Fire Risk Assessment for Children's Homes: Requirements, Costs & What You Need in Place

The legal fire safety requirements for a children's home flow from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the FSO) — the primary fire safety legislation for non-domestic premises in England and Wales. Fire safety should be assessed alongside planning permission, because both determine whether the premises are registrable.

A children's home is non-domestic premises

A children's home is classified as non-domestic premises even if it is a converted house — the moment it becomes a place of work and care, the FSO applies.

The Order places a duty on the "responsible person" — for a children's home, the registered provider — to carry out a fire risk assessment, implement appropriate fire safety measures, and keep the assessment under review.

What Ofsted checks

Beyond the FSO, Ofsted's registration process specifically requires evidence that fire safety has been addressed. The pre-registration inspector will check for a current fire risk assessment, appropriate detection and alarm systems, fire doors, emergency lighting, and documented evacuation procedures. Without these, your application will not proceed.

A fire risk assessment is a structured evaluation of the premises, its use, and its occupants — identifying fire hazards and determining whether existing fire safety measures are adequate.

What the assessment examines

• Sources of ignition — electrical systems, cooking equipment, heating, candles, smoking.
• Sources of fuel — furniture, bedding, curtains, paper, cleaning materials.
• Means of escape — number and width of exit routes, travel distances, obstructions.
• Structural fire protection — fire doors, compartmentation, fire-resistant construction.
• Fire detection and alarm systems.
• Emergency lighting and fire safety signage.
• Firefighting equipment — extinguishers, fire blankets.
• Evacuation procedures and their suitability for the children accommodated.

The assessment must identify risks, evaluate their significance, and recommend actions to eliminate or reduce them to an acceptable level.

A children's home needs a fire detection and alarm system appropriate to the size and layout of the premises and the needs of the occupants.

The minimum

At minimum, interlinked smoke detectors on every level, in every bedroom corridor, and in the main living areas, with heat detectors in the kitchen.

For larger homes or those with complex layouts, the fire risk assessment may recommend a professionally installed system to BS 5839 standards — typically a Category L2 system providing detection in escape routes plus high-risk areas.

Testing and accessible alarms

The system should be tested weekly, with a record kept, and professionally serviced at least annually. For homes accommodating children with hearing impairments, visual alarm beacons or vibrating pad alerts may be needed. The fire risk assessor will specify the appropriate system for your premises.

Fire doors are required on every bedroom, kitchen, utility, boiler-room, and escape-route door — and they are one of the most significant capital costs in preparing a children's home.

Where fire doors are required

Every bedroom door must be a fire door — typically FD30, providing 30 minutes of fire resistance. Kitchen doors, doors to utility rooms, boiler rooms, and any door opening onto an escape route must also be fire doors.

Fire doors must be fitted with intumescent strips and cold smoke seals, self-closing devices, and appropriate ironmongery.

The cost

Installed cost runs £300–£600 per fire door, including the door, frame, ironmongery, intumescent strips, and fitting. A 4-bedroom home with kitchen and utility rooms might need 8–12 fire doors — £2,400–£7,200.

Compartmentation — the division of the building into fire-resistant sections — may also be required, particularly in converted properties where the original construction may not provide adequate fire separation.

Emergency lighting must illuminate all escape routes, exits, changes of direction, stairways, and final exit doors in the event of a power failure — typically battery-backed emergency luminaires or maintained lighting along escape routes.

Signage

Exit signage must comply with the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 — green "running man" signs at every exit and along escape routes.

In a domestic-style children's home, the fire risk assessment determines the extent of emergency lighting and signage needed. Smaller homes (3–4 beds) in straightforward layouts may need relatively modest provision; larger or more complex buildings may require a more extensive scheme.

Plan evacuation around the specific needs of the children accommodated. Unlike an office building, you are evacuating children who may be asleep, distressed, confused, non-verbal, physically impaired, or in some cases resistant to evacuation.

What the evacuation plan must include

• Designated assembly points.
• Clear responsibilities for each member of staff on duty, including waking night staff.
• Procedures for accounting for all children.
• Personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for any child with specific needs affecting their ability to evacuate.
• Arrangements for contacting emergency services.
• A grab bag with essential information — medication lists, emergency contacts, care plans.

Fire drills

Fire drills must be conducted at least quarterly, including practice at different times of day — including during sleeping hours at least once a year. Record every drill: date, time, conditions, evacuation time, and any issues identified.

The FSO requires the assessment to be carried out by a "competent person". There is no specific qualification mandated by law, but in practice you should use a professional fire risk assessor with relevant qualifications and experience of residential care settings.

What to look for

Look for assessors who hold qualifications accredited by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), or who are registered with a professional body — the British Association of Fire Safety Technology (BAFST), the Institute of Fire Prevention Officers (IFPO), or the Fire Risk Assessors Register.

A professional assessor will typically visit the premises, conduct the assessment in 2–4 hours, and provide a written report within 1–2 weeks.

A professional fire risk assessment typically costs £300–£800, depending on the size and complexity of the premises, and should be commissioned early — before you commit to a property, or immediately after. This is the assessment itself — it does not include the cost of any remedial works the assessor identifies, so include it in the wider registration cost plan.

Common remedial costs

Total fire safety costs for a typical 4-bed children's home in a converted domestic property typically range from £3,000 to £8,000, including the assessment and all remedial works.