End-to-end support to open a new children’s home in the UK — from business plan and financial forecast, through to Ofsted registration.
Children's Home Consultants in the UK
Changing Outcomes is a UK-wide children's home consultancy firm. We help providers open Ofsted-registered homes, stay compliant, and strengthen practice — through Regulation 44 visits, mock Ofsted inspections, clinical safeguarding supervision, training, and leadership mentoring. Changing Outcomes also helps providers respond to Ofsted compliance notices and registration refusals.
Why Children's Home Providers Choose Changing Outcomes
Every consultant at Changing Outcomes has previously been a registered manager or responsible individual of a children's home. Between them, they bring over 400 years of frontline experience and have managed more than 40 homes.
We've sat through Ofsted inspections, written Regulation 44 reports and managed the day-to-day realities of children's residential care — so we advise from experience, not theory. Our work spans the UK, supporting providers to open new homes and strengthen existing ones.
Our approach is deliberately collaborative. Managers stay involved throughout, and we work as a critical friend rather than an outside auditor — offering transparent reporting, constructive challenge, and clear recommendations that support continuous improvement and compliance against the 9 Quality Standards.
We only take on new clients when we're confident quality won't be compromised. Fewer, better-fit engagements means every provider gets our full attention — which is why most of our work comes from long-term partnerships, with providers who stay with us for years.
Changing Outcomes by numbers
50 +
New Children’s Homes Registered
400 +
Years of Combined Sector Experience
5000 +
Regulation 44 visits completed
Where We Work
Changing Outcomes works with children’s home providers across the UK.
Most of our work is in the East of England, the South East, the South West, the West Midlands, the East Midlands and London. Much of it — training, mentoring, supervision, document writing, compliance support — is delivered remotely or in a mix of remote and on-site, so distance is not a barrier.
Regulation 44 visits are the exception. Recurring monthly visits involving a long drive are draining. The drawbacks stack up — mileage, fuel, hours lost — and the quality of the work often drops. We recruit the right person first and the map second. Demand from existing clients means we are not taking on new Regulation 44 visits in the North West, the North East or Yorkshire and the Humber.
If you are in one of those regions and want support opening a home, a mock inspection or training, we can still help. We will also tell you when a visiting slot opens.
How Our Consultancy Works
Book a free consultation call.
We learn about your home, your pressures, and what you need.
We match you with the right consultant.
We pair you with someone whose experience fits your home, your young people, and your manager’s stage of career — then agree the scope together.
Support delivered.
Regulation 44 visits, mock Ofsted inspections, training, supervision, mentoring, and registration support — carried out by consultants who’ve run homes themselves, and reported against the Quality Standards.
Ongoing partnership.
Most of our clients stay with us for years.
Before You Commit to a Property for a Children's Home
Most of the money in a new home is spent before Ofsted sees anything. We look at the building first — communal space, bedroom sizes, bathroom ratios, layout — and tell you plainly whether it will pass. If it won't, you hear it before you have committed.
If it stacks up, we stay with you through planning use class, local authority demand, the registration documents and the two appointments that carry the accountability. Our founder Andrew Roberts oversees every new registration.
The full process, with Ofsted fees and realistic timelines, is on our opening a children's home page.
Case study: from property to registration in five months
Chloe had a building and no sector background. We assessed it room by room, supported the planning application and wrote the registration documents. She was registered in five months.
Our Services
Independent Regulation 44 visits and reports from experienced consultants, giving providers the statutory oversight and third-party assurance Ofsted expects.
Realistic mock inspections that test your home against the Quality Standards before Ofsted does — identifying strengths, risks, and gaps with a clear action plan.
Specialist support responding to Ofsted registration refusals, notices of proposal, and compliance notices — including representation and action planning.
Clinical safeguarding supervision for registered managers and care staff — reflective, case-focused sessions that strengthen practice and evidence quality of care.
Flexible training for children’s home staff, built around your service — covering safeguarding, regulation, Ofsted readiness, and residential practice.
Ongoing support for registered managers, including Ofsted interview preparation and practical guidance on leading a high-quality home.
One-to-one mentoring for directors, responsible individuals, and registered managers — leadership development grounded in children’s residential care.
Regulation 44 Visits and Independent Oversight
Every children's home in England must have a monthly visit from an independent person under Regulation 44 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015. Done badly, it's a form-filling exercise that tells you nothing. Done properly, it's the sharpest early-warning system a home has.
Our independent visitors have all managed homes. They know what to look for beyond the paperwork — the atmosphere at 6pm, whether boundaries are holding, whether meals and activities are what the children actually asked for, or what's convenient for staff. Reports are written against the 9 Quality Standards and give you evidence Ofsted can follow, with recommendations you can close out month to month.
Testimonials
What Children's Home Providers Say
From the outset, Andy took time to understand the organisation and build the relationship as a critical friend through regular dialogue. His support and service has been instrumental in helping Beaufort improve the quality of our service for young people through the regulation 44 independent visitors.
As we have grown, Changing Outcomes had grown with us. Providing an increased number of quality independent visitors. In addition to this, Andy and his team have also supported us in developing our supported housing provision by providing professional independent visitor reviews.
We have been working with Changing Outcomes for 4 years now. The Reg 44 visitors are always knowledgeable and familiar with the standards. We have found the visits to be thought provoking and a useful tool for personal and service development. The Reg 44 reports are well written and cover all of the standards thoroughly, with easy to evidence month to month progress on recommendations.
Having supervision with Changing Outcomes has been so beneficial to me as a newly qualified Children’s Home Manager. Our sessions are a safe and confidential space, where I am able to enhance my professional skills, attitudes, and knowledge in order to achieve competency in providing quality care. My supervisor also gives great advice and shares resources that I can implement into my service. I am really grateful to have been matched with her!
Meet the Team Behind Changing Outcomes
Each member works tirelessly to support, inspire, and guide our clients — all with one shared goal: to ensure every young person is safe, cherished, and given the opportunity to flourish.
Andrew Roberts
Company Director
Vickie Healey
Company Director
Sophie Hallam
Business Support Manager
Amy Bicknell
Training Co-ordinator and Children’s Home Consultant
Work With Us
We believe that meaningful work starts with a healthy work–life balance. Whether it’s attending a school play, supporting a family member, or making time for a yoga class, we actively encourage our team to structure their hours around both the needs of the homes they support, and their own lives.
Wellbeing is not just a value — it’s built into how we operate. We minimise long travel times, ensure tasks are manageable, and only take on new clients when we are confident that quality will never be compromised. Continuous learning and growth are central to our culture, and our team are at the heart of shaping how we evolve. When our people thrive, the children and providers we support do too.
Wellbeing is not just a value — it’s built into how we operate. We minimise long travel times, ensure tasks are manageable, and only take on new clients when we are confident that quality will never be compromised. Continuous learning and growth are central to our culture, and our team are at the heart of shaping how we evolve. When our people thrive, the children and providers we support do too.
Children’s Home Consultancy FAQs
What does a children’s home consultant do?
A children’s home consultant helps providers open, run, and improve children’s residential care. At Changing Outcomes, that includes Ofsted registration, Regulation 44 visits, mock Ofsted inspections, safeguarding supervision, training, and mentoring — delivered by consultants who have all been registered managers or responsible individuals themselves.
What is a Regulation 44 visit?
Regulation 44 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 requires an independent person to visit each children’s home monthly and report on the quality of care. Changing Outcomes provides experienced independent visitors and produces reports that evidence progress against the Quality Standards.
What is the difference between a Regulation 44 visit and a mock Ofsted inspection?
A Regulation 44 visit is a statutory monthly visit carried out by an independent person. A mock Ofsted inspection is a voluntary, full rehearsal of a real inspection. Both test quality — only one is a legal requirement.
Do I need a mock Ofsted inspection?
It isn’t a legal requirement, but it’s the most effective way to find gaps before Ofsted does. We run realistic inspections, identify risks and strengths, and give you a clear action plan.
What is a responsible individual?
A responsible individual is the person accountable to Ofsted for the management and quality of a children’s home. They are often a director or owner, and their appointment is part of the registration.
What happens if Ofsted refuses my registration?
You can make representations to Ofsted within set timescales, and the quality of that response matters. Changing Outcomes helps providers respond to registration refusals, notices of proposal, and compliance notices.
Do you work with children’s homes across the UK?
Yes. Changing Outcomes works with providers across the UK — from those opening their first home to established groups running multiple homes.
How much does children’s home consultancy cost?
It depends on the service and the size of your provision. Regulation 44 visits and training are usually priced per visit or session, while opening support is bespoke and quoted to your requirements. Book a free consultation for an honest breakdown.
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Get in touch!
If you want to work with children’s home consultants who go the extra mile to ensure a high standard of care, get in touch with us today.
