Four parts: about your business, your aims and objectives, each location, and each registered manager.
It is a legal requirement under Regulation 12 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. CQC publishes a template for each part and asks you to paste them into one document. Source: CQC's statement of purpose page, updated 25 March 2026.
What each part must contain
Name, legal status (sole trader, partnership or organisation), business address, telephone and email including the address for serving notices, and the names of any partners.
Your aims and objectives in providing the regulated activities at the locations you operate. For home care that is "personal care" from your office location.
Address and contact details, a description, the type of service, the different needs of the people you support, the regulated activities, and the registered manager for that location.
Full name and contact details, the address for serving notices, the locations they manage and the percentage of time at each, the activities they manage, and any job share.
For a home care agency, "location" means your office
CQC's "before you apply" page for homecare agencies says: "Even if you provide care in people's homes, we need information about your main office. This is where you'll manage your service and keep records." The address must be in England and cannot be a PO box.
After registration
You must keep the statement of purpose up to date and notify CQC of changes: update the document, send a notification, and attach the updated copy. Changes to your statement of purpose are on CQC's notifications list. See the notifications guide.
CQC's templates
CQC provides four Word templates (parts 1 to 4) on its statement of purpose page and says: "If you use our templates, copy and paste all the parts into one document before submitting it with your application." Our starter pack includes a completed-example version built to the same four parts, with a review date field and the source links.
Who this is not for. Providers outside England, and anyone wanting legal advice on their business structure.
Questions
Is a statement of purpose a legal requirement?
Yes. CQC says all registered providers must have an accurate, up-to-date statement of purpose under Regulation 12 of the CQC (Registration) Regulations 2009.
Can I use CQC's statement of purpose template?
Yes. CQC publishes four parts as Word files and asks you to combine them into one document.
- CQC: statement of purpose (page updated 25 March 2026)
- CQC: statement of purpose (document guidance) (page updated 2 February 2026)
- CQC: homecare agencies, before you apply (page updated 7 January 2026)
- CQC: regulations for service providers and managers (page updated 7 July 2025)