We are continually reviewing how we inspect regulated services and have been testing out a new, more proportionate, inspection type for better performing care homes for children and young people. The ‘Promise Assurance’ inspection reflects ‘Plan 24-30' set by The Promise and further builds on our journey to ensure that scrutiny is centered on listening to children and young people.
This type of inspection will enable us to:
• see young people in services more often, to help us build stronger relationships with them and those who care for them.
• examine the key Promise foundations which uphold and promote children and young people’s rights and publicly report on them.
• be quicker and more pro-active in identifying potential risks to good outcomes for children and young people.
• make our scrutiny more proportionate to the performance of better performing services.
• further strengthen our partnership working with services in our shared goal of meeting the expectations of The Promise.
What services are eligible for a Promise Assurance inspection and when will they start?
Following positive feedback from our test, we are extending the pilot of Promise Assurance inspections for the remainder of this inspection year. The extended pilot will begin in mid-November 2025 for services which have been evaluated as either very good or excellent in the past two years and possess a low or medium SAT.
How does a Promise Assurance inspection differ from a ‘Key Question 7 inspection’?
Well performing services, which provide good outcomes for children and young people, have the rights and voices of children and young people at the heart of their service. The focus of a Promise Assurance inspection is to speak to young people to explore whether they continue to feel safe and at the centre of their care.
It is structured around the Promise foundations of Voice, Care and People and continues to reflect the expectations and outcomes of key questions 7.1 and 7.2.
We will also examine a sample of core assurances, which will be proportionate to the good outcomes evidenced at the previous inspection. We will not be evaluating any individual key questions but affirming that similar outcomes from the previous inspection are being sustained.
No new grade is given following a Promise Assurance inspection, but structured feedback on our findings is provided to the registered manager and a public report produced.
Our tests so far indicate that Promise Assurance inspections have a significantly smaller footprint than Key Question 7 inspections, with feedback to the manager often being given on the same day. If this is not the case, feedback will be given the following day.
Many of the aspects of the Promise Assurance inspection continue to be the same as Key Question 7 inspections. Prior to inspection, services will still be asked to distribute online questionnaires to children and young people and provide details of external professionals. We will also ask services for brief details of home routines to help make sure we visit at the best time to see young people. Inspectors will continue to speak to staff and managers and have a tour of the home. The error response process is also unchanged. Core assurances should all be available and promptly accessible.
Should concerns arise that outcomes for children and young people are not being sustained it may be decided that a Key Question 7 inspection is more appropriate. In these situations, the inspector will fully explain the reasons why a more detailed evaluation of outcomes and practice is needed. There may also be other occasions when a Key Question 7 inspection is undertaken, for example due to recent complaints, but again this will be transparently shared with the service.
As part of the extended pilot we will ask all services who experience a Promise Assurance inspection for their feedback following publication of the final report.
Should you have any further questions please contact your case holding inspector.