In our March blog post, we discussed the implementation of Ofsted regulations in Supported Accommodation (formerly known as Semi-Independent Living) as well as timescales for registry and proposed inspections in the new year. In this post we’re going to provide updates on the current state of Supported Accommodation for Young People (SAYP) and clarify some important deadlines.
After the release of quality standards on March 23rd, Ofsted released their deadline for supported accommodation providers currently supporting young people (16-17) i.e. already existing Semi-Independent Living provisions, to register with Ofsted by 28 October 2023. After this date, it is an offence to provide Supported Accommodation without having a registration accepted by Ofsted as complete. This does not apply to new provisions that are yet to provide Supported Accommodation to young people.
In July Ofsted launched a consultation for inspecting Supported Accommodation, providing the sector an opportunity to share its views on how supported accommodation should be inspected. The consultation (including views from children and young people) ran from 10 July to 8 September 2023 and will inform inspections starting April 2024. Ofsted is currently undertaking pilot inspections on a small number of registered providers across all categories of Supported Accommodation before publishing inspection guidance in spring. This consultation on Ofsted’s proposals for inspecting Supported Accommodation will be a vital insight into the future of supporting young people in their transition to independence and the arrangements for the inspection of provisions. As of today, Ofsted is still working on publishing the outcome but it will be available soon; for updates, click here.
If you’re thinking of beginning the registry process, Ofsted has a comprehensive guide to registering a Supported Accommodation service. This process is broken up into 3 stages:
- Application forms and any required documents
- Local authority and professional checks, references
- Ofsted visit and interviews
If you need policies and form templates that comply with the new Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023, then aquire our document license and subscribe to ClouDoc today! We have Ofsted registration policies available to support Stage 1 of your application as well as various operative policies and forms to support the everyday functioning of your service.
See our Policies & Procedures page for package details or contact us on 0330 808 0050
