Sportfit Supported Accommodation

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 1 Sportfit Supported Accommodation Registered provider: Sportfit Support Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

The supported accommodation service is owned and managed by a private provider. The service can accommodate up to 86 individuals in 35 shared or group-living homes that are limited to accommodating looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

The service can also accommodate five children in single-occupancy flats that are limited o accommodating looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, the service was providing supported accommodation for 53 children aged 16 or 17.

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provider

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

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 8 September 2025 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 17 to 19 September 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.

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Outcome

The next inspection will be in approximately six months

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of the service to ensure it is operating in line with the provider’s statement of purpose.

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Summary of findings

Some of the children’s living accommodation is poorly maintained and does not consistently provide them with a welcoming or homely environment. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 2 Most children are taking part in education or learning activities, but a small cohort of children are disengaged, not making progress and involved in serious criminal activity and risk-taking behaviours.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that all children live safely together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children have support plans that identify their needs and the support required. However, these plans are not always updated regularly and are sometimes generic. As a result, they do not consistently provide tailored strategies to support children effectively. Reviews are limited and do not always show children’s progress. Risk assessments are not always well aligned to support plans. Overall, children’s development is not consistently captured in a way that reflects their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers do not always plan well for children at the point of referral. In some cases, staff have not had the necessary training or strategies to meet children’s needs. This has contributed to serious incidents and the immediate ending of placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The quality of children’s records varies. Some capture children’s daily experiences, progress and staff support for education, social development and independence. Others are repetitive and lack detail. This limits their usefulness in showing children’s lived experiences. Records show that staff encourage children to develop healthier routines and help them to manage their behaviour. However, they do not consistently demonstrate how children’s relationships with staff are built and sustained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Many children are supported to take part in activities and are celebrated by staff. However, some children who are harder to engage remain excluded from opportunities. For these children, leaders and managers do not show how they are making sufficient progress towards helping them to live safely and independently at 18. Some continue to be involved in high-risk behaviours, including offending, drug and alcohol misuse, and getting into unsafe situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Professionals generally speak positively about the service. They value the commitment of staff, regular communication and the progress made by many children. They describe the provider as collaborative and open in sharing concerns. Some professionals, however, identified weaknesses. These include delays in repairs to homes, inconsistent updates from staff, and children’s limited engagement in key- work sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

In one case, a professional expressed concern about a child who had made little progress over 10 months. Concerns included social isolation, poor engagement in education, limited routines and ineffective behaviour management. Records for this child reflected these concerns. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 3 The standard of accommodation is inconsistent. In some homes, decor is tired, furnishings are sparse and there is little personalisation. This means some environments do not feel homely. Leaders and managers were not aware that one home had no hot water for more than a week. This had a negative impact on children, who had to carry buckets of water upstairs for washing. Leaders acted quickly when this was raised, but the delay in identifying the issue was concerning.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some children do not have high levels of need, and staff support them appropriately. However, leaders and managers have not been able to reduce the risks for some children whose behaviours include offending, substance misuse and dealing drugs. These behaviours negatively affect other children living alongside them.

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How well children are helped and protected

When safeguarding concerns arise, leaders and managers inform safeguarding agencies and carry out internal investigations where necessary. However, the quality of records does not always provide a clear audit trail of actions taken, professional curiosity shown or the rationale for decisions made.

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How well children are helped and protected

Most serious incidents are notified to Ofsted. However, some have not been, either because leaders did not view them as serious enough or due to oversight.

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How well children are helped and protected

Records of serious incidents show the complexity of children’s needs. These include incidents of self-harm and mental health crises requiring hospital admission. On two occasions, children were detained under the Mental Health Act, leading to their placements ending immediately. Staff are not sufficiently equipped to manage these high levels of need.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children are highly distressed, staff often struggle to respond effectively. Police have been called to manage incidents involving assaults on staff and significant property damage.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not allow children to have friends visit their homes. They state this is to protect children and staff. However, this blanket restriction prevents children from developing friendships in the same way as their peers. It limits children’s sense of belonging, trust and normal social development. Leaders and managers have not considered the impact of this approach.

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How well children are helped and protected

There is no formal process to record how children are matched to live together. While many placements are positive, poor matching has led to serious incidents. For example, a child at risk of exploitation was placed with children who were known to use and deal drugs. Staff confirmed that this had a direct negative impact.

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How well children are helped and protected

Most safer recruitment checks are carried out. However, there are areas where practice could be strengthened further. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leadership structure has not changed since registration in June 2024. Leaders and managers remain committed to supporting children. However, staffing shortages over the past nine months have stretched their capacity. Leaders acknowledge that this has limited their ability to deliver fully against the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Management oversight is inconsistent. Leaders and managers have not visited some homes regularly, with gaps of up to nine months. They have not identified poor or incomplete records, nor have they demonstrated sufficient understanding of children’s needs, accommodation standards or staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not show enough professional curiosity when deciding whether children’s needs can be met in supported accommodation. Some children with very high levels of need have been placed inappropriately. Staff lack the training to meet these needs, which has contributed to placement breakdowns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff say they feel supported in their roles and value their training. Mandatory training is completed and refreshed annually. However, staff have limited access to specialist training that would help them support children with complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff receive supervision, but the quality of records is poor. Records do not show that supervisors provide staff with clear guidance or direction when challenges are discussed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Team meetings take place regularly. However, the records of these meetings vary in quality. In some cases, they duplicate content from previous meetings rather than providing meaningful reflection on practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers acknowledged the identified shortfalls and gave assurances these would all be addressed in a timely manner. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 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 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

implement recruitment practices that ensure staff are suitable to work with children and to keep them safe from harm(13);

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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)(e)(f)(g)) 26 December

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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— 26 December Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 6 promote children’s positive self-esteem and sense of belonging within the local community, and discourage stigmatisation of children;

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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 suitable for the purposes of supported accommodation and are accessible, safe, secure and well-maintained;

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Requirement Due date

offer a comfortable, positive and nurturing environment, while respecting children’s need for privacy;

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Requirement Due date

are adequately maintained so as to provide a welcoming and homely environment within both individual and shared living spaces;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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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;

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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. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 26 December

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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

ensure that children— 26 December Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 7 are protected from harm;

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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

support children to maintain appropriate and safe relationships with family, friends and other people who are important to them. (Regulation 5 (1) (2) (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(f)(ii)(iii)(v))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they have a workforce plan which fulfils the requirements in the regulations concerning the recruitment and employment of staff. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 47)

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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: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Sportfit Support Services Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Portman House, 53 Millbrook Road East, Southampton, Hampshire SO15 1HN

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Natalia Croft

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: daniellepiller@sportfitsupport.co.uk

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Inspectors

Linda Bond, Social Care Inspector Sharron Escott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Sportfit Supported Accommodation 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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