The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023

The accommodation standard

6.—(1) The accommodation standard is that children experience a comfortable and secure living environment.

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

(a) ensure that the location of the premises used as supported accommodation is suitable for the category or categories of supported accommodation provided, by—

(i) reviewing the appropriateness and suitability of the location of each of the premises used as supported accommodation (“a location assessment”), and in doing so, consulting and taking into account the views of each relevant person;

(ii) carrying out a location assessment of each of the premises used as supported accommodation at least once in each calendar year;

(b) ensure that the premises used as supported accommodation—

(i) provide stability and consistency of accommodation for children;

(ii) enable children to have consistent and continuous access to local services, including education and healthcare;

(iii) promote children’s positive self-esteem and sense of belonging within the local community, and discourage stigmatisation of children;

(iv) are located so as to enable children to actively participate and form relationships in the local community;

(v) are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child individually and all children collectively;

(vi) are suitable for the purposes of supported accommodation and are accessible, safe, secure and well-maintained;

(vii) offer a comfortable, positive and nurturing environment, while respecting children’s need for privacy;

(viii) are adequately maintained so as to provide a welcoming and homely environment within both individual and shared living spaces;

(ix) are designed, furnished and maintained to remove avoidable hazards which could pose a health and safety risk to children;

(x) comply with all relevant statutory provisions dealing with health and safety or fire safety matters;

(c) only use devices for monitoring or surveillance in communal areas and then only if—

(i) the monitoring or surveillance is for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children,

(ii) each child’s accommodating authority consents to the monitoring or surveillance,

(iii) children are informed in advance of the intention to carry out monitoring or surveillance, and

(iv) the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to each child’s need for privacy;

(d) ensure that each child is provided with a private bedroom—

(i) with sufficient space to accommodate a reasonable number of personal possessions,

(ii) which is equipped to meet the child’s individual needs,

(iii) which has sufficient telephone or internet connectivity in order to enable the child to maintain relationships and feel connected, and

(iv) which is physically secure;

(e) ensure that each child is provided with basic items such as bedding, towels, personal hygiene products and kitchen equipment, where the child does not have access to such items;

(f) provide children with a written agreement, in an accessible format, which outlines their rights, the terms and conditions of the supported accommodation and how they can raise concerns about the provision of supported accommodation;

(g) ensure that the supported accommodation undertaking has adequate levels of insurance to cover all aspects of the provision of supported accommodation.