Clay Housing Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Clay Housing Ltd 1 Clay Housing Ltd Registered provider: Clay Housing Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service can accommodate up to 17 children and young people in total. This includes 5 shared or group-living premises that are not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers. There is also one self-contained premises for the sole purpose of individual children.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 4 looked-after children age 16 or 17 were being accommodated.

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provider

The service manager has been registered with Ofsted since October 2023.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 8 December 2025 and started that day. The inspector was on site from 10 to 11 December 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. The next inspection will be within approximately 3 years.

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Summary of findings

Children make progress. They are positive about the support from staff and where they live. They are supported to learn skills for independent living.

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Summary of findings

Staff have a good understanding of each child’s needs and experiences to be able to support them. They support and encourage children to access education and training and to overcome any barriers.

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Summary of findings

Staff are positive about working for the organisation and the support they receive from leaders and managers.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have good oversight of the service and know the children well. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Clay Housing Ltd 2 Social workers, personal advisors and independent reviewing officers are positive about the communication with staff and the support children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children make progress. They report feeling happy in their homes and have support from staff. A personal advisor for one child said, ‘Clay Housing has been a good experience for their growth and gaining independent living skills.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. They help them become familiar with their new home, the area and the language. Staff use interpreters and apps to help with communication. They respect each child’s culture and faith. This approach supports children to feel safe and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to develop their independent living skills. They help them stay safe. Children learn to manage money, shop, cook and clean. They look after their homes. This prepares them for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff help children to stay healthy. They register them with doctors, dentists and opticians. They go with children to appointments when needed. Staff build children’s confidence to manage their own health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff help children to engage in education, training, employment and volunteering opportunities. They encourage activities like going to the gym. One child said they enjoy study and work and like to keep busy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers ask children for their views to improve the service. They check what children think about the help they get and their homes. They do this through surveys and one-to-one discussions. They have a space where children can leave written comments. When children move on, they give feedback about their experiences. This gives children an easy, informal way to share their views at any time.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers ensure that children’s accommodation is well-maintained. There is access to amenities such as health, education, shops and places of worship. There is information for children about the house and area. Children can add personal touches to their rooms. They also have their own front door key. Children enjoy a sense of ownership and independence.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers ensure that support and safety plans meet children’s needs. Staff keep plans up to date and show progress. They understand what each child needs to stay safe and grow.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff train in safeguarding, including child exploitation. They work one to one with children. They understand trauma and its effects. This insight helps them support children in an effective way. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Clay Housing Ltd 3 Leaders, managers and staff know each child and their needs. They work together to keep children safe. Children stay in touch when they are out and come home as agreed. They say they can speak to staff if worried. If a child is missing from home, staff follow procedures.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers work with partner agencies. Staff keep social workers informed about each child. They share reports for meetings and send weekly updates. Social workers value this clear communication. It keeps local authorities up to date on children’s progress.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers report serious incidents to safeguarding agencies. They do not always notify Ofsted. This limits the regulator’s oversight and weakens assurance of children’s welfare.

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How well children are helped and protected

The service uses closed-circuit surveillance equipment. This is in shared areas, such as the lounge and kitchen. Leaders and managers do not review its purpose or use. This does not respect children’s rights to privacy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have consistent oversight of the service. They manage it in line with its statement of purpose. Leaders and managers are child-centred. They are inspiring in their approach to staff and children. They are clear about the progress children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers ensure that children moving in are ready for supported accommodation. They assess children’s support needs and risks. They take account of the needs of children already living in the accommodation. This ensures placements for children are safe and suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers hold regular supervisions with staff. They cover wellbeing, training and children’s needs. Staff attend team meetings and keep their learning up to date. Staff say managers support them and that they like their jobs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers recruit staff with experience of working with children. They follow safer recruitment processes. Induction, probation and appraisals are in place for staff. This helps to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. However, the workforce plan does not include details about the performance management process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers complete quality of support reviews. They gather feedback from children, staff, the local authority and partner agencies. Managers identify strengths and areas for improvement as part of their review. This helps the service to continue to develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Family members are part of the same workforce. Leaders and managers ensure that there is independent oversight. However, the process for this is not outlined in the Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Clay Housing Ltd 4 complaints procedure. This may affect the management of concerns in a fair and transparent way. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Clay Housing Ltd 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have a workforce plan that sets out the process for induction, probation, supervision and poor performance. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 47-48)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all serious events are notified to Ofsted, without delay. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 60-61)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any use of CCTV must be no more intrusive than is needed and should respect the privacy of children. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 30)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that their complaints procedure reflects the independent process in place if there is a concern or a complaint raised by children, staff or others about a family member in the workforce. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 22 and 25)

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors has 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: Clay Housing Ltd 6

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Rachael Moore

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: ray.duckworth@clayhousing.com

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Inspector

Amanda Cooper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Clay Housing Ltd 7 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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