Centrepoint Soho

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 1 Centrepoint Soho Registered provider: Centrepoint Soho

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This service is operated by a private provider operating across several regions in England. These include the north-east, south-east, north-west and east of England.

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provider

The service can accommodate up to 280 individuals in total. It can accommodate up to 35 children in seven shared or group-living premises that are limited to accommodating looked-after children and care leavers. Additionally, the service can accommodate up to 219 children in 20 shared or group-living premises that are not limited to looked-after children and care leavers. There are also 26 single-occupancy premises available.

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provider

The service was accommodating 52 looked-after children aged 16 and 17 at the time of the inspection.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted when the provider registered on 16 August 2024.

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provider

Inspectors were aware during this inspection of two serious incidents concerning children that had occurred since registration. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incidents were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Inspection dates:

The inspection was announced on 16 June 2025 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 18 to 20 June 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. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 2

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not always fully consider children’s needs at the referral stage. Consequently, children may be admitted with needs that the service cannot meet.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of the service.

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Summary of findings

Children are positive about their experiences and progress. Staff help children to develop the skills needed to prepare for adult life; however, this is not consistent for all children.

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Summary of findings

Children’s plans do not always identify their vulnerabilities or set out what action should be taken to address them.

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Summary of findings

Children are not always supported to take age-appropriate risks as part of their journey towards independence. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children make progress and have a range of positive experiences. Staff treat children with dignity and respect and are ambitious for them. One child said that they have a very good support system. Other children described staff as ‘well trained’ and ‘supportive’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff teach children practical skills in planned support sessions and through ongoing discussions. Staff use workbooks and accredited learning modules to help children develop their independent living skills. Modules focus on topics such as money management and teaching children how to manage a home and pay bills. Some staff make good use of these resources; however, they are not used consistently. Therefore, staff sometimes fail to maximise opportunities for children to develop independent living skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to engage in education, training and employment. They work closely with other agencies to achieve this. They also help children to overcome barriers to participation. Some children gave examples of how staff help them to apply for jobs and prepare for interviews. They said that they value the work carried out by the provider’s education team, which includes skills and employability support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff encourage children to develop new interests. They provide a range of activities for children, such as film nights, running clubs and reading groups. Children engage with these groups and enjoy attending them. This helps them with their physical and mental well-being and teaches them new skills. Children and staff also celebrate religious and cultural events, such as Eid and Christmas. This provides children with opportunities to share and experience diverse cultures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s plans sometimes lack information about their experiences before they move into their accommodation. They do not always identify the risks that children face and the actions that staff must take to support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to register with dentists, doctors and other primary healthcare services. They help children to access specialist healthcare agencies, such as mental health and substance misuse services, in addition to in-house psychotherapy support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children know how to raise complaints and do so regularly. Since the service registered, 31 children have submitted complaints. This is approximately one in five of all children accommodated. The provider is reviewing the complaints procedure to ensure that the processes are clear and robust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s accommodation is of a good standard. However, children and staff raised concerns about slow repair times. Leaders and managers said that this has been the largest source of complaints received. One member of staff said, ‘Delays in getting Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 4 repairs done causes tensions between children and staff.’ For example, a light bulb above a staircase in one home remained broken for over 20 days.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff from partner agencies said that the provider supports children well. One social worker said that a professional chef had visited a home and taught children how to prepare various healthy and affordable meals. Another social worker said that staff went ‘above and beyond’ to ensure that a child celebrating their birthday felt ‘celebrated and cared for’. Agencies said that the provider communicates well with them.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children feel safe and protected where they live. Their accommodation has homely lounges and kitchens in which children and staff spend time together. The provider gives the children money to decorate and individualise their rooms when they move in. This helps children feel settled in their new accommodation.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff receive a wide range of training. This helps them to support children, de- escalate situations and keep them safe. Staff said that they receive comprehensive and good-quality training.

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How well children are helped and protected

Safeguarding concerns and allegations are managed effectively. Information is shared with the local authority designated officer to ensure that thorough investigations are carried out.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff do not always support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of their journey towards independence. For example, staff lock away sharp knives in some homes, and children must ask for them. Staff do not give all children a front door key to their home, and some children say that they are not allowed visitors. These practices do not support children in acquiring the independent living skills that they need.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff do not always ensure that children’s plans are updated. Plans sometimes fail to identify children's vulnerabilities or specify the necessary actions to address them. For example, one child was physically assaulted when they were in the community. They subsequently went missing from home for almost two weeks. Staff and managers did not update the child’s risk assessment for over a month or record how the child had been supported by the staff during this period.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff sometimes find it difficult to locate important documents, such as children’s referral forms. Several staff said that the process of accessing information is ‘convoluted’. Staff and managers do not maximise opportunities for children to inform their own risk management plans. Consequently, risk management is not always as effective as it could be.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some children go missing from home regularly. Five children have gone missing from home on over 30 occasions. Staff take steps to reduce the risk of harm when children are missing from home. However, leaders and managers said that staff do Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 5 not always follow their policy accurately. Managers have identified this as an area for improvement.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children return after being missing from home, leaders and managers do not take sufficient steps to ensure that they are offered return home interviews by an independent service. Several children, who have gone missing from home on numerous occasions, have not been offered an independent return home interview. As a result, leaders and managers miss opportunities to identify why children go missing from home and to prevent such incidents from happening again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not always take appropriate steps to ensure that they admit children whose needs can be met by the service. They do not always have sufficient information about children’s support needs and vulnerabilities at the point of admission. For instance, they did not have a referral form for one child who had regularly been missing from home. They were unable to provide assurance that the child was appropriately placed in supported accommodation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have taken some steps to ensure that admissions decisions are better informed. For example, they have established regular multi-agency information-sharing meetings with some placing authorities. They are reviewing referral processes to help inform admissions decisions across the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers use a range of methods to monitor the quality of the support provided. This includes a biannual quality of support review. This has identified several areas for improvement, which managers are acting on. However, quality assurance processes are not as effective as they should be. They have not identified weaknesses in children’s plans, for example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Managers and staff receive regular supervision. Staff said that they receive good- quality supervision and are well supported by managers. However, managers acknowledge that supervision records could better reflect the content and outcomes of their discussions with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not always inform Ofsted when serious incidents occur. This limits the regulator’s ability to maintain oversight and ensure that responses to serious incidents are appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders, managers and staff maintain strong links with a range of agencies. They work collaboratively to ensure that relevant information is shared and that children can access the services and support they need. Staff from partner agencies said that communication is a strength.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The culture of the service is characterised by high expectations and aspirations for all children. Staff are ambitious for children, compassionate and supportive. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 6

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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 protection standard is that children are enabled to feel safe and that their needs are met.

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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

are familiar and act in accordance with child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation or any other harm, and act to reduce such risk;

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Requirement Due date

work collaboratively with children to help them understand how to keep safe, by offering guidance and support on how to minimise any potential risk of harm. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(f)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s plans include clear strategies for helping them to manage their vulnerabilities and make progress. 10 August 2025

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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 10 August 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 7 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 to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation undertaking and admissions of children to premises used as supported accommodation, including, where relevant, emergency referrals and admissions;

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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)(f)(g))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children are only admitted when their needs can be met in supported accommodation.

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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 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 ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe;

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Requirement Due date

in the event that the registered person or a member of staff considers that an accommodating authority or a relevant person is failing to provide the support set out in a child’s relevant plans, make representations, or, as the case may be, enable staff to make representations, to the accommodating authority or relevant person with a view to ensuring that the child’s needs are met. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(c)(h)) 10 August 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 8 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they receive sufficient information at the point of referral to make appropriate admissions decisions. Furthermore, staff must ensure that children are offered an independent return home interview and make representations to placing authorities if this is not offered.

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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

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children accommodated by the supported accommodation undertaking from going missing, and

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working for the supported accommodation undertaking, in relation to a child who is, or has previously been, missing. (Regulation 21 (1)(a)(b)) 10 August 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;

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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

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry);

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Requirement Due date

there is an incident involving the use of a measure of restraint of a child;

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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)(d)(e)(f)) 10 August 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 9

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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: Centrepoint Soho 10

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: The Rowe, 59 to 63 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7PF

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Supported accommodation provider details

Nominated individual: Edward Tytherleigh

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Edward Tytherleigh

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Inspectors

Steve James, Social Care Inspector Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Daniela Ferrario, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Centrepoint Soho 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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