Homes for Support

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Homes for Support 1 Homes for Support Registered provider: Homes for Support Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

A private provider owns and operates this supported accommodation service. The service can accommodate up to five children living in single occupancy accommodation and up to 30 children living in eight shared premises that are limited to looked-after children and care leavers aged 16 or 17. The provider operates in the north-west of England.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 20 looked-after children or care leavers aged 16 or 17 were being accommodated.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 28 July 2025 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 30 July to 1 August 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

Children feel supported by staff and like where they live.

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Summary of findings

Accommodation is of a good standard, well maintained and welcoming. Children speak positively about their accommodation.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not always notify other safeguarding agencies when managing allegations.

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Summary of findings

Ofsted has not been notified of all serious incidents. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Homes for Support 2 Some staff understand children’s needs well, but not all staff complete specific training to meet the needs of children they are supporting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children are positive about the support they receive and their relationships with staff. Some children share common interests and spend time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to access activities in the community. This includes promoting activities to increase children’s awareness of diversity. Staff work well with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to support them to achieve social integration. Taking part in activities helps the children develop a sense of community belonging and exposes them to new experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff demonstrate a commitment to children and provide them with regular support. This enables children to make a positive move to independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s accommodation is well maintained and provides them with a private space. Children can make suggestions on how to make improvements to the home, such as requesting new kitchen utensils. Children’s meetings take place regularly; however, staff do not always respond to suggestions children have made. Consequently, children do not always feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children attend college and make progress. Staff see the value of education and encourage children to achieve. Staff work closely with the virtual school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children sometimes move between properties within the service. This is due to their needs and is undertaken in a planned way. For example, one child moved to live with children with cultural similarities. However, leaders and managers do not always fully consider the needs of children before they move in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The children’s guide to their accommodation does not contain clear guidance on complaints. It is unclear how their complaints will be responded to. Furthermore, there is little information about the local area and amenities that would help children settle into a new area. While the document is clear to children around rules and boundaries within the accommodation, the language used in it is not welcoming.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children do not return home as planned, staff follow missing-from-home protocols and work with other safeguarding agencies to locate them. Children are offered return home interviews to explore their well-being and safety. Agency staff working with children feel that children are well supported by staff after a missing- from-home episode. As a result of partnership working, staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and risks.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers follow safer recruitment processes and keep clear records. This ensures that those employed to work with vulnerable children are safe to do so. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Homes for Support 3 Staff access a range of mandatory training to enable them to meet the needs of children. However, staff do not complete all training to meet specific needs of children. For example, only one member of staff has completed ligature training. While leaders and managers identify some training shortfalls, they have not taken sufficient action to address this. Consequently, staff do not have all the skills they require to provide effective support to children.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some children do not benefit from having risk management plans. Processes for assessing and managing risk are unclear and key risks are not always recognised by leaders and managers. This shortfall makes it challenging for staff to understand and identify risks and how best to address them.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staffing levels have increased and staff turnover has reduced. This provides consistency for children. There has been no use of agency staff, as the provider has a dedicated pool of bank workers if required. However, not all bank staff have access to children’s information as this is held electronically. This prevents them from being able to meet children’s needs and manage their risks effectively.

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How well children are helped and protected

Ofsted has not been notified of all serious incidents. The provider’s current system makes this process lengthy and complex. While appropriate referrals are generally made to other safeguarding bodies, on one occasion this did not happen and leaders and managers carried out an internal investigation. The failure to ensure multi- agency working means that the views of others have not been considered, which dilutes the impact of this process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leadership and management team for the setting has remained stable since registration. Leaders and managers are appropriately qualified and experienced. Senior leaders demonstrate a commitment to drive forward improvements in the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff receive regular supervision. However, the quality is not consistent. Agreed objectives are not always followed up and reviewed. Consequently, leaders and managers overlook some matters, affecting service delivery.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Senior managers have recently identified a new monitoring system to strengthen management oversight. This was in response to a complaint investigation. However, weaknesses in strategic oversight make it difficult for managers to identify patterns and trends. This negatively impacts on the future development of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

In-house policies such as the admissions process are not always followed. This inconsistency means that valuable information has not always been sought or considered. This limits the effectiveness of the admissions process in understanding the needs of children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Homes for Support 4 The out-of-hours support for staff is not always effective. Staff feel that at times response times are too slow. This limits the effectiveness of the support to staff when managing difficult situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Inconsistent practice by leaders and managers results in confusion and frustration for children . Despite there being a ‘no pet’ policy, on some occasions exceptions to this have been made and children have been allowed to keep animals, for example a dog, in their flat.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Some social workers report positive working relationships with the provider and are pleased with children’s progress, however, some would prefer more regular updates from staff about children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Homes for Support 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 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

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)(f)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is sufficient out-of-hours support for staff, and that all children have risk management plans and staff are able to access these.

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Requirement Due date

The provider should liaise with other safeguarding bodies when required. 17 October 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 17 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Homes for Support 6 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills appropriate for the work that they are to perform. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must improve monitoring of the service, including staff training, reviewing in-house policies and ensuring that complaints procedures are clear to children.

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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)(i)(ii)(e)(f)) 17 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Homes for Support 7 In particular, the registered person should ensure that all serious incidents are notified to Ofsted without delay.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff listen to children and take appropriate action regarding the quality of support that they provide. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 43)

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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: Homes for Support 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Homes for Support Ltd

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Northern House, 3 Kennerleys Lane, Crewe, Cheshire SK9 5EQ

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: info@homesforsupport.co.uk

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Inspectors

Helen Wallis, Social Care Inspector Mandy Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Homes for Support 9 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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