Supporting documents: buy or transfer a registered business or change business type application

This confirms you have the finances to provide your service and keep it running, as set out in your statement of purpose.

The financial viability statement must include:

Your details:

• name of business
• main business address including contact details
• name, position and signature of applicant

Financial specialist (such as your accountant) details:

• name of organisation
• professional accreditation body and registration number
• main business address including contact details
• their name, position and signature

We recommend you use our financial viability statement template, attached to this page.

It must be signed by:

• a professionally qualified accountancy company (registered with a recognised supervisory or qualifying body), or
• a bank or financial services firm regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

It must not be signed by a friend or relative.

Your financial specialist may need to see your business plan to help them confirm your business is financially viable.

They must state whether, in their opinion, you are or are not financially viable and any concerns.

We may contact them if we need further information.

Governance is the system of rules, practices and processes you use to manage your business effectively.

This document shows us that you have effective governance to run a well-led service and provide a high standard of care. It should be specific to your service and include how you will:

• manage and govern your organisation
• continually assess and improve your governance practice
• seek and act on feedback from people using the service
• assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the services you provide
• securely maintain accurate, complete and detailed records of
• each person using the service
• staff employment
• meet statutory requirements such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). See the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) guide to data protection.

You must have insurance and suitable indemnity arrangements. These must cover potential liabilities arising from death, injury, or other causes, loss or damage to property, and other financial risks.

Complete the liability insurance supporting information form, attached to this page, to explain these arrangements.

This shows us that you have the appropriate procedures in place. It should be specific to your service and include:

• how you make sure recruitment is fair and complies with legislation
• stages of recruitment
• conditions of employment
• what references you need for a new employee
• how you check previous employment
• policy for recruiting volunteers and apprentices
• recruitment complaints policy

This must include:

• specific procedures for the types of services and age groups you propose to care for
• guidance about how people can raise concerns about abuse.

This information must be accessible to:

• people who use your service
• their advocates, those lawfully acting on their behalf and those close to them
• your staff.

Include this information:

Staffing:

• the different roles
• numbers of staff in each role
• qualifications for each role
• responsibilities for each role.

This will show us how you will make sure the service is supported by a suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced workforce.

Management structure:

• who is responsible for each area of the business - who they report to and who reports to them
• how your business will meet its goals.