Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd 1 Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd Registered provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) 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.

p.1

provider

The service can accommodate up to 15 children in four group-living homes which are limited to accommodating looked-after children and care leavers.

p.1

provider

At the time of the inspection, the service was providing supported accommodation for seven children.

p.1

provider

The provider and the service manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

p.1

Inspection dates: 19 to 21 November 2025

The inspection was announced on 17 November 2025 and started that day. The inspector was on site on 19 and 20 November 2025.

p.1

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. The next inspection will be within approximately three years.

p.1

Summary of findings

Children make good progress and have positive experiences. Staff know them well and ensure that they have access to the support they need, when they need it. This helps children progress positively to adulthood and achieve independence.

p.1

Summary of findings

Children say they feel safe and are protected from harm. Staff understand potential risks to children’s safety and welfare and are well trained and supported to manage and reduce these risks. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd 2 Leaders and managers are strong advocates for children. Staff safeguard children well and collaborate closely with other professionals to ensure that children can access the service and the support they need.

p.1

Summary of findings

Ofsted is not notified of all significant events.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Children say they like where they live and are safe. One child said: ‘It is OK, I am happy here and safe.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Children live in welcoming and well-maintained homes. They speak positively about their living environments, and they have opportunities to personalise their spaces. This helps them feel a sense of ownership and belonging.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Children make progress and have a range of positive experiences. Staff know children well. The staff spend time with them, protect them from harm and promote their welfare. One professional said: ‘The placement provides opportunities for children to develop independence skills, such as cooking, budgeting and managing personal routines. Children feel encouraged to take responsibility for their own space and daily activities, which contributes to their sense of autonomy.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff are ambitious for children. Most children are in education, training or employment. Where individual children are not engaging, there is evidence of continued attempts to encourage them to seek employment or education.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are supported to actively participate in decisions about their lives. They receive information that is translated into their first language when required, to help them to understand expectations, build positive relationships and avoid isolation. A social worker complimented the staff, saying: ‘Our children are unaccompanied. We highly commend them for their cultural sensitivity and their support to children to make them feel at home.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

All children are registered with health professionals. The children know how to seek medical attention when they are not feeling well. The staff support them with making health appointments and attend with them if they wish.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s accommodation is safe. The locations of the homes enable children to participate in the local community and to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. One child said: ‘I am happy to see my family as much as I like compared to where I used to live.’ Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd 3

p.2

How well children are helped and protected

Children say that they feel protected and settled where they live. They can access support outside of usual office hours, including in an emergency. They are confident that if they need staff, they will be there for them.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

There is a stable team of staff, many of whom have worked with the provider since registration. The same staff tend to work in each home, ensuring stability for children. This ensures that children can identify a trusted adult whom they can talk to about any concerns. They are confident that adults will listen to them, take their concerns seriously and respond appropriately.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Staff help children to contribute to their support plans and encourage them to participate in one-to-one sessions and meetings. This ensures that children contribute to plans and decisions about their lives.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Staff respond appropriately and effectively when children go missing from home. They follow the correct procedures and treat all unexplained absences as missing- from-home episodes. These are reported transparently and in line with safeguarding protocols. Staff notify partner agencies promptly and make effective use of risk assessments and one-to-one sessions to explore underlying reasons for children going missing, helping to reduce future risk. The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of serious incidents, which reduces the regulator’s oversight of the service.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Staff support children, through discussions, to understand the risks of going missing and develop strategies to reduce incidents. One professional said: ‘I have been deeply impressed by the quality of practice, the professionalism of the staff, and the strong commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. ’

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Staff work closely with a range of agencies. They coordinate children’s access to specialist services and information, such as independent advocacy, counselling services, child and adolescent mental health services, youth justice, immigration and education. This ensures that tailored support is provided for children.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

The provider follows safer recruitment practices. All necessary pre-employment checks are carried out before staff begin working with children. This includes identity verification, enhanced police checks, references and employment histories. Recruitment records are well maintained, and only suitable individuals are employed to work with children.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Managers monitor the quality of support and use any learning to improve the experiences of children. The registered service manager has effective oversight of services, is visible and visits services regularly. Leaders and managers provide an on- call service where staff can access support and guidance at any time. This ensures staff have good support when dealing with issues as they arise. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd 4 Leaders and managers are aspirational for the service and ambitious for children. Their motivation and positive outlook result in children being aspirational for themselves. Children’s current interests and future career goals are fully encouraged by managers and staff alike.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The managers seek feedback from children through house meetings, one-to-one discussions and quarterly feedback forms. This means they are up to date with what is happening for each of the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers ensure that plans for individual children are comprehensive and address their needs. The service works positively with other agencies and professionals to ensure that children can access the support they need. One professional said: ‘The placement is a good one and it is nurturing, and it respects the views, feelings and wishes of children.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff work collaboratively to provide consistency. There are clear responsibilities and accountabilities, and staff have a sense of shared ownership about their practice. Feedback from staff about their leaders is overwhelmingly positive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Training, development and induction activities are effective and focus on ensuring that the service can meet the specific needs of the children it is responsible for. Staff have access to specialist support and training to ensure their practice is evidence based and meets the individual needs of children. This includes opportunities to have reflective practice discussions to ensure the support delivery is of good quality and responsive to children’s needs. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd 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 registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if—

p.5

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation or child criminal exploitation;

p.5

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child and the registered person considers that incident to be serious;

p.5

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it;

p.5

Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry);

p.5

Requirement Due date

there is an incident involving the use of a measure of restraint of a child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)(f)) 21 December Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd 6

p.5

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: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd 7

p.6

Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) Ltd

p.7

Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: AY 104 Citystore Business Centre, Smeaton Close, Brunel Park, Aylesbury HP19 8SU

p.7

Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Michael Bonsi

p.7

Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: michael@marshillcare.co.uk

p.7

Inspector

Ann Adesoye, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Mars-Hill (Aylesbury) 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.

p.7

Inspector

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 .

p.8

Inspector

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8