New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD 1 New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD Registered provider: New Chapters Support and Wellbeing LTD

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This service is owned and managed by a private provider. The service provides five single-occupancy premises and two group-living premises for up to 13 looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of this inspection, the service was providing support for eight children between 16 and 17 years old.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025

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Inspection dates: 20 to 22 August 2025

The inspection was announced on 18 August 2025 and started that day. The inspector was on site from 20 to 21 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.

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Summary of findings

Since registration, most children have moved on from this service in a planned and positive way. However, leaders and managers recognise that they have been unable to meet the needs of two children. As a result, these children experienced unplanned moves.

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Summary of findings

Most children have made steady progress from their starting points. For others, staff have not been fully successful in helping them to achieve their potential.

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Summary of findings

Most staff have a good understanding of children’s needs. However, not all staff have the training or experience required to respond to children’s changing needs. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD 2 Children say they are provided with opportunities to enhance their learning by completing the provider’s online training courses. This helps children to understand what they need to support their journey towards adulthood.

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Summary of findings

Children like living in their homes. One child said, ‘The staff are very supportive, when I need them, they are there and provide me with reassurance and support I need. I am due to move on; I will miss them lots.’ Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children using the service shared positive feedback regarding their experiences and progress and said they felt safe. However, children’s experiences, progress and safety are inconsistent because leaders and managers do not always provide staff with the information and guidance they need to meet the children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Support plans, risk assessments and missing-from-home protocols lack sufficient detail and focus. As a result, staff do not always have the strategies required to respond to children’s current and changing needs. This shortfall has the potential to limit children’s progress and outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The quality of children’s accommodation varies. Not all homes are welcoming or homely. In some settings, there is limited communal space, which restricts opportunities for children to spend time together and develop a sense of community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s cultural needs are recognised. However, leaders and managers have not consistently provided children with the resources they need to fully meet their cultural and religious needs. For example, not all children have access to items that help them maintain their cultural identity or the resources they require for religious observance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff speak positively about the children and the progress they have made. They use their skills to develop secure and meaningful relationships with children. Staff also help children to understand how to make safe choices and to keep themselves safe. They confidently describe the progress children have achieved because of the support and guidance they receive.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children said that they feel safe and settled in their homes. They access support when required and can use the on-call services in an emergency. Children describe having positive relationships with staff and can identify a trusted adult they can talk to if they have any concerns.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children go missing from home, staff and managers share information with relevant agencies. Staff complete welfare checks and contact family members and friends to establish the child’s whereabouts. However, records of missing-from-home incidents do not consistently reflect the actions taken by staff. These records lack details about how children were supported to return home safely or whether they were offered an independent return home interview. This means leaders and managers miss opportunities to learn from incidents and improve staff practice.

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How well children are helped and protected

Safer recruitment processes are in place, but these are not consistently followed. For example, gaps in employment, the quality of interview questions, and the assessment of a candidate’s suitability have not been fully explored. As a result, leaders and managers cannot be assured that all staff are suitably assessed to work Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD 4 with children. Leaders and managers recognise this shortfall and have taken immediate action by introducing new systems to strengthen their recruitment checks.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children live in homes that are well maintained and provide a safe environment. Health and safety systems are in place and are mostly effective. However, children are not consistently given the opportunity to take part in fire evacuation drills. As a result, leaders and managers cannot be confident about how children would respond in the event of a fire. This has the potential to place children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Since registration, leaders and managers have identified areas for improvement in the referral and admissions procedures, safer recruitment, staff development, recording and reporting systems, and management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

In response, safer recruitment checks are now in place to ensure that children are supported by adults who have been assessed as suitable and safe. A new referral and matching assessment process has been introduced and is proving effective. Staff have also received targeted and bespoke training to meet the individual needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers now benefit from improved oversight through new reporting and recording systems. Communication and information-sharing within the management team and support staff have also been strengthened. Leaders and managers recognise that these systems are newly implemented and have not yet been fully evaluated for effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers identified that weaknesses in referral and admissions procedures previously resulted in two children leaving the home in an unplanned way because they were not ready to live in supported accommodation. In response, changes have been made to referral and assessment procedures. This means there are now improved systems in place to assess the suitability of placements before children move in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff receive regular formal supervision, which gives them opportunities to reflect on their practice and children’s progress. Staff also have access to bespoke training that provides them with the knowledge and skills they need to respond to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have responded positively to feedback from this inspection, and have already started to implement changes to further improve children’s safety and experiences during their stay. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: New Chapters support and Wellbeing 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 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

ensure a plan for support is in place to support the child to develop the resilience and skills required to transition out of supported accommodation when the child is ready to live more independently. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(c)(k)) 31 October 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.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (4), the registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual for the purposes of the provision of supported accommodation, or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work for the supported accommodation undertaking in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work for the supported accommodation undertaking, 31 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD 6 if the registered person is satisfied that the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work for the purposes of providing supported accommodation or, as the case may be, for the supported accommodation undertaking, despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 1 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of that Schedule are incomplete,

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 1,

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional, and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 1, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at premises used as supported accommodation and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 17 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d) (4)(a)(b)(c)(d) (5))

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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 31 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD 7 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))

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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: New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Newchapters support and wellbeing LTD

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: The Local Accountant, Bath Street, Cheddar BS27 3AA

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Michael Gardener

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: emma@newchapterswellbeing.com

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Inspector

Sharron Escott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: New Chapters support and Wellbeing LTD 9 and inspects 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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