Look beyond the CV
Registration experience, qualifications and sector knowledge are important. But a strong Registered Manager also needs to create a safe culture, lead people, make sound decisions and translate standards into everyday practice.
Five things to explore
Safeguarding judgement: can they recognise, escalate and learn from concerns? Leadership: can they develop staff and address poor practice? Quality assurance: do they know what good evidence looks like? Outcomes: can they explain how care improves children’s experiences? Fit: do their strengths match the home’s model and stage of development?
Ask for evidence, not slogans
Rather than asking “Are you a good leader?”, ask for a specific example of an improvement they led. What was wrong? What did they do? What changed for children and staff? How did they know it lasted?
CANDL perspective
The strongest match is not automatically the person with the longest service history. A newly opening home, a stabilising service and an established multi-home group may need different leadership strengths.
Further reading / source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-homes-regulations-including-quality-standards-guide
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