Safe Haven Services Limited

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 1 Safe Haven Services Limited Registered provider: Safe Haven Services LTD

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

provider

This supported accommodation service is owned and managed by a private provider. The service can accommodate up to 22 children in six group-living homes for the use of looked-after children and care leavers. The provider operates in the East of England.

p.1

provider

At the time of the inspection, the service provided support for 13 children aged 16 to 17 years.

p.1

provider

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

p.1

Inspection dates:

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

p.1

Outcome

Inconsistent quality of service delivery adversely affects some children’s experiences, and this may limit their progress. Leaders and managers must make improvements.

p.1

Outcome

The next inspection will be within approximately 18 months of this inspection.

p.1

Summary of findings

Children’s experiences of this supported accommodation provision are inconsistent.

p.1

Summary of findings

Children are treated with dignity and respect. Children feel safe, and leaders and managers are visible and accessible. All children receive support with general independence and life skills, which has led to some progress. Although some children are making progress in some areas, poor decisions about which children can move into the provision have significantly affected the overall quality. Shortfalls in leadership and management impact the consistency of the quality of care. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 2 Leaders and managers have not ensured that arrangements are in place to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation. Consequently, they have taken the decision to admit children whose needs cannot be met in supported accommodation.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children are experiencing positive support. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that the referral and admissions process has been effective. This has resulted in the provider accommodating children whose needs cannot be met in supported accommodation. Children have moved into the accommodation with a minimum of one-to-one or, in some cases, two-to-one staffing needs. These children are not ready to live in supported accommodation.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Children who arrive with higher levels of independence and actively engage with the support provided tend to make good progress. Some children were able to identify specific ways in which staff have helped them develop essential life skills. The staff work with children to enable them to access education and leisure opportunities. They also support children to access appropriate health resources.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Some children expressed that the general support provided by the staff enabled them to gain skills and feel more confident about living independently in the future. Professionals described staff as competent and easy to work with. Professionals are happy with the accommodation and the positive relationships the children can develop with staff. Professionals also noted progress for children in improved life skills such as cooking, budgeting, cleaning, and time management.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

When children arrive, staff complete plans and other documents to identify the support they need. However, for some children, the support provided is not consistently linked to these plans and assessments. In these cases, children receive generic one-to-one sessions that are not planned to meet their individual needs.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

None of the children’s records reviewed contained a clear plan or timeline for leaving the service. There was also a lack of consultation with children regarding transition to independent living. There was a lack of tailored support being offered to meet individual needs during this critical period. This undermines the service’s ability to consistently and effectively prepare children for independence.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are treated with dignity and respect. The service accommodates a diverse group of children from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Observations and discussions with children indicate that they live together harmoniously. Children are supported in ways that are sensitive to their identity, background, and protected characteristics. Translation tools are used effectively to overcome language barriers and promote inclusive communication. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 3

p.2

How well children are helped and protected

Children feel safe. Children feel able to talk to staff and to ask for help, which reflects a degree of emotional safety and trust.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They know what to do if a concern arises. Incidents of children going missing from home were responded to appropriately.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Children live in accommodation that is generally comfortable and homely. However, some furnishings, such as a damaged sofa, do not meet the expected quality for children in care and detract from the overall environment.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

The registered service manager does not consistently carry out thorough assessments of children’s needs before the child comes to live at the home. Risks are therefore not always known to staff or recorded in their documentation. Some children’s information was outdated, which reduces the likelihood of risks being managed effectively and has contributed to children having to leave the provision at short notice.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

There are gaps in safer recruitment practices. Most staff have been recruited through a Home Office sponsorship licence. However, records relating to this lacked detail and clarity.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff report feeling valued and supported in their roles. Managers are visible and accessible. They regularly spend time in each home and engage with both staff and children.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager does not ensure that the service operates in accordance with its statement of purpose. For example, therapeutic one-to-one sessions for children are not delivered. Staff lack the knowledge required to provide such support. In addition, some support staff are working with some children without the knowledge or skills to be able to fully meet their needs.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have not ensured that all significant events relating to the welfare and protection of children have been notified to the appropriate authorities. Ofsted has not been informed of key incidents, which compromises regulatory oversight.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered manager does not have a fully effective system to monitor the quality of the service. The quality of support reviews lack sufficient depth. As a result, there is no evidence of how prepared children feel for transition into or out of supported accommodation. This limits opportunities to improve one of the core elements of the service. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 4 While new staff undertake an induction programme, there is no clear record of its completion. There is no system in place to track which staff have completed training, nor to ensure that staff are equipped to meet any specialist needs of children in the homes.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff receive regular supervision. However, the supervision of leadership and management is minimal and lacks meaningful reflection. There is a lack of ongoing professional development for leaders and managers, which means they are not keeping pace with the changes in the requirements for running a supported accommodation service in a regulated framework. The result of this is inconsistent service delivery for children. This lack of understanding by the leaders has led to practices that fall outside regulatory expectations, affecting the quality and appropriateness of support provided for children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 5

p.4

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.

p.5

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(c)(f)) 5 October 2025

p.5

Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that plans for support are based on initial referral information, are meaningful and are created in full 5 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 6 consultation with the child, taking account of relevant plans for the child;

p.5

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

co-operate with the child’s accommodating authority in agreeing the child’s placement plan or, as the case may be, pathway plan. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile, in relation to the supported accommodation undertaking, a plan ("the workforce plan") which covers the following matters in respect of the recruitment and employment of all staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the experience and qualifications of managers and other staff, and any further training required for those managers and staff;

p.6

Requirement Due date

the processes and timescales for staff to complete induction, probation, and core training, including in safeguarding and health and safety;

p.6

Requirement Due date

the process for managing and addressing poor performance;

p.6

Requirement Due date

the process and timescales for supervision and monitoring of staff. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 5 October 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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, if the registered person is satisfied that the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 5 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 7 The requirements are that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 1. (Regulation 17 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development,

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience, and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 18 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 5 October 2025

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(f)) 5 October 2025

p.7

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—

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

feedback from each child’s accommodating authority, staff, and any relevant persons. (Regulation 32 (1)(b)(c)) 31 January 2026

p.7

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 8

p.7

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: Safe Haven Services Limited 9

p.8

Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Safe Haven Services LTD

p.9

Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Stella Bakare

p.9

Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: info@safehavenservices.co.uk

p.9

Inspectors

Eileen Bultitude, Social Care Inspector Sharon Payne, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Safe Haven Services Limited 10 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.

p.9

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10