Transforming Lives Company Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 1 Transforming Lives Company Ltd Registered provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation provider registered with Ofsted on 2 October 2023. The nominated individual registered as the service manager at the same time.

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provider

At the time of this inspection, the nominated individual/registered service manager was on planned leave from work. The operations manager facilitated this inspection.

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provider

The provider can accommodate up to 46 children across eight group-living homes that are limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 26 children aged 16 and 17 were living at the provider’s supported accommodation, 20 of them unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

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provider

The inspector was aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspection outcome.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 12 May 2025 and started that day. The inspector was on site from 14 to 16 May 2025.

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Outcome

Inconsistent quality of service delivery adversely affects some children’s experiences, and this may limit their progress. Leaders and managers must make improvements. The next inspection will be within approximately 18 months.

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Summary of findings

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 2 Some aspects of the service are strong, but leaders and managers’ practices fall short in some areas. Generally, the children who are currently accommodated by the service are doing well but the wide-ranging weaknesses may negatively affect their experiences and limit their progress.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not fulfil their regulatory responsibilities. They do not consistently send safeguarding notifications or the six-monthly reports on the review of the quality of support to Ofsted.

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Summary of findings

Areas for improvement include staff recruitment practices, restrictive practice use of surveillance, the statement of purpose, the children’s guide and contingency planning.

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Summary of findings

The leaders and managers were not aware of the shortfalls that the inspection highlighted. They accept that they must improve and started taking action during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children appreciate the support that they receive from the staff to develop practical skills and become more independent. All the children spoken to had only positive things to say about the staff’s availability and caring approach. Children talked abut staff always having time to talk, helping them with whatever they need and teaching them how to do things for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff provide emotional support to children and help them to develop a sense of stability in their lives. When children present with challenges, staff do not give up on them. Staff continue to work with other professionals to fine tune the support so that it reaches children more effectively. For example, for one child, this is the longest placement they have had since being in care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to have healthy lifestyles on the budget that they have. Staff ensure that children know how to cook healthy meals from simple ingredients. Children access health services, have any necessary immunisations and, if needed, manage their own health conditions and medication. In consultation with children, the provider is creating gyms across the service to make it easier for children to exercise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Effective collaboration with the virtual school means that children access learning opportunities in ways that recognise their needs and encourage their engagement. Staff encourage unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to learn at home while waiting for their formal education in college to start. The children talked about how much their ability to communicate in English has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

A programme of activities for children, such as going to the cinema, bowling and to football tournaments, helps children to develop confidence in social situations and feel more included in their local communities. Having fun together has also helped Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 3 children to develop positive relationships and friendships with one another. One child said that the children live together like brothers and sisters.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The children like the areas in which they live. They enjoy having well-maintained and comfortable homes. However, the extensive use of cameras in the communal areas is intrusive. The children’s guide states, ‘Please remember the CCTV is watching you!’ One child said, ‘In the living room, if I am chilling, I see the camera with red light on and know that I am being watched 24/7.’ A staff member said that staff watch children on cameras from the office.

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How well children are helped and protected

Gaps in staff recruitment processes undermine safeguarding of children. The lack of a robust procedure for ensuring that all staff are suitable for their roles increases risks to children. At times, the provider has allowed staff who were not fully vetted to support children, including working with children on their own.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some staff practices are restrictive. The restrictions limit the opportunities for children to learn how to be more independent while staying safe when they are at home at night. For example, the kitchen, the communal room and the main door to the property, which is also a designated fire exit, are locked. Only the staff member sleeping in has the keys. This practice also increases risks should there need to be an evacuation in an emergency.

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How well children are helped and protected

All children spoken to say they feel safe. They trust that the staff will always support them and they are comfortable to approach staff with any issues and requests for support.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff understand contextual safeguarding and exploitation risks. They work in close partnership with other professionals to identify concerns and put appropriate strategies in place to safeguard children. With staff support, children become safer over time. Positive relationships between staff and children underpin this outcome. Examples of children’s increased safety include significant reductions in self-harming behaviours, substance misuse, going missing from care and exploitation concerns.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff follow an appropriate procedure for dealing with allegations. When concerns arise, they liaise with the local authority designated officer, and other agencies to ensure that children are safeguarded while the concern is being investigated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leaders and managers are learning about what it means to be a regulated service. The foundation documents for the service do not meet the regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The statement of purpose does not include information about how the service supports children’s cultural and religious needs. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 4 The children’s guide has not been written for children. The guide includes information for local authorities about how to make a referral to the service. Some information is included in the guide for the benefit of staff. The complaints form is for the staff to use to record a complaint raised by a child, rather than for children to raise complaints.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The contingency plan policy provides incorrect information to staff and other stakeholders about the retention of records and does not say what would happen to the children if the service ceased to operate, temporarily or permanently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leaders and managers have failed to notify Ofsted of some significant safeguarding events, such as children vulnerable to criminal exploitation being missing for an extended period. The lack of notifications adversely affects Ofsted’s regulatory oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leaders and managers ensure that staff receive the training and support that they need to do their job well. A mentoring programme for staff complements their induction and supervision meetings. Probation reviews ensure that their performance is at least satisfactory.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leaders and managers closely monitor the impact of the staff’s practice on the children’s outcomes, but they do not check the quality of staff recording or provide them with feedback about this. Leaders and managers do not carry out reviews of the quality of support every six months as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Before this inspection, the leaders and managers were not aware of the regulatory shortfalls. During the inspection, they started creating an action plan and made some improvements, such as creating a children’s register, in line with the supported accommodation regulations. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 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 staff work effectively as a team, where appropriate, to meet the needs of children;

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Requirement Due date

implement recruitment practices that ensure staff are suitable to work with children and to keep them safe from harm;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that a business continuity plan is in place, outlining the actions the registered provider will take during unplanned disruption, covering all areas of the undertaking’s operation, including staffing, premises and emergency scenarios. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(b)(e)(k))

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Requirement Due date

This is an overarching requirement for the registered person to ensure that the service is run in line with the regulations and, particularly, that records on children’s files regarding safeguarding matters are correct and clear. 27 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 27 June 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 6 The requirements are that the individual is of integrity and good character,

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 1. (Regulation 17 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The accommodation standard is that children experience a comfortable and secure living environment.

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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 the premises used as supported accommodation—

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Requirement Due date

offer a comfortable, positive and nurturing environment, while respecting children’s need for privacy;

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Requirement Due date

are designed, furnished and maintained to remove avoidable hazards which could pose a health and safety risk to children;

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Requirement Due date

comply with all relevant statutory provisions dealing with health and safety or fire safety matters;

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Requirement Due date

only use devices for monitoring or surveillance in communal areas and then only if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children,

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to each child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(vii)(ix)(x)(c)(i)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Particularly, the registered person must review restrictive practices, including locking the main fire exit and only staff having access to the keys. The registered person must also review the impact of the surveillance on the privacy of children. 27 June 2025

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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; 27 June 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 7 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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(f))

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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

before a child arrives or upon a child’s arrival, ensure that the child is given a written guide, in an accessible format, containing information about—

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Requirement Due date

the support and accommodation provided by the supported accommodation undertaking

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Requirement Due date

what advocacy support or services are available, how the child may access that support or those services, and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy

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Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representation in relation to the support and accommodation provided and how any such complaint or representation will be dealt with

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Requirement Due date

what services and facilities are available that take account of children’s needs arising as a result of cultural differences or disability;

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Requirement Due date

and which the registered person must keep under review, seeking children’s comments before revising the written guide. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(j)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Particularly, the registered person must review and make changes to the children’s guide in consultation with children, so that this document is welcoming, easy to read and provides clear information. 11 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the following matters in respect of the supported accommodation undertaking— 11 July 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 8 how it supports the cultural and religious needs of children. (Regulation 9 (1)(p))

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Requirement Due date

Particularly, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose is clear about how children’s cultural and religious needs are supported and that all staff provide support in line with good practice.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for monitoring and improving the quality of support provided by the supported accommodation undertaking by completing a review (“a quality of support review”) at least once every six months, which must take into account—

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Requirement Due date

the views of children, including any feedback and complaints received;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from individual children on the impact the supported accommodation has had on the child’s life, especially regarding how well prepared the child felt for transition into supported accommodation and how well prepared the child feels for transition out of supported accommodation;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from each child’s accommodating authority, staff and any relevant persons;

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Requirement Due date

any relevant research and developments in relation to the way in which the needs of children are best met.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of support review, the registered person must produce a written report setting out the actions the registered person intends to take as a result of that quality of support review.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the review report to the CIECSS within 28 days beginning with the day on which the report is completed, and make a copy of it available on request to each child’s accommodating authority. (Regulation 32 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d) (2) (3)) 8 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy setting out

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Requirement Due date

what would happen to the children accommodated by the supported accommodation undertaking, and 8 August 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 9 what measures would be taken to ensure the appropriate transfer of records,

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Requirement Due date

in the event that the undertaking ceases, whether permanently or temporarily, to provide supported accommodation, as a result of closure, conditions or restrictions imposed on the registration of the undertaking, or because of a suspension or cancellation of registration.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide the contingency plan policy to a local authority considering accommodating a child with the supported accommodation undertaking. (Regulation 23 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

Particularly, the registered person must amend the policy so that it includes information on what would happen to children and ensure that the information about the retention of records does not contradict the requirements of regulation 24.

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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: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 10

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: admin@tlcsocialcare.co.uk

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Inspector

Seka Graovac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Transforming Lives Company Ltd 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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