Caring Thoughts LTD

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 1 Caring Thoughts LTD Registered provider: Caring Thoughts 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 operated by a private provider. It offers accommodation for up to five looked-after children and care leavers in shared group-living homes.

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provider

At the time of this inspection, the service was providing support for one 16-year-old child.

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provider

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

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 6 October 2025 and started that day. The inspector was on site from 8 to 10 October 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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Summary of findings

One child spoke positively about their experiences and progress. However, children’s progress in education, training or employment is poor.

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Summary of findings

Staff do not have a good understanding of children’s needs and risks; not all staff have the necessary skills and experience to support children.

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Summary of findings

Overall, children’s living environments are not maintained to an appropriate standard. One child spoke positively about their accommodation. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children do not make good progress in their journey to independence. This is because they do not receive high-quality, individualised support from managers and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s needs are not assessed well at the point of referral. The registered service manager fails to adequately consider the information from the placing authority or carefully assess the needs of the children who are moving into the accommodation and those who are already living there. This approach does not provide a platform for children’s stability and suitable placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children make little progress because of the lack of support they receive from staff. Not all staff have built positive relationships with children and understand their needs and vulnerabilities. When staff morale is low, it affects their ability to identify when children need more help and support. For example, staff do not always have a sensitive approach to supporting and communicating with children when they are experiencing difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Overall, children do not make good progress in education, training, or employment. Feedback from educators shows there has been poor college attendance and engagement from children. One child has made little progress since using the service; this has hindered the child’s development towards their future independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Feedback from agencies about the service is not positive. They feel the working relationships with the managers and staff have not always been effective to help ensure that children’s needs and risks are managed well. A social worker told the inspector, ‘I feel that progress would have been made quicker for [name of child] if she was on her own or had another child with lesser needs placed with them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The accommodation is not comfortable or decorated to a good standard. Staff practice does not ensure that the environment is nurturing and homely. For example, there is a blanket approach to the use of visual closed-circuit television for children in lounges, dining areas, and kitchens. This is invasive and not proportionate to potential risks to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff practice prevents children from accessing shared facilities safely. They lock cleaning products away from children and do not allow them to have a key to their bedrooms or access the home with a front door key. This is not proportionate to any potential or identified risks to children. In addition, the registered person has little oversight over outstanding maintenance and repair work. This does not prepare children for living independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff do not always ensure that children’s records and assessments are up to date or that they capture their experience and progress. For example, not all staff review the independence and support plans for children to ensure that the relevant Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 3 information is included about their goals, aims and objectives. This oversight has the potential to hinder the sharing of information and misrepresent children’s progress towards independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff ensure that children’s physical and mental health needs are met, and they encourage them to attend relevant health appointments. This results in improved outcomes for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

A child told the inspector that they feel safe and that staff support them in acquiring independent living skills and their transition to adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff encourage and help children to maintain positive relationships with family members and those who are important to them. They recognise how these relationships support children’s journey into adulthood and promote their emotional well-being.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered service manager’s approach to managing risk is weak. They do not provide staff with sufficient information and guidance in safety plans to manage and reduce risk. Written risk management plans lack relevant information, including children’s emerging risks and vulnerabilities. This limits staff’s ability to consistently keep children safe.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered person has procedures in place for when children go missing from home. However, these are not always implemented effectively to keep children safe. Staff do not have strong processes in place to monitor and assess risks. Despite staff being aware of specific safeguarding risks for one child, they show a lack of professional curiosity to understand the child’s time away from the home. Staff do not always actively look for children when they are missing from home. This does not demonstrate that staff take every step to minimise risk and secure a safe return for children.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered person ensures that staff have resources to complete mandatory training to support children. However, they have not ensured that staff receive refresher training in de-escalation techniques, child sexual exploitation, and self- harm, as advocated by the service. Furthermore, staff have not received specific training to enhance their knowledge and skills about childhood trauma to understand how this affects children’s journey towards independence. Therefore, some staff are not equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to consistently promote children’s safety and well-being.

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How well children are helped and protected

Managers and staff do not act promptly and in line with statutory agreements when there are concerns about poor relationships between children. For example, when the local authority gave clear instructions that children should not have overnight stays at each other’s homes, due to the ‘toxic’ relationship and level of risk, staff failed to implement this plan and allowed children to have overnight stays. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 4 Subsequently, staff struggle to manage children’s behaviours, which creates further instability for the placement.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff do not have a consistent awareness about children’s welfare. Staff fail to have regular conversations with children about important topics, such as in relation to exploitation, promoting healthy relationships, and online safety. This does not help children develop their emotional resilience going into adulthood.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s individual plans are not reviewed and updated following a missing-from- home incident. As a result, staff do not have the most up-to-date information to inform their practice.

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How well children are helped and protected

Overall, recruitment practice is thorough and ensures that staff are suitable and safe to work with children. However, on one occasion, managers failed to ensure that Disclosure and Barring Service checks were complete before a staff member commenced employment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leadership and management are weak and inconsistent. The registered person is also the nominated individual and has been in post since July 2024. She does not have an in-depth understanding about the strengths and weaknesses of the service. In addition, she has failed to identify shortfalls in the safeguarding of children. These weaknesses limit their capacity to make sustained improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager has been ineffective in delivering the ethos and outcomes as set out in the statement of purpose. This poor culture in the home means that children are not protected from harm or provided with a supportive and nurturing environment that meets their overall needs. This is an oversight by managers. In addition, staff do not ensure that children have access to their accommodation, including having a key to lock their bedrooms. The home environment is unwelcoming and hazardous, as there is mould in the bathroom, heavily stained carpets throughout, and broken glass in the front door.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders’ and managers’ monitoring systems failed to identify shortfalls in support that was needed for one child who was moving to alternative accommodation. The registered service manager and staff were unaware of a child’s transition plan until two days before the child moved on from the service. As a result, they fail to track children’s progress and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager has not identified that staff inadequately assess risk and provide consistent quality of support to children. As a result, they fail to identify patterns and trends in the practice of staff and behaviours of the children. This has resulted in a weak safeguarding culture and risks to children going undetected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff told the inspector that they feel supported by the registered service manager and have a positive relationship with her. However, the registered service manager does not ensure that all staff receive regular and reflective supervision to help them Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 5 understand their roles and responsibilities and to develop their practice to safeguard children. Furthermore, managers do not use supervision effectively to monitor staff’s progress and professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Partner agencies’ views are not positive about the service. They raised concerns regarding the lack of support and progress for children using the service. They also raised concerns regarding poor communication from the provider and poor relationships between some children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The workforce plan has not been updated to accurately reflect staff experience, skills, or service delivery. In addition, managers do not provide staff with appropriate training to help them support children with their risks and vulnerabilities. For example, staff have not received training that helps them recognise the widespread effects of adverse childhood experiences. This undermines the registered service manager’s ability to deliver support that is consistent with the aims and objectives set out in the workforce plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager has carried out a review that focuses on the quality of support provided by the service. However, the review does not consider feedback from staff, family members, or relevant stakeholders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager accepts the need to monitor more closely the quality of support provided to children, incidents, staff practice, and the overall performance of the service. This includes ensuring that staff are adequately trained to understand and meet the needs of the children they support. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 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 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills appropriate for the work that they are to perform;

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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. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(c)(f)) 17 November

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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 location of the premises used as supported accommodation is suitable for the category or categories of supported accommodation provided, by—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used as supported accommodation—

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Requirement Due date

provide stability and consistency of accommodation for 17 November Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 7 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

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

only use devices for monitoring or surveillance in communal areas and then only if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children,

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to each child’s need for privacy;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child is provided with a private bedroom. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(a)(b)(i)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)(iv)(d))

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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

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 a plan for support is in place to support the child to 17 November Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 8 develop the resilience and skills required to transition out of supported accommodation when the child is ready to live more independently;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that children are supported to access education, training or employment. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(c)(f)(k)(m))

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the relevant roles and responsibilities assigned to them by the registered person in relation to protecting children. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(f)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)) 17 November

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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 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.

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Requirement Due date

Before implementing, or making an amendment to, the missing child policy, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 21 (1)(b) (2)(b)) 17 November

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan sets out the experience and qualifications of staff and managers and keep the workforce plan under review. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', pages 47-48)  The registered person should ensure that the quality of support review must be robust and consider feedback and evidence from all settings under the provider's registration. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', page 62)  The registered person should ensure that all employment checks are completed prior any member of staff starting work. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', page 16)

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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: Caring Thoughts LTD 10

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Caring Thoughts LTD

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Marvolet Baker

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: info@caringthoughts.co.uk

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Inspector

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts LTD 11 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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