BetterOasis Limited

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 1 BetterOasis Limited Registered provider: BetterOasis Ltd

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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 48 children in 16 group living homes for the use of looked-after children and care leavers. The provider operates in the East of England and the West Midlands.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, the service provided support for 11 children aged 16 to 17 years.

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provider

The service manager has been registered with Ofsted since the organisation registered in April 2024.

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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 11 July 2025.

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Outcome

Serious or widespread weaknesses lead to significant concerns about the experiences and progress of children. Leaders and managers must take urgent action to address failings. The next inspection will be within approximately six months.

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Summary of findings

The registered service manager and locality managers do not have effective oversight of risks to children. They do not ensure that children who move into the accommodation are within the scope of the regulations and have the skills to live with limited support. This places some children at risk of harm.

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Summary of findings

The support children receive varies depending on the skills of individual staff, their understanding of children’s needs and of wider safeguarding practice. For some children, staff’s lack of knowledge and understanding has led to risks increasing. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 2 Children are not consulted about their support. As a result, some children choose not to engage with staff. This lack of support leads to poor experiences and progress for some children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s experiences while living in this service vary greatly. When children move in with high levels of independence and engage in their support, they make good progress. However, when children have complex needs, decisions made by managers to admit them to the service place them at significant risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children do not consistently receive support that meets their individual needs. Their support arrangements are reduced quickly without consideration of their vulnerabilities. For example, several children moved into the accommodation with a minimum of one-to-one or in some cases two-to-one support arrangements. While this demonstrates that these children were not ready to live in supported accommodation and therefore not within the scope of the regulations, the registered person quickly reduced their support arrangements to between five and 10 hours of support each week. This was despite the children’s needs not changing. For these children, their experiences of this service are poor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Support plans do not reflect children’s individual needs; they are generic, and children are not directly involved in their design. Direct work with children is infrequent and inconsistent. The quality of direct work and support that children receive is dependent on which staff member is available. As a result, children’s progress varies depending on the staff members working in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s medical needs are not consistently reflected in their records, and when they are, there is limited information about how staff should support children to ensure that their health needs are met. For example, when children have life- threatening conditions, there are no safety plans in place and staff do not complete bespoke training to support children in these circumstances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children know how to make a complaint. However, the staff and registered service manager do not ensure that the complaints procedure is followed. They do not keep children up to date with the actions taken about their complaint or make accurate records. As a result, children do not know if their complaint has been taken seriously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children who are new to the country are helped to settle into their home and familiarise themselves with the local area. They are enrolled with universal health services and attend education. Staff take time to understand their cultural heritage and ensure they have cultural links in the local area and places of worship if they wish to attend. Translation services are used for children who do not understand the English language. For these children, their support is meaningful and leads to positive outcomes. This helps these children to move towards adulthood and independence. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 4

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s individual risk assessments do not contain all relevant information to support staff to protect children from harm. For example, during the inspection a serious incident occurred. Staff failed to return to the child’s home to respond to the concerns until 24-hours later. A lack of guidance in the child’s safety plan and lack of concern from the staff resulted in the child being at risk of harm for a prolonged and unnecessary period.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some children have additional needs around drug use and mental health. However, specialist support is limited because managers and staff do not make timely referrals to other agencies. As a result, children are not receiving the support they require to stay safe or to prepare for adulthood.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered service manager does not carry out thorough assessments of children’s needs before their placements are agreed. This has led to several children moving into the service whose needs surpass the scope of supported accommodation. For these children, their experiences living in the service are poor because the staff do not have the skills or knowledge to meet their needs.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff do not take sufficient action to safeguard children when they are at risk of harm. For example, one child was observed purchasing and taking illegal substances on their video doorbell by the on-call worker. No action was taken at the time, and the staff member did not report their concerns to their manager. Staff’s lack of knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures places children at increased risk of harm.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children require help outside office hours, the on-call system is not consistently effective. One child’s parent said they spoke to an on-call worker requesting a staff member visit their child after they had disclosed suicidal thoughts. The parent was advised that no worker was available to visit the child. This response to children’s needs increases risks to children and impacts on their safety.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some children’s accommodation is not safe because the manager has not ensured that suitable fire safety procedures are in place for all premises, and that children know how to respond in the event of a fire. Additionally, window restrictors are installed on some windows that form part of fire exit routes, preventing children from escaping in the event of fire. The general standard of accommodation is poor and children’s living environments require maintenance to ensure that they live in safe and homely accommodation.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some children are using illegal substances in their homes. Staff do not take adequate action through their warning system to help children understand or follow the rules of the home. Their lack of action does not prepare children for adult living or being tenancy ready. In addition, it does not protect or promote positive health outcomes for children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager does not operate the service in line with the statement of purpose. For example, children living in this service do not have a staff member present in their home 24 hours a day to provide support. The statement of purpose advertises that the organisation offers respite. The provider does not hold a registration to provide short breaks to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

When new staff join the organisation, they undertake an induction training programme. However, mandatory training in safeguarding is not undertaken in a timely manner. This means that new and inexperienced staff lone work with children without sufficient training to ensure they understand their role and what action they should take to safeguard children who may be at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager does not have an effective monitoring system that enables them to identify areas of development. Their quality of support review does not seek or reflect the views of children living in the service. Furthermore, the views of others are not regularly sought to inform the managers’ decision-making about the operation of the service. This does not ensure continuous improvements in the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager does not take sufficient or timely action to challenge the suitability of children’s placements when their needs increase. For example, one child who can no longer live with other children has remained living in a shared home for several months. They have disengaged from their support and risks to the child have increased. Managers and staff have taken no action to escalate their concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager does not ensure that they obtain records relating to children from the placing authority. This means children’s support plans do not reflect the same goals and objectives as agreed at their formal reviews. This limits staff’s ability to ensure that children receive effective support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

When changes occur in the organisation, for example the closure of premises, the manager has failed to inform Ofsted. Consequently, Ofsted is unable to monitor the service effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Ofsted previously raised concerns about the provider’s recruitment practice. A new system of recruitment checks has been implemented. However, the manager has not reviewed existing staff’s suitability to work with children. As a result, some staff members continue to have gaps in their recruitment records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There are several staff members who have family connections working in the service. However, the manager does not have suitable procedures in place to ensure that these relatives do not work together, or line manage each other. This lack of consideration increases the risk of a closed culture occurring in the organisation. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 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

have 24-hour access to help in a crisis or emergency situation;

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Requirement Due date

prepare and implement child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the effectiveness of child protection policies is kept under review and ensure that, where appropriate, those policies are revised;

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Requirement Due date

comply with requests from a local authority to provide it with information relating to a child for which it is the accommodating authority;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that there is a suitable person representing the supported accommodation undertaking available to attend any meeting the accommodating authority may hold about a child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff— 22 August 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies, and share information where relevant to keep children safe. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(f)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must implement a policy to ensure that managers and staff understand closed cultures. They must ensure that when family members are employed in the organisation, there are robust systems in place to ensure the risks of a closed culture do not develop and that an independent person is appointed to investigate any concerns raised about family members.

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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

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

implement recruitment practices that ensure staff are suitable to work with children and to keep them safe from harm; 22 August 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 8 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. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f))

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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

are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child individually and all children collectively;

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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

In particular, ensure that robust fire safety assessments have been carried out by a suitably skilled and qualified person. 22 August 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; 22 August 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 9 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

engage and work with the accommodating authority if the registered person has concerns or if the child’s support needs to be changed, including where that change may mean that the child requires more intensive support;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that processes are in place to enable children to access support from other organisations and community services, such that they are encouraged and enabled to access a range of services, including those offered by advocacy organisations and training providers. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) in relation to each child accommodated by the supported accommodation undertaking which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 2,

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 22 August 2025

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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; 22 August 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 10 any relevant research and developments in relation to the way in which the needs of children are best met. (Regulation 32 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to the CIECSS, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

If premises are no longer used, or intended to be available for use, as supported accommodation by the supported accommodation undertaking, the registered person must give notice in writing to the CIECSS no later than 10 working days after the registered person becomes aware of the decision to cease use of the premises. (Regulation 34 (1) (2)) 22 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: BetterOasis Limited 11

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Suite A, Sapphire House, Roundtree Way, Norwich NR7 8SQ

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Tapiwa Kundoro

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Inspectors

Beth Forster, Social Care Inspector (lead) Helen Wallis, Social Care Inspector Phyllis Dyer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: BetterOasis Limited 12 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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Inspectors

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