Ofsted inspectors focus on how documents work in practice. Use this checklist to test your evidence against the four supported accommodation quality standards set out in The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 (legislation.gov.uk) (regulations 4 to 7). If you cannot quickly find the evidence, an inspector probably won't either.
1. Leadership and management standard
- A statement of purpose that describes the service you actually run (Regulation 9)
- A registered service manager who knows every young person's current risks and plans
- Six-monthly quality review reports (Regulation 32) with completed actions
- Supervision records for the last three months and a complete training matrix
- Safer recruitment files: references, explained employment gaps, DBS checks
- Incident and complaint logs showing what you learned and changed
2. Protection standard
- Risk assessments reviewed after incidents, not just on a fixed date
- A missing-from-placement procedure, with records showing it is followed
- Action on criminal and sexual exploitation risks, with information shared with police and social workers
- Notifications made to Ofsted where required (Regulation 27)
- Staff who can explain what they would do if a young person disclosed abuse
3. Accommodation standard
- A written assessment of each property and its area: risks, transport, and access to education and health
- Up-to-date fire, gas and electrical safety checks for every address
- Clean, secure, personalised rooms with appropriate privacy
Independent location risk assessments for supported accommodation give you strong evidence here.
4. Support standard
- Support plans written with the young person, with clear goals
- Evidence of progress in education, training or employment, health and independence skills
- Daily records that show impact, not only what happened
- Contact with social workers and personal advisers recorded and followed up
Our risk assessment and support plan reviews and case file audits for supported accommodation test this evidence in depth.
How to use this supported accommodation quality standards checklist
- Pick two or three young people's files at random, as an inspector would.
- Find the evidence for each item in under five minutes.
- Rate each item green (strong), amber (weak) or red (missing).
- Fix the reds first, then the ambers that relate to safety.
For the official wording of each standard, see the DfE Guide to supported accommodation regulations including quality standards. For background, read the Supported Accommodation Regulations 2023 explained.
In short: meeting the supported accommodation quality standards is about evidence that shows real impact for young people. A supported accommodation mock inspection gives you an independent view before Ofsted does.