These Regulations may be cited as the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and come into force on 1st April 2015.

In these Regulations—

• “behaviour management policy” has the meaning given in regulation 35(1);

• “care plan” has the meaning given in the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 M1;

• “care role” means a role in which the work consists, or consisted, mainly or solely of providing care for children or adults;

• “case records” means the records maintained under regulation 36 about a child;

• “child protection enquiry” means any enquiry carried out by a local authority in the exercise of any of their functions conferred by or under the Children Act 1989 M2 relating to the protection of children;

• “child protection policies” means the children's home's policies for safeguarding children (see regulation 34(1)) and preventing bullying (see regulation 34(3)) and the missing child policy (see regulation 34(4));

• “childcare” has the meaning given in section 18 of the Childcare Act 2006 M3;

• “children's guide” means a document produced by the registered person that explains, in a form appropriate to the age, needs and understanding of children—

  1. a

     what each child can expect of and from the home's care;

  2. b

     the support to which each child is entitled;

  3. c

     how to make a complaint about the home or someone in it; and

  4. d

     how to access advocacy support;

• “EHC plan” has the meaning given in section 37(2) (education, health and care plans) of the Children and Families Act 2014;

• “general medical practitioner” means a medical practitioner whose name is included in the General Practitioner Register kept by the General Medical Council under section 34C of the Medical Act 1983 M4;

• “HMCI” means Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills;

• “health”, in relation to a child, includes that child's emotional, mental and physical health;

• “independent person” has the meaning given in regulation 43(1);

• “independent reviewing officer” means a person appointed under section 25A of the Children Act 1989 M5F1or section 99 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014;

• “organisation” means a body corporate or an unincorporated association other than a partnership (but see paragraph (2)(d));

• “placement plan” means—

  1. a

     in relation to a child who is looked after by a local authority—

     1. i

        the plan prepared under regulation 9 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010; or

     2. ii

        the child's detention placement plan prepared under regulation 47C(2) of those Regulations M6;

  2. b

     in relation to a child who is not looked after by a local authority—

     1. i

        the plan prepared under regulations 4 and 5 of the Arrangements for Placement of Children by Voluntary Organisations and Others (England) Regulations 2011 M7; or

     2. ii

        the plan prepared by the registered person under regulation 18(4);

• “placing authority”—

  1. a

     if the child is looked after by a local authority—

     1. i

        and the child is not a youth justice child, means the local authority that looks after the child;

     2. ii

        and the child is a youth justice child, means the local authority that looks after that youth justice child and the youth offending team with responsibility for that youth justice child;

  2. b

     if the child is not looked after by a local authority—

     1. i

        and the child is being provided with accommodation by a voluntary organisation, means that voluntary organisation;

     2. ii

        and the child is accommodated in a qualifying school under arrangements made by a local authority, means that local authority;

     3. iii

        and the child is a youth justice child, means the youth offending team with responsibility for that youth justice child;

     4. iv

        in cases not falling within sub-paragraphs (i), (ii) or (iii), means the child's parent;

  3. c

     does not include a parent of a child who is not looked after by a local authority in the following provisions—

     1. i

        regulation 5(c);

     2. ii

        regulation 16(2)(d);

     3. iii

        regulation 18(9)(a);

     4. iv

        regulation 34(2)(b) and (c);

     5. v

        regulation 36(5)(b)(ii);

     6. vi

        regulation 44(7)(c);

     7. vii

        regulation 45(5);

     8. viii

        paragraphs 19 and 20 of Schedule 3;

• “qualifying school” means a school which is a children's home within the meaning of section 1(6) of the Care Standards Act 2000;

• “registered dental practitioner” means a person registered in the dentists register under section 14 of the Dentists Act 1984 M8;

• “registered manager” means a person who is registered under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000 as the manager of the home;

• “registered person” means the registered provider or the registered manager of the home;

• “registered provider” means the person who is registered under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000 as the person carrying on the home;

• “relevant person” means any person, body or organisation that the registered person considers to be relevant in relation to the care, protection or safeguarding of a particular child in all the circumstances;

• “relevant plans”, in relation to a child, means—

  1. a

     any placement plan for the child;

  2. b

     any care plan for the child;

  3. c

     any EHC plan for the child;

  4. d

     any statement of special educational needs for the child; and

  5. e

     if the child is a youth justice child—

     1. i

        any detention placement plan for the child (under regulation 47C(2) of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010); and

     2. ii

        any other plan or plans prepared by the child's placing authority in relation to the remand or sentencing of the child;

• “responsible individual” means an individual who—

  1. a

     is a director, manager, secretary or other officer of an organisation which is the registered provider; and

  2. b

     is nominated by that organisation for the purpose of supervising the management of the home on behalf of the organisation;

• “restraint” means using force or restricting liberty of movement;

• “secure children's home” means F2—

  1. a

     a children's home provided for the purpose of restricting liberty and approved for that purpose in accordance with regulation 3 of the Children (Secure Accommodation) Regulations 1991 M9

     F3; or

  1. a

     a secure 16 to 19 Academy (see section 1B(4) to (7) of the Academies Act 2010);

• “short breaks” has the meaning given in regulation 52;

• “special educational needs” has the meaning given by section 20 of the Children and Families Act 2014;

• “statement of purpose” means the statement compiled in accordance with regulation 16;

• “statement of special educational needs” means a statement of special educational needs maintained in relation to the child under section 324 of the Education Act 1996 M10;

• “youth justice child” means a child who is—

  1. a

     subject to a detention order within the meaning of section 562(1A)(a) of the Education Act 1996 M11 or remanded under section 91(4) of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 M12; and

  2. b

     detained in or remanded to a secure children's home.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The exception in paragraph (1)(d) does not apply to any establishment or premises in which the children who are accommodated are wholly or mainly of a description falling within section 3(2) of the Care Standards Act 2000.