Recruitment & retention of Registered Managers  (Children’s Homes)/Heads of Care (RSS)

Commissioners, providers and government are concerned at the difficulties in recruiting Registered Managers in children’s homes and Heads of Care in residential special schools. Too many posts are vacant, in some settings managers do not register with Ofsted and providers comment they are unable to grow due to recruitment issues.

We’ve been surveying managers across the sector but the survey is now closed. We’re working hard to analyse the data, determine whether we need to speak to focus groups around particular questions and expect to publish this in the summer or early Autumn of 2025.

What we learn will be used to develop recommendations for providers and commissioners to inform recruitment, retention and growth strategies nationally to improve the current situation.

Who led the project?

An independent steering group came together to help focus this work on the things that matter most to children in residential care. This group was made up of:

  • The Department for Education
  • Ofsted
  • The South West Sufficiency Programme
  • The National Association of Special Schools
  • The Children’s Homes Association
  • Responsible Individual representatives from the South West
  • A local authority commissioner
  • Academics and researcher to ensure the validity of the work
  • dialogue

Who funded the project?

The following organisations funded the project although are not part of the steering group unless named:

  • The South West sufficiency programme, comprising South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, Swindon, Wiltshire, Torbay
  • RWK Goodman, a specialist law firm which supports children’s services and specialist schools.
  • Hazlewoods, a specialist accountancy and business advisory firm with a dedicated Healthcare team, supporting operators in growing, acquiring, and selling children’s homes and SEND schools
  • The Caretech Charitable Foundation, an independent grant making corporate foundation aimed at meaningful change in the social care sector
  • the National Association of Special Schools, and
  • dialogue, an organisation delivering safeguarding and leadership training and consultancy to the sector.

Want a copy of the findings?

We expect Ofsted will circulate a link once we’ve analysed all the data. If you want to be sure you don’t miss out, subscribe to our bulletin here and we’ll keep you in the loop, alongside lots of other information relevant to children’s residential care.