 44 reports complement your internal audits and Reg 45 reports so leaders can see themes and trends clearly.
• Highlight governance issues, patterns and risks for Responsible Individuals and senior leaders.
• Offer, where requested, separate QA or improvement support such as mock inspections or policy reviews, clearly outside the independent person role.

Frequency, coverage and fees

We usually provide:

• Monthly visits as required by Regulation 44, with the option of additional visits if needed (for example, following serious incidents or rapid change).
• Visits across England, with travel arrangements agreed in advance.
• Transparent pricing per visit, with packages available for groups operating multiple homes.

You can choose a fixed‑term arrangement (for example, first 6–12 months of opening) or ongoing visits.

Why choose RASP Compliancy LTD?

By working with us as your Regulation 44 independent person, you gain:

Get in touch about Regulation 44

If you would like to discuss Regulation 44 independent visits and reports for your children’s home:

• Email: Info@raspcompliancy.co.uk
• Or complete our contact form and mention “Regulation 44”.

We will talk through your home’s statement of purpose, current inspection position and what you are looking for from an independent person, then propose a visiting and reporting arrangement tailored to your service.