There is no officially prescribed template for a Regulation 45 report. But there is a clear structure that experienced Ofsted inspectors expect to see, and departing significantly from it raises questions about the quality of the review.

This guide sets out each required section in the order inspectors expect to find it, with guidance on what to write, what good looks like, and the most common mistakes to avoid.

Before you start: what to gather

Before writing your Regulation 45, collect the following:

  • Monthly internal audit or management oversight records for the full review period
  • All Regulation 44 independent visitor reports from the period
  • Minutes from team meetings, young persons' meetings, and multi-agency reviews
  • Children's consultation records and feedback forms
  • Supervision records for all staff
  • A summary of incidents, restraints, missing episodes, and Regulation 40 notifications sent to Ofsted
  • Training compliance records for the staff team
  • Written feedback received from placing authorities, professionals, and family members

The Regulation 45 is only as strong as the evidence underpinning it. Gathering your source documents first ensures that every claim in the report is specific and supported.

Cover section

Your report should open with:

  • Review period — the start and end dates covered (e.g. January – June 2026)
  • Completed by — full name and role of the person conducting the review
  • Date completed — the date the review was finalised
  • Submission date — the date submitted to Ofsted (must be within 28 days of completion)
  • Home covered — the registered name and address of the home

Follow this with a brief methodological statement: what visits took place, what documents were reviewed, and who was consulted. This immediately signals a credible, evidence-based review.

Example opening statement: "This review was conducted by the Responsible Individual following a structured review of the home's monthly audit documents, Regulation 44 reports, and management oversight records for the period January to June 2026. The RI conducted two visits to the home during this period, speaking with children, staff, and the registered manager directly. Written feedback was sought from placing authorities and professionals in the children's networks."

Quality Standard 1: Quality and Purpose of Care (Regulations 5 and 6)

This section assesses whether the home is delivering care that reflects its registered statement of purpose and genuinely meets the needs of the children placed.

What to cover:

  • Whether the statement of purpose accurately reflects current practice, and when it was last reviewed and updated
  • The physical environment: is it homely, well-maintained, and personalised to the children living there?
  • Whether each child's needs are being met through their individual care, education, and health arrangements
  • The quality of records: are care plans, risk assessments, and chronologies current and complete?
  • Staff experience, qualifications, and whether the team has the skills to meet each child's specific presentation

What good looks like: The statement of purpose is treated as a live document, not a filing exercise. The physical environment is described with specific examples — a bedroom personalised at a child's request, an outdoor space that children use daily. Care planning is presented as responsive and reflective, not as a compliance process.

Common mistake: Describing the home in generic terms such as "the home is clean and well-maintained" without specific examples. Inspectors want to read about this home and these children.

Quality Standard 2: Children's Views, Wishes and Feelings (Regulation 7)

This is one of the most scrutinised sections of any Regulation 45 report. Inspectors speak with children during inspection and take their views seriously. They will cross-reference what children say with what the Reg 45 claims.

What to cover:

  • How children were consulted during the review period — what methods, how frequently, and whether consultation was accessible to each child individually
  • A summary of what children said (using anonymised initials or references)
  • Specific examples of where children's feedback led to a tangible change
  • Whether children attended or had input into their care planning reviews
  • Whether any complaints or concerns were raised and how they were addressed
  • Whether children have access to advocates and whether they have used this support

What good looks like: The report describes multiple consultation routes — keywork sessions, young persons' meetings, individual feedback forms, direct conversations with the RI during visits — and gives concrete examples of children's views shaping decisions in the home.

Common mistake: A single annual feedback form presented as the consultation. Inspectors assess the quality, frequency, and authenticity of consultation — not just that it happened.

Quality Standard 3: Education (Regulation 8)

What to cover:

  • The educational provision for each child: what they are attending, whether their Personal Education Plan (PEP) is current, and what they are achieving
  • Barriers to education that have been identified and what action has been taken to address them
  • Multi-agency work with schools, virtual school heads, and placing authorities around each child's educational progress
  • Significant achievements during the period

What good looks like: Each child is referenced individually with a brief account of their educational situation, progress, and any outstanding actions. The report shows that education is actively monitored and that barriers are escalated rather than accepted.

Common mistake: Confirming that PEPs are up to date without any narrative about how education is actually going for each child. PEP compliance is a minimum standard, not evidence of quality.

Quality Standard 4: Enjoyment and Achievement (Regulation 9)

What to cover:

  • Activities children have participated in during the period, and whether these reflect their individual interests and wishes
  • How staff have supported and encouraged children's activities
  • Any community involvement or positive contributions by children
  • Barriers to meaningful activity and how they have been addressed

What good looks like: Specific activities are named with reference to individual children — not a generic list of "outings and activities." The report shows that activity planning is child-led and that children have had genuine input into what they do.

Quality Standard 5: Health and Well-being (Regulation 10)

What to cover:

  • Registration with GP, dentist, and optician for each child, and any outstanding health needs
  • Health appointments attended during the period and their outcomes
  • Annual health assessments: completed, received, and acted upon
  • Emotional health and well-being: what specialist support is in place, whether children are engaging, and how this is working
  • Health promotion work with children around healthy lifestyle, mental health, and (where appropriate) sexual health and substance awareness

What good looks like: Physical and emotional health are given equal weight. Where specialist support is commissioned — CAMHS, therapeutic services, complex safeguarding workers — the report describes what this involves and how it is benefiting the individual child.

Quality Standard 6: Positive Relationships (Regulation 11)

What to cover:

  • The quality of relationships between staff and children: how these have been built and maintained during the period
  • How staff have responded to children's individual emotional and behavioural needs
  • Patterns of behaviour across the period — what has improved, what remains challenging, and what the home is doing about it
  • Peer-on-peer issues between children in the home and how these have been addressed
  • Whether staff have the skills and experience to manage each child's specific presentation

What good looks like: The report is analytical, not just descriptive. It explains why things have improved or remained difficult, shows how staff have adapted their approach to individual children, and demonstrates that behaviour management is proactive and reflective rather than reactive.

Common mistake: Listing incidents without analysis. An incident log is not a Reg 45 section. Inspectors want patterns, responses, and evidence of learning — not a chronology of events.

Quality Standard 7: Protection of Children (Regulation 12)

What to cover:

  • Safeguarding concerns raised during the period, how each was managed, and the outcome
  • Regulation 40 notifications: have all required events been notified to Ofsted promptly?
  • Whether the home's safeguarding policy is current, understood by staff, and applied consistently
  • Any LADO investigations, complaints, or allegations — and their outcomes
  • Environmental and location risk assessments: are they current and effective?

What good looks like: Safeguarding is evidenced as a live, active function — not a policy document. Incidents are referenced with dates and outcomes. There is clear evidence that the home has applied its procedures consistently and that staff understand their individual responsibilities.

Common mistake: Stating "there have been no safeguarding concerns this period" when records show incidents have occurred. This is the section where under-reporting creates the most serious risk. Inspectors compare the Reg 45 against notifications sent to Ofsted, records in the home, and what children and staff say directly.

Quality Standard 8: Leadership and Management (Regulation 13)

This section directly assesses the quality of the registered person's oversight. It is the most direct measure of the RI's engagement with the home.

What to cover:

  • Specific outcomes achieved for individual children during the period
  • Staff qualifications, the quality of supervision, and training compliance
  • Whether staffing levels are sufficient for the needs of the children currently placed
  • The home's development plan: is it current and is it driving genuine improvement?
  • Whether monthly audits have been completed and what they have identified
  • How external feedback — Regulation 44 reports, placing authority visits, quality assurance activity — has been used to improve practice

What good looks like: The RI demonstrates genuine, active oversight rather than administrative presence. They speak to individual children's progress by name, know what recent Regulation 44 reports have identified, and show that auditing activity has changed something — not just documented that everything is fine.

Quality Standard 9: Care Planning (Regulation 14)

What to cover:

  • Whether the home continues to meet each child's needs as set out in the statement of purpose
  • The quality of individual care plans: are they current, child-centred, and meaningfully reflective of each child's life?
  • Contact arrangements for each child: are they being followed, and if not, why?
  • Whether care plan reviews have taken place on schedule
  • Positive outcomes achieved within care planning during the period

Feedback section

A Regulation 45 report must include feedback gathered from relevant parties. This is a regulatory requirement — not optional. Include feedback from:

  • Placing authorities and social workers
  • Professionals involved in the children's care (health, education, advocacy)
  • Family members where applicable
  • Staff members
  • The children themselves

Quotations carry weight. Present feedback directly where you have it in writing. Where feedback has been critical, include it honestly — and explain what action was taken.

Evaluation: strengths and areas for development

Strengths: What the home does well, supported by specific evidence from the review period. Not generic statements — named examples.

Areas for development: What needs to improve and why. A Regulation 45 report that identifies no areas for development will be treated with immediate scepticism by any experienced inspector. Every home has areas it is working on. Naming them demonstrates the self-awareness and honest leadership that Ofsted values.

Action plan

The action plan closes the report. For every action identified in the review, include:

  • A clear description of what needs to happen
  • Who is responsible
  • The target completion date

At your next Regulation 45, each action should be reviewed and its status reported. Actions that remain outstanding across multiple review periods — without explanation — are a significant concern for inspectors.

Pre-submission checklist

Before submitting your Regulation 45, confirm:

  • The review period is no more than six months
  • All nine Quality Standards are addressed with specific evidence
  • Children have been meaningfully consulted and their feedback is included
  • Regulation 44 findings from the period are directly referenced and responded to
  • Areas for improvement are honestly identified
  • An action plan with named owners and timescales is included
  • The report is signed by the registered person
  • Submission to Ofsted will be within 28 days of the date the review was completed
  • Copies are being sent to all placing authorities of children currently in placement

How CareClarity supports Regulation 45

CareClarity's Reg 45 Review tool allows you to upload your draft report and receive structured feedback before it reaches Ofsted — applying the same analytical lens an inspector would use. The tool identifies where evidence is thin, whether Regulation 44 findings have been addressed, and where the language of the report may undermine its credibility.

Start your free 7-day trial and run your next Reg 45 through CareClarity before submission.