Prefer Homes Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Prefer Homes Ltd 1 Prefer Homes Ltd Registered provider: Prefer Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers accommodation for up to 17 children in two shared-living premises that are not limited to looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, the service was providing support for three children. One child moved in nine days before the inspection, and another moved in during the inspection.

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provider

The manager, who is also the nominated individual, 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 on 8 and 9 October 2025.

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Outcome

Consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive experiences and progress for children. Where improvements are needed, leaders and managers take timely and effective action.

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Summary of findings

Children are now supported to develop resilience to overcome their past experiences.

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Summary of findings

Staff encourage children to engage in education and employment opportunities in an area that interests them. This helps children to become financially secure as they prepare for adulthood.

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Summary of findings

Children move into their accommodation in a planned way. They receive support that helps them to settle in the home and the local area. When children do not settle, leaders and managers take effective action to understand why, and when necessary, they help children find alternative living arrangements. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Prefer Homes Ltd 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s overall experiences and progress have improved significantly since the last inspection of this service in May 2025. They move into the accommodation in a sensitive and timely manner. Children are encouraged to visit the premises and meet the staff before they decide if the service is right for them. When children first arrive, staff take time to help them familiarise themselves with the local area. They are provided funds to purchase items to personalise their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining positive relationships with their friends and families, particularly when children live away from their hometowns. They ensure that children have the resources they need to achieve this, such as travel passes and knowledge of the bus and train timetables. Equally, children are encouraged to have visitors to their home. Staff manage this safely in conjunction with children’s social workers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Several children have recently moved into their own accommodation due to becoming adults. Staff helped them plan their move and choose where they live. For example, two children became close friends and chose to move into a home together, while another child chose to live alone but to remain in the local area. Some children who move out of the accommodation continue to visit the service and occasionally seek guidance and advice from staff. This demonstrates positive and trusting relationships that go beyond the time that children use the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff carry out life-story work with children during their time using the service. Children are gifted a memory book when they leave, which reflects their personal thoughts and photos of their time using the service. Staff record comments about children’s experiences in these books. This enables children to reflect on their progress as they prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff are now more ambitious for children. They promote education, training and employment, and most children engage in these opportunities. Specialist careers agencies work closely with staff and children to understand their motivation and areas of interest. Two children have successfully gained employment through apprenticeship schemes. For unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, they are supported to enrol at college, where they learn English language skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s cultural and linguistic needs are understood and met. Staff introduce children to local places of worship and support them in accessing shops where they can purchase cultural items and food. The manager has recently refurbished four bathrooms and installed douches. This enables children to follow their cultural beliefs.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children require help from specialist services, staff now advocate for their needs and make appropriate referrals to these professionals. Similarly, when children Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Prefer Homes Ltd 3 are being assessed for a diagnosis, such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder, staff support them in attending their appointments and take time to talk to children about how they are feeling during and after a diagnosis.

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How well children are helped and protected

The frequency of children not returning home by their agreed times has significantly decreased since the last inspection. This is because staff have responded to children’s requests to have overnight stays at their friends’ houses. Staff have worked with social workers to ensure that these new arrangements are managed safely. When children go missing, staff respond appropriately and follow the correct procedures. They take time to understand why the child did not return home and educate children about the dangers of staying away from the home.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children are aware of the rules and boundaries. Staff adopt a strengths-based approach to develop positive and trusting relationships that help children manage their emotions and build resilience. When children do not follow the rules, direct work is carried out to help them learn about respect and the values expected in the home and wider society. This helps children learn skills in preparation for holding their own tenancy.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children do not settle or their circumstances change, leaders and managers quickly identify this and communicate their concerns to the children’s social workers. For example, one child, whose circumstances had changed before they moved in, found making travel arrangements to see friends and family difficult and a barrier to engaging with their support. The manager requested a review and planning meeting and is working with the placing authority to develop better support arrangements for the child. However, leaders and managers failed to identify that an independent advocate should be appointed to represent the child’s views. During the inspection, the manager acted and requested an independent advocate.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s homes and their personal spaces vary in style and in quality. One home requires some remedial works to ensure that it is homely and welcoming, such as garden maintenance and a better standard of decoration in preparation for new children moving into the premises.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers carry out carefully considered pre-admission assessments through consultation with other agencies who are familiar with the child. This ensures that the manager understands children’s current and historic needs and experiences before agreeing to their placements. Equally, when children have specific needs, the manager now ensures that staff receive training in these areas before children move in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have now reviewed and amended the statement of purpose and use it to monitor and measure the effectiveness of the support they provide to children. They ensure that organisational policies and procedures reflect the practice standards that are outlined in the statement of purpose. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Prefer Homes Ltd 4 Similarly, leaders and managers now regularly monitor the quality of support provided to children. They seek children’s views and those of other agencies to inform the development of the service. Children and their professionals are consistently positive about the support arrangements in the service. However, leaders and managers have failed to share their quality of support review with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Training and development for staff are priorities across the service. Leaders and managers reflect on children’s needs and implement suitable training for staff to ensure that they understand and can meet them. Staff now have opportunities to reflect on their learning during supervision sessions and team meetings. This allows leaders and managers to assess staff competence and identify any gaps in their knowledge that need further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff said that they feel supported and valued by leaders and managers. They said that there has been ‘a lot of change’ across the service over the last six months and since the last inspection; however, they reflect that the changes that have been made have improved the quality of support that children receive. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Prefer Homes 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 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—

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Requirement Due date

the views of children, including any feedback and complaints received;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from each child’s accommodating authority, staff and any relevant persons;

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Requirement Due date

any relevant research and developments in relation to the way in which the needs of children are best met.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of support review, the registered person must produce a written report setting out the actions the registered person intends to take as a result of that quality of support review.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the review report to the CIECSS within 28 days beginning with the day on which the report is completed, and make a copy of it available on request to each child’s accommodating authority. (Regulation 32 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d) (2) (3)) 14 November Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Prefer Homes Ltd 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff regularly remind children of their right to access an independent advocate and support them in doing so concerning any matter relevant to their care. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 42)  The registered person should ensure that the supported accommodation settings are homely, welcoming, nurturing, supportive and well-maintained environments that meet children’s needs. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 29)

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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: Prefer Homes Ltd 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Prefer Homes Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Sharon Taylor

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Inspector

Beth Forster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Prefer Homes Ltd 8 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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