YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation 1 YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation Registered provider: Bridgwater Young Men’s Christian Association

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is owned and managed by a private provider. The service can accommodate up to 28 children in six shared or group living homes that are limited and not limited to accommodating looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

The service can accommodate 14 children in single occupancy flats that are limited and not limited to accommodating looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of this inspection, this service was providing supported accommodation for 17 children aged 16 and 17.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024. The provider also registered at that time.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 24 February 2025 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 26 to 28 February 2025.

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Outcome

Consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive experiences and progress for children. Where improvements are needed, leaders and managers take timely and effective action.

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Summary of findings

Children make good progress from their starting points. The staff build meaningful and positive relationships with the children. Children feel safe and supported and this gives them the confidence to navigate their way to adulthood. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation 2 Children benefit from individualised support that is responsive to their needs, risks and behaviours. They are provided with opportunities to thrive and flourish.

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Summary of findings

Effective leadership and management results in positive outcomes for children. The manager is visible, known to children and supports staff to take a child-centred approach to caring for children.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are actively addressing areas that continue to need development and improvement. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children receive support that is personalised and is adapted according to the level of independence, and staff know the children extremely well. This is resulting in children making good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are supported to attend college, access health services, and take part in activities, clubs and events arranged by the organisation. Feedback from social workers is extremely positive and supports this. One said that this is one of the best supported accommodation providers they are placing children with and spoke of the successes some children have had from engaging in apprenticeships, and training opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Each child has a support plan that, in the main, captures their views and needs. However, some are generic and lack detail. For example, it was unclear how staff would support children who struggle to keep their bedrooms and flats tidy and clean. Leaders and managers were quick to respond to this shortfall.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children develop skills to support their cultural and religious needs, physical and emotional health, and legal and financial stability. Children were positive about their living experiences and what they had achieved. One child said, ‘I don’t have to worry about anything. They just make me feel like I don’t need to worry about anything. This is my home, and I actually feel safe.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children live in accommodation that is safe and welcoming and, in the main, of a high standard. Single occupancy flats and group living accommodation houses give children a choice in the type of accommodation they live in, dependant on their level of support and independence. Communal areas across all premises that children share are warm, homely and inviting. They are places where children can meet, socialise and enjoy group activities. This helps children to develop their social interaction skills and to grow in confidence.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children are kept safe because staff understand the children’s safeguarding needs. However, the quality of children’s risk assessments is variable. In some cases, these documents lack clear strategies to guide staff on how to respond to children’s risks; they are not comprehensive and contain generic statements. This does not help staff to personalise children’s plans.

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How well children are helped and protected

Since the provider registered in April 2024, there have been three allegations against a staff member. Leaders and managers have responded appropriately and worked very well with external safeguarding agencies to safeguard the children.

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How well children are helped and protected

Incidents relating to children going missing from care are infrequent. However, when children are missing, the registered service manager and staff respond quickly and Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation 4 take appropriate action. They carry out a thorough review to understand what has taken place and to put in place mitigating steps to prevent a reoccurrence.

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How well children are helped and protected

Complaints, allegations and serious incidents are not a frequent occurrence. However, leaders and managers failed to notify Ofsted, in line with the supported accommodation regulations, of all incidents. This prevents the regulator from assessing the effectiveness and suitability of the organisation’s response to all safeguarding matters.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff are up to date with their mandatory safeguarding training. They receive and access both face-to-face and online learning opportunities. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet children’s needs.

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How well children are helped and protected

The use of CCTV was found across all areas of accommodation, and its use has not been reviewed. Leaders and managers recognise the value and importance of completing a thorough review of this practice. This will ensure that the use of CCTV is no more intrusive than necessary and is only used to support the safeguarding, protection and well-being of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have high expectations of themselves and the organisation. This is underpinned by an established open culture, where inclusion and an understanding of the vulnerabilities and diverse needs of children are fully understood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders’ and managers’ openness to challenge and learning from challenge means that children’s views are heard, taken seriously and acted on. Children’s voices are used well to influence services and improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff receive support through training and supervision. However, formal supervision does not take place regularly for all staff. Records sampled are of a variable quality. While some records demonstrated detailed and effective supervision meetings, others did not. These records did not detail whether the supervisor has assessed if the individual is meeting their role and responsibilities, or the impact their direct work has had for the children they support. This is a missed opportunity to make sure that staff practice is safe and professional.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have good oversight across the organisation, and they work collaboratively with other agencies and staff. They also have monitoring and recording systems that are mostly effective. However, leaders and managers recognise further work is required to ensure that the organisation is operating in line with all the supported accommodation regulations. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the supported accommodation undertaking that puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the supported accommodation undertaking in a way that is consistent with the ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the undertaking’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place for the supervision, training and development of staff. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(g)) 6 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that children are encouraged and enabled to take a lead role in determining the support they receive and to participate in and influence how the supported accommodation operates;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that plans for support are based on initial referral information, are meaningful and are created in full consultation with the child, taking account of relevant plans for the child;

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Requirement Due date

keep the child’s support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to 6 June 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation 6 ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation or child criminal exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child and the registered person considers that incident to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(f)) 6 June 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the supported accommodation settings are nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of children, and that they will always be homely and welcoming environments. Supported accommodation settings must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, fire, food storage and hygiene etc.) (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including quality standards’, page 29)  The registered person should ensure that CCTV or other monitoring equipment in a setting must only be to support the safeguarding, protection and wellbeing of children. Any use of CCTV must be no more intrusive than is needed and should respect the privacy of children. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including quality standards’, page 30)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Bridgwater Young Men’s Christian Association

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: The George Williams Centre, Friarn Avenue, Bridgwater TA6 3RF

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Kevin Lilwall

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Inspectors

Linda Bond, Social Care Inspector Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: YMCA Dulverton Group Supported Accommodation 8 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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