Service
Policies and procedures
Documents that describe the service you run, written so a member of staff can follow them.
A policy that staff cannot find, or cannot follow on a late shift, is a liability. Inspectors notice the gap between the folder and the practice, and so do new members of staff.
We write, review and cut policies so they match the statement of purpose, the children or adults you support, and the law that applies. The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations set the expectations for children’s homes. CQC-regulated supported living needs a different set. We do not sell one folder to both.
Who it is for
- New providers who need a coherent set before they apply.
- Homes whose policies were inherited, templated, or last read by nobody on the team.
- Managers who want procedures short enough to use in supervision and induction.
What it addresses
- Thirty policies say “the manager will ensure”, and nobody is named.
- The missing-from-care procedure does not match the local protocol.
- Behaviour support, restraint and sanctions are described more broadly than the law allows.
- The children’s guide and the statement of purpose disagree with the policies.
How the work runs
- Read the service Statement of purpose, a sample of real records, and a conversation with the manager about what staff actually do.
- Decide the set Which procedures this service needs, and which generic chapters should be removed.
- Draft in your words Procedures with owners, timescales and the record that proves the step happened.
- Test with the team A manager or senior tries to follow a procedure without us in the room. We amend what fails that test.
What you need in place
- The current statement of purpose and any local authority or safeguarding protocols you must follow.
- Access to someone who knows the night routine, not only the registered manager’s aspirations.
- Agreement that staff will be shown the new procedures. A file on its own changes nothing.
What you leave with
- A policy set, or a reviewed mark-up of the set you have.
- A note of what was removed and why.
- Versions that match the statement of purpose and the children’s guide, where we are also preparing those.
Time and fees
There is no standard duration. The regulator, the planning authority and the condition of the service all change the timetable. We will describe what we can see, and we will not promise a date.
The fee is agreed once we understand the work. A short review and a full registration are different assignments, so we do not publish one price for every enquiry.
Questions
Can we buy a template?
Templates are a starting point we will not pretend is your service. Ofsted and CQC expect documents that describe the provision they are inspecting.
How many policies do we need?
As many as the regulations and the model require, and no decorative extras. A shorter set that staff use is the better set.
Will good policies make the inspection good?
They remove one common gap. Inspectors also watch practice, speak to children and read records. Policies are necessary and they are not the whole judgement.
Next step
Send the statement of purpose and the names of the policies you already have. We will tell you whether you need a new set or a hard edit.
Talk to FivewaysRelated
Fiveways Advisory is an independent consultancy. We are not Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission or a local planning authority, and this website is not legal, planning or regulatory advice. We cannot guarantee registration, an inspection judgement or planning permission.