Our Way Leeds GIPSIL

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL 1 Our Way Leeds GIPSIL Registered provider: GIPSIL Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is part of a consortium of three services, each registered with Ofsted separately.

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provider

The service can accommodate individuals in self-contained units where the accommodation is for the sole use of one person. The service also offers shared or group living homes that are not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers. The provider operates in the Yorkshire region of England.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 87 young people living in this service. There were four children aged 16 and 17 years who were looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted when the organisation was registered in May 2024.

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provider

The nominated individual has not been in work since March 2025. They were not present during this inspection. The chief executive officer is covering the role in the nominated individual’s absence.

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provider

This supported accommodation service was last inspected in February 2025. Inspectors found serious and widespread weaknesses leading to significant concerns about the experiences and progress of children.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 7 July 2025 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 9 to 10 July 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: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL 2

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Summary of findings

Redefined expectations around staff practice, and the new systems in place to help the manager oversee the services, have led to improved experiences for children. However, these positive developments are not yet fully embedded in the day-to-day practice across the service.

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Summary of findings

Children are benefiting from investment in their homes. New decor and furnishings help to promote children’s sense of value and belonging.

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Summary of findings

Children are supported to attend education. This helps to prepare them with the skills they need for later life.

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Summary of findings

Learning is taken from serious incidents. This learning helps leaders and managers to put systems in place to reduce future risks to children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Work is ongoing to improve children’s experiences. As a result, admissions were put on hold and no children have been admitted to this service since the last full inspection in February 2025. A new admissions procedure for children coming to live here has been created. This procedure is new, and the impact on children cannot be assessed until the procedure is tested.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children have good relationships with their key staff. Staff spend time getting to know the children. For some children, building trust takes longer than others. Children report feeling supported and able to reach out to staff if they need to. When staff cover is needed, the registered service manager tries to use the same staff to keep consistency for children to enable them to develop relationships. This supports their progress towards adulthood and independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children learn how to look after their health and well-being. They are all registered with local health services, which include doctors and dentists. Staff support children to attend appointments, so their health improves and they start to take greater responsibility for this as part of developing their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff promote the importance of education. They work alongside the service’s engagement and employment service to help children access learning and more formal education. This helps to prepare children with the skills they need to gain employment in later life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Work is ongoing to improve the quality of support the children receive. Children are learning life skills that will help them as they transition into adulthood. They are learning skills such as travelling in the community, shopping, cooking and budgeting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Some children arrive without family or friends. There are activities available for children to promote inclusion and social opportunities. Children’s engagement in some activities is limited, and they have told staff the activities are not what they want to do. Children’s opinions are being listened to. A piece of work is in progress to improve choices for children to provide them with quality social opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Work to improve the quality of children’s accommodation is an ongoing priority. This work ensures that children live in homes that are well maintained. Staff are supporting children to take pride in their homes, and opportunities are being provided to help children purchase new furnishings.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers now take learning from serious incidents. New reflection sessions and learning reviews are in place. These reviews and sessions provide opportunities for managers and staff to analyse events and put this learning into practice. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL 4 New safeguarding meetings are taking place weekly. These meetings involve a range of leaders and managers, including the specialist agency managers linked to the service. The meetings cover any risks to children, staff or risks in the community. These also explore any serious incidents that have occurred; actions are then outlined, and a manager is allocated to complete these. This improved safeguarding process gives managers better oversight of children’s safety.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff receive training on how to keep children safe. However, not all staff are consistent in putting this learning into practice. For example, an incident occurred where a member of staff did not follow the rules in respect of visitors to a child’s home. Although the residential service manager acts quickly to address issues with staff and to put additional safeguards in place to manage risk, this shortfall potentially places children at an increased risk of harm.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s individual risk assessments are now up to date. They contain known vulnerabilities for each child. These assessments outline actions staff should take to reduce the risk of harm to children and to help children take more responsibility for their own safety as they move towards adulthood and become more independent.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children learn how to keep themselves safe in the community. Staff talk to children about topics such as making safe friendships. In relation to health and safety in the home, staff now help children to understand risks such as fire. This further supports children’s progression in developing their independent living skills and responsibilities for adulthood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers understand the strengths of this service, and they know where they need to develop. They are taking learning from the last inspection and are putting in place new procedures and ways of working to improve the service for the children. Some of the procedures are not embedded, and some staff are not yet consistently implementing changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There are a range of new auditing processes in place. The new processes are helping leaders and managers to better monitor the service and improve their oversight. These new systems are also helping to make sure children receive the support they need, and their plans are up to date because shortfalls are now identified quicker and managers can take suitable action to address these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff training is an ongoing area of development. Permanent staff are attending core training that supports them in their work. Recent training, such as professional boundaries and reporting and recording training, is helping staff to understand what is expected of them in their role. Other important courses around children’s needs, for example in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, have not yet been delivered. This potentially leaves staff with a gap in knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers are completing a review of the use of temporary ‘bank staff’. This review is to ensure they have the same training and supervision as permanent Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL 5 staff. Work is ongoing to make sure bank staff are clear about the expectations of their role, professional accountability and conduct.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Permanent staff receive regular supervision. These formal sessions help to make sure that staff understand children’s needs and plans and what they need to do to help children develop their practical and emotional independent living skills. The sessions also cover staff support and provide opportunities for leaders and managers to address any practice issues, so staff understand their responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers are committed to continuing to improve the service for children. The work they are doing is developing the service to consistently reflect the statement of purpose. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL 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 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

ensure that staff work effectively as a team, where appropriate, to meet the needs of children;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills appropriate for the work that they are to perform;

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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)(b)(c)(f)(g)) 21 September

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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: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: The Old Fire Station, Gipton Approach, Leeds LS9 6NL

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Supported accommodation provider details

Nominated individual: Lee-Simone Greenfield

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: Julia.Preston@gipsil.org.uk

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Inspectors

Jamie Richardson, Social Care Inspector (lead) Helen Fee, Social Care Inspector Chris Jay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Our Way Leeds GIPSIL 8 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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