Caring Thoughts LTD

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Caring Thoughts LTD 1 Caring Thoughts Ltd

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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

The service manager, who is also the nominated individual, registered with Ofsted when the organisation registered in July 2024.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a full inspection at this supported accommodation service from 6 to 10 October 2025 and found significant concerns and regulatory breaches relating to the safeguarding of children and protection standard. There was also a lack of leadership and management of the supported accommodation undertaking, including minimal oversight from the registered service manager, who is also the nominated individual. Ofsted issued a notice to suspend the registration of the service, and three compliance notices with regard to the support that children receive, the leadership and management of the service and children’s accommodation.

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This monitoring visit

This purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the provider’s actions to meet these notices. The provider has complied with the suspension notice. No children have moved into the premises since the suspension notice was issued. However, the provider has failed to take sufficient action to meet the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The leadership and management arrangements have not improved. These arrangements do not help managers to ensure that children receive the support from staff that they need. Staff are not fully trained to enable them to understand and respond to children’s individual needs and risks. Furthermore, there are no effective processes in place for managing children’s referrals into the service. For example, Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Caring Thoughts LTD 2 the registered person has not developed any new process to demonstrate how they would use information to inform the decision-making process before children are admitted to the service. Consequently, the registered person is unable to show that children’s needs can be met, or that supported accommodation would remain a suitable placement for children.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s accommodation has not been prioritised. The provider has made some improvements but these have not gone far enough to ensure that the premises are comfortable or decorated to a good standard. Managers and staff have not ensured that the environment is nurturing and homely. For example, the use of visual CCTV of children in the lounge and dining area remains, and the identified fire risk in a spare bedroom has not been resolved.

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This monitoring visit

Following the inspection, the provider has not completed any internal audits of the service. They were unable to demonstrate that there is an effective system to assess if they can safely meet the individual support needs of any new children who may use the service in the future.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has yet to ensure that children’s support plans accurately reflect children’s risks and support needs. This has the potential to prevent staff from fully understanding children’s current needs and the actions they should take to support children.

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This monitoring visit

The additional requirements raised at the full inspection were not monitored at this inspection. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Caring Thoughts LTD 3

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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)) 28 December 2025

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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— 28 December 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Caring Thoughts LTD 4 provide stability and consistency of accommodation for 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; 28 December 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Caring Thoughts LTD 5 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;

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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 2025

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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 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Caring Thoughts LTD 6

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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 is kept under review. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, pages 47 and 48)  The registered person should ensure that the quality of support review is robust and considers 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 carried out before staff start to work for the service. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 16)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to follow up information received by Ofsted and/or to ensure that the supported accommodation provider was complying with regulation.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Caring Thoughts LTD 7

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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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Inspectors

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Shelley Chowdhury, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Caring Thoughts 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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