Healthcare professionals have an obligation to enable children with complex needs to lead 'ordinary lives' at home but the views of professionals and family members often diverge in relation to the management of risks. Nurses are increasingly taking on the clinical responsibility for children with complex needs within a multidisciplinary, multi-agency team, yet have little training or experience in adapting risk management and clinical governance frameworks to home-based settings. Risk management frameworks for home-based care for children with complex health and social care needs are introduced in this article. Best practice guidance and resources for adapting risk management frameworks are presented to meet this identified gap in knowledge and experience. Children, young people and their parents have increasing expectations relating to the type and quality of home-based support they receive. Developing and applying clinical governance and risk management frameworks are part of improving outcomes for children with complex needs and their families.