Vineyard Homes Limited

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vineyard Homes Limited 1 Vineyard Homes Limited Registered provider: Vineyard Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

Vineyard Homes Limited registered as a supported accommodation provider on 18 June 2024. The nominated individual is also the director. The registered service manager registered in December 2025.

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provider

The provider offers ring-fenced shared accommodation and can accommodate up to 36 children across 13 premises.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 30 children aged 16 to 17 were living across 13 of the premises.

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Inspection dates: 8 to 12 December 2025

The inspection was announced on 8 December 2025 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 10 to 12 December 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. The next inspection will be within approximately 6 months.

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Summary of findings

Managers and staff lack effective oversight of the risks that some children are exposed to and understanding of how and when to escalate concerns.

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Summary of findings

Children receive limited support and so progress for children is limited.

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Summary of findings

There were serious weaknesses in the leadership and management’s ability to protect children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vineyard Homes Limited 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children receive inconsistent support. Their experiences and progress vary considerably depending on the staff members working in the home on any one day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

When children move in with a readiness for independence and are self-motivated to engage in their support, they make good progress. One child said that they did not feel prepared enough to move to supported accommodation and staff did not help them to settle in or to feel at home. The child described some staff as ‘not bothered’ to build relationships. Another child said that it was down to themselves to find a job and that they were doing better.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Some children say they are happy with some staff. However, children also say that with continual staff change, the staff are not around long enough to get to know them. The children say they never know who to expect to be working in their homes. One child explained not feeling comfortable in their home and spent 5 days away because of the ‘weird’ atmosphere in the home. One child said they need time to trust staff, as to trust people it is necessary to ‘build a relationship.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff promote education, and most children are in education or employment. Staff support children not in education to consider alternative options, such as seeking apprenticeships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff’s engagement with children is mainly practical rather than emotional or to explore the children’s personal circumstances. The staff’s approach to supporting children with emotional and mental health difficulties is poor. For example, staff help children to register with services for their health needs and ensure they have applications in to progress education enrolment. However, the follow up with children is inconsistent, and the staff do not routinely check in when problems occur, such as when children are waiting a long time for a response about their immigration status

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Overall experiences and progress of children

One child described living in the home as ‘acceptable’ because they were due to be moving out soon. They said the rules and how rigidly they were applied are based on what staff want, such as friends having to leave much earlier than the house rules state. One child said that they had no interest in forming relationships with staff as they were just counting down the days to leave.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are encouraged to be involved in group or individual activities, such as go- karting, bowling, the gym, or walks. At times, staff join children in activities, but this does not always result in improved communication with the children or a greater understanding of their emotional or support needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children like the house where they live and their bedrooms, which they are encouraged to personalise according to their taste and style. Children express themselves in their personal spaces. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vineyard Homes Limited 3 The homes are located in safe areas. The premises are in generally good condition and are well maintained. Bedrooms are spacious, and there are shared spaces for children to socialise or have privacy when required. Children say they are happy in their homes. One child said their home ‘is nice’ and another said, ‘I like everything about the house.’ However, the homes are not ‘homely,’ and bedrooms do not have a lockable cabinet or box for personal items, and some bedrooms have no desk with chairs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers supported the request for one child to have a pet. There is a ‘no pet policy,’ but flexibility was shown in negotiations with the child. This led to an agreement for the child to have a suitable pet in the home. This was positive for the child, who had their voice heard and responded to on this occasion.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff report children to other agencies when they have gone missing. However, there is limited focus on the emotional context of the triggers that might lead a child to go missing or choose to be out of the home. The staff are not concerned about the impact of children going missing

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How well children are helped and protected

Some staff do not have a good range of skills to be able to talk to and communicate with the children in a meaningful way. Staff are missing vital information and opportunities to help children. The staff are not doing enough to prioritise the children’s needs or re-evaluate what the children might need from them. This leads to children not having the help they need to understand their own vulnerabilities and develop skills to help them to navigate risk.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some staff lack the skills to recognise and respond to increasing risk or to challenge plans that are not effective in keeping children safe. Often, staff do not know the individual child well and are not curious about the people the children stay with when outside of the home. This leaves children, and particularly those who go missing, at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff are not supporting children well to manage medication. One member of staff did not adhere to the documented management of prescribed medication dosage for a child. There had been no evaluation of the child’s ability to self-administer their own prescribed medication while on authorised time away from the home.

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How well children are helped and protected

There are gaps and delays in internal and external communication between management and staff and the provider and other professionals. For some children, this impacts on whether their identified health needs are actioned and their rights are advocated for.

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How well children are helped and protected

Managers and staff do not challenge placing authorities when they are requested to carry out actions that are outside the scope of supported accommodation. For example, they agree to care for children with complex needs in solo-occupancy provision. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vineyard Homes Limited 4 Safer recruitment practices are not followed. Some staff had been working in the service with one reference, references are not verified, and one staff file had no Disclosure and Barring Service check. Gaps in employment history are not accounted for. The lack of the required checks before staff start to work with children exposes children to the risk of harm from people who may not be suitable to work with children.

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How well children are helped and protected

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

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How well children are helped and protected

The nominated individual has recently stepped down as the registered service manager. The newly appointed service manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025. The new registered service manager accepts that communication is key to improving the quality of children’s support, progress, and experiences.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers have limited oversight of some of the concerns identified during the inspection. There is a lack of effective communication between the staff and the nominated individual and registered service manager. The managers have not ensured that staff have the professional confidence to support children or identify individual children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Some staff do not know what is expected of them to prioritise and escalate concerns, particularly for children who have long periods of being missing.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers work together to make decisions about admissions, with final decisions being made by the nominated individual. However, the managers do not ensure that children are ready to gain more independence or that the support needs for children can be met by the skillset of the current staff group.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not notify Ofsted in a timely manner of referrals made to the local authority designated officer. The quality of support review does not include feedback from individual children on the impact the supported accommodation has had on the child’s life.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers provide induction and training for staff, but it is not sufficient. Some staff who are new to working with children and who have been recruited from overseas lack understanding of safeguarding risks, ability to develop professional curiosity and an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of their job.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers operate outside the conditions of the supported accommodation registration. They have placed more children in 2 ring-fenced premises, which means those addresses are over capacity. They have provided solo occupancy when they are not registered to do so. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vineyard Homes Limited 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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Statutory requirements

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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Statutory requirements

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Statutory requirements

ensure that staff work effectively as a team, where appropriate, to meet the needs of children;

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Statutory requirements

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills appropriate for the work that they are to perform;

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Statutory requirements

implement recruitment practices that ensure staff are suitable to work with children and to keep them safe from harm;

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Statutory requirements

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;

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Statutory requirements

ensure that arrangements are in place for the supervision, training, and development of staff. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)) 15 February

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Statutory requirements

*The protection standard is that children are enabled to feel safe and that their needs are met.

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Statutory requirements

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Statutory requirements

ensure that children— 15 February Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vineyard Homes Limited 6 comply with requests from a local authority to provide it with information relating to a child for which it is the accommodating authority;

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Statutory requirements

ensure that there is a suitable person representing the supported accommodation undertaking available to attend any meeting the accommodating authority may hold about a child;

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Statutory requirements

are familiar and act in accordance with child protection policies;

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Statutory requirements

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. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(d)(e)(f)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Statutory requirements

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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Statutory requirements

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Statutory requirements

ensure that plans for support are based on initial referral information, are meaningful and are created in full consultation with the child, taking account of relevant plans for the child;

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Statutory requirements

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. ( Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 15 February

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Statutory requirements

The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if –

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Statutory requirements

there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it. (Regulation 27 (3)(c)) 15 February

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Statutory requirements

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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Statutory requirements

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 15 February Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vineyard Homes Limited 7 accommodation and how well prepared the child feels for transition out of supported accommodation. (Regulation 32 (1)(b))

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Statutory requirements

The registered person must give notice in writing to the CIECSS, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Statutory requirements

If premises are no longer used, or intended to be available for use, as supported accommodation by the supported accommodation undertaking, the registered person must give notice in writing to the CIECSS no later than 10 working days after the registered person becomes aware of the decision to cease use of the premises. (Regulation 34 (1) (2)) 15 February

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Statutory requirements

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: Vineyard Homes Limited 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Vineyard Homes Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Tendai Kazingizi

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: gibson@vineyardhomeslimited.co.uk

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Inspectors

Phyllis Dyer, Social Care Inspector Daniela Ferrario, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vineyard Homes Limited 9 and inspects 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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