Nylah Homes Leicester

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 1 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Nylah Homes Leicester Registered provider: Nylah Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is operated by a private provider in the East Midlands. The provider can accommodate up to 71 individuals in 18 shared or group-living homes that are limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 47 looked-after children and care leavers aged 16 or 17 were accommodated.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted at the same time as the organisation in June 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 26 January 2026 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 28 to 30 January 2026.

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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

Admission procedures do not enable leaders and managers to understand the needs or vulnerabilities of children. This leads to children being admitted to the service whose needs are beyond the scope of supported accommodation. Additionally, for these children, some staff do not have the skills and knowledge to meet their complex needs or to keep them safe.

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Summary of findings

The leaders and managers lack sufficient oversight of the service, which means patterns of behaviour and serious incidents are often overlooked. This limits staff’s ability to provide meaningful support. As a result, children’s progress is limited and leaves them at prolonged risk of harm. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 2 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Summary of findings

Children generally experience warm and trusting relationships with staff, and they report feeling safe in their homes and local communities. Professionals’ feedback is largely positive and reflects the provider’s commitment to children.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are open, reflective and cooperative. They demonstrate some insight into areas requiring improvement and a willingness to act promptly on issues identified during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Several children who were spoken to described feeling safe and content, both in their homes and in the surrounding neighbourhoods. However, children do not always move into homes that are well furnished, welcoming or maintained to an acceptable standard. Some properties are in noticeably poor condition, including unclean bathrooms, cracked paintwork, tired decor, mismatched or broken furniture, holes in walls, strong odours coming from the yard and junk stored in the outhouse. Repairs reported by children are not completed in a timely manner. One property presented with a significant fire risk during the inspection, although this was addressed immediately by leaders and managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Frequent moves within the provision disrupt children’s stability, and these moves are not always planned effectively, including a lack of planning ahead to consider the needs of children already living in the home. Leaders and managers do not always fully consider and balance the needs of children with potential risks, and this can mean children are at risk of harm from each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Some children have positive and trusting relationships with staff, who are well meaning for their progress. Staff support children to develop essential life skills and facilitate access to relevant health services. Some children are also engaging in education, training or employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Support plans are not consistently completed for children, and those that do exist are not reviewed or updated. As a result, they do not reliably reflect children’s known needs, risks or the areas where support is required. Cultural needs are not always recognised or met, and children’s views and voices are largely absent. Children’s progress is neither reviewed nor recorded. For example, one child has had their medication administered and managed by staff for a prolonged period. There is no support plan to help the child develop autonomy in managing their medication or to support their progression towards independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff do not routinely take proactive steps to address children’s behaviour, including smoking cannabis in bedrooms, having visitors stay overnight and aggressive behaviour. However, some children spoken to have a good understanding of the house rules, such as the expected time to be back home, expectations around visitors and essential health and safety guidance, including fire safety and no ‑ smoking rules. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 3 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children

A lack of identified named worker results in gaps in support and makes it difficult for staff, leaders and managers to track children’s progress. There is also limited evidence of how the provider gathers children’s views or helps them resolve disagreements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are not informed of premises having CCTV before their moving-in day. CCTV is installed in communal areas of the homes, including the living room and kitchen. Risk assessments do not provide a rationale to explain the intrusion to the children’s privacy. The video doorbell is linked to the staff phone and used as another means for surveillance when the staff feel it is required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

In some homes, access to knives is unnecessarily restricted, with staff locking them away and requiring children to request access, despite there being no identified risks. Children are not provided with keys to their homes. These blanket restrictions limit children’s opportunities to develop their independence and learn to manage risks appropriately.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some children can identify some trusted adults they can approach for help. However, some children cannot identify a specific ‘go-to’ member of staff due to the number of different support staff involved in their home. Some staff are responsive and helpful when children seek out support.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the actions they are expected to take when children go missing, and these situations are generally well managed. However, there are notable gaps in the notifications submitted to Ofsted, including those relating to serious incidents, allegations against staff and child protection enquiries and conclusions. For example, several hospital attendances following potential overdoses were not notified to the regulator. Leaders and managers are not fully knowledgeable about what is a notifiable event to Ofsted, which increases the risk that serious events are not escalated appropriately by the staff.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s needs and vulnerabilities are not sufficiently understood or considered by the manager before placements are agreed. As a result, children have been admitted to the service whose needs fall outside the scope of supported accommodation, and the staff cannot keep these children safe. For some children, this has led to placements ending suddenly and in an unplanned way. Where a child’s needs are beyond the scope of supported accommodation, leaders and managers do not take timely, formal steps to ensure that the child is supported in an arrangement that can meet their needs safely.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s risk assessments do not consistently capture all known risks and actions. Written records are often generic rather than tailored to the child. Staff do not always explore or follow up on information that could help them better understand or identify emerging risks. This reduces the effectiveness of safeguarding practice and leaves children without the full protection they require. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 4 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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How well children are helped and protected

There have been some occasions where children have been restrained. Management oversight does not consistently capture the child’s views, the staff member’s reflections or the support offered to both parties following the incident, or any learning from this. In one example, an allegation was made against a member of staff following a restraint but was not escalated or notified to the regulator because the child later retracted the allegation. This demonstrates gaps in safeguarding practice and reinforces the need for a more accountable response to incidents of restraint.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers adhere to safer recruitment procedures. Recruitment processes are thorough, supporting the safety of children through strong vetting practices. This helps to ensure that staff are safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The nominated individual resigned in September 2025. The proposed nominated individual has been a director for the service since registration. Other than this change, the service benefits from a stable and consistent management team. However, they do not have sufficient oversight of the service, which means children’s needs are sometimes overlooked and practice does not consistently align with the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Monitoring arrangements are weak, and quality assurance systems are not effective in identifying or addressing shortfalls promptly. As a result, the quality of support is inconsistent, and issues are not routinely picked up early enough by managers to prevent escalation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Referral and admissions processes are ineffective. Children have been admitted whose needs and risks are too high for the service to manage safely and who fall outside the scope of supported accommodation. Decisions do not consistently consider whether the service can meet a child’s needs, manage risks sufficiently or whether children are compatible with children already living in the home. This has contributed to instability, including unplanned placement endings for some children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Recording systems are fragmented and do not provide leaders with a reliable oversight of children’s experiences or staff practice. Multiple recording routes are used, which creates duplication and confusion and increases the likelihood that key information is not consistently captured or easy to audit. As a result, children’s records, including incident logs, are not consistently updated, reviewed or used effectively to monitor progress and risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers work proactively with placing authorities, and both the registered manager and proposed nominated individual demonstrate a sound understanding of children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The location assessments were not made available for the inspectors to review. As a result, Ofsted cannot assess the steps managers take to help staff to prepare children for living in their locality. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 5 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Supervision is irregular, and newly appointed staff do not receive the consistent oversight required to ensure safe and effective practice. Although staff complete training, leaders and managers do not routinely evaluate whether learning is embedded into day ‑ to ‑ day practice. This limits the service’s ability to improve practice and ensure staff accountability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There is insufficient evidence of routine audits of staff practice or property maintenance, leading to delays in identifying and resolving concerns. The service’s governance documents require strengthening, including the statement of purpose and quality of support review report, so that the managers and leaders can clearly show how this service is delivered and decisions are made, reviewed and improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The workforce plan does not fully set out arrangements for oversight in absence of the registered manager, core training expectations or the process for managing and addressing poor performance. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 6 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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

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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;

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ensure that arrangements are in place for the supervision, training and development of staff;

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ensure that each child is fully aware of their entitlements throughout the duration of their placement in supported accommodation, including—

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what they can expect from the provision of supported accommodation, 22 March 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 7 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

ensure that a workforce plan (see regulation 10) for the supported accommodation undertaking is in place. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the service is operated in line with the statement of purpose and only admit children who are ready to develop further skills in preparation for adult living. They must ensure that they seek information about each child’s circumstances, vulnerabilities and areas of need before agreeing children’s placements. The registered person must provide and implement training to ensure that staff understand the needs of children and have the skills to help children with their individual needs.

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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. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(f)(ii)(iii)) 22 March 2026

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

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ensure that children are encouraged and enabled to take a lead role in determining the support they receive and to 22 March 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 8 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

participate in and influence how the supported accommodation operates;

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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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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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ensure that children are supported to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(n))

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

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

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

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

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

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

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there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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The registered person must ensure that a notification made under this regulation—

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includes details of— 22 March 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 9 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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any other individuals or organisations who or which have been notified;

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any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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is made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f) (4)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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The accommodation standard is that children experience a comfortable and secure living environment.

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

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ensure that the premises used as supported accommodation—

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provide stability and consistency of accommodation for children;

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are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child individually and all children collectively;

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are suitable for the purposes of supported accommodation and are accessible, safe, secure and well-maintained;

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offer a comfortable, positive and nurturing environment, while respecting children’s need for privacy;

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are adequately maintained so as to provide a welcoming and homely environment within both individual and shared living spaces;

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are designed, furnished and maintained to remove avoidable hazards which could pose a health and safety risk to children;

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comply with all relevant statutory provisions dealing with health and safety or fire safety matters;

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only use devices for monitoring or surveillance in communal areas and then only if—

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the monitoring or surveillance is for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, 22 March 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 10 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

children are informed in advance of the intention to carry out monitoring or surveillance, and

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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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ensure that each child is provided with a private bedroom—

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with sufficient space to accommodate a reasonable number of personal possessions,

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which is equipped to meet the child’s individual needs,

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ensure that each child is provided with basic items such as bedding, towels, personal hygiene products and kitchen equipment, where the child does not have access to such items. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(i)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(c)(i)(iii)(iv) (d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) in relation to each child accommodated by the supported accommodation undertaking which—

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are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)(c)) 22 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the following matters in respect of the supported accommodation undertaking—

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the facilities it provides to the children it accommodates;

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a description of the accommodation it provides, including how the accommodation meets the accommodation standard (see regulation 6), how the accommodation might be adapted to meet the individual needs of children it accommodates and the security arrangements in place;

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Requirement Due date

the arrangements in place to ensure a child is fully aware of their entitlements throughout the duration of their placement in supported accommodation;

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Requirement Due date

the arrangements for and policies on protecting and promoting the mental and physical health needs of children, including medication handling, recording and safekeeping; 19 April 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 11 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

anti-discriminatory practices in respect of children and their families;

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Requirement Due date

details of who to contact if a person has a complaint and how that person can access the complaints procedure (see regulation 31);

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details of how a person involved in the support or protection of a child can access the supported accommodation undertaking’s child protection policies. (Regulation 9 (1)(e)(f)(j)(n)(o)(q)(r))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile, in relation to the supported accommodation undertaking, a plan (“the workforce plan”) which covers the following matters in respect of the recruitment and employment of all staff—

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the experience and qualifications of managers and other staff, and any further training required for those managers and staff;

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the processes and timescales for staff to complete induction, probation and core training, including in safeguarding and health and safety;

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the process for managing and addressing poor performance;

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the process and timescales for supervision and monitoring of staff.

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keep the workforce plan under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e) (2)(a)) 19 April 2026

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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; 31 May 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 12 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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

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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))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that young people are able to maintain and develop their cultural or religious beliefs as far as practicable, and where appropriate, through participation and instruction and by observing religious requirements, including dress and diet. Staff should support young people in their development of a sense of self and encourage young people to have confidence in their identity, including with respect to cultural, national and linguistic backgrounds, religion and LGBT+ identities. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 39)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the health and mental health needs of young people and support them to access services and medication where appropriate and/or necessary, such as working with young people to encourage them to attend appointments or supporting young people to

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Recommendations

put measures in place for them to manage their own medication responsibly. This should align with the service’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 36)  The registered person should ensure that in addition to how positive behaviour is promoted, the process includes what happens after any use of restraint in exceptional circumstances. Restraint is only permitted in rare and unforeseen situations where it is the only way to prevent immediate harm or serious damage, and it must always be minimal, proportionate and used for the shortest possible Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 13 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendations

time. Staff may require appropriate training, including safe restraint practices where relevant, and must be able to offer timely emotional support to any young person who has been restrained. Each incident must be reviewed within 24 hours, with full and accurate records completed and the young person involved in reflecting on what happened. Within 5 days, the registered person must speak with the young person to confirm the accuracy of the report, identify support needs and set out steps to reduce the likelihood of restraint being required in the future. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, pages 56 and 57)  The registered person should be prepared to share location assessments with Ofsted at registration and, at Ofsted’s request, at any other time. When a registered provider notifies Ofsted of a new setting, the registered provider may be asked to share the assessment with Ofsted. The registered person must

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Recommendations

review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the supported accommodation setting at least once in each calendar year. This review should include a full risk assessment, taking into account risks and opportunities presented by the setting’s location, and including any relevant risk mitigation strategies and actions taken to reduce potential risks as well as the views and experiences of young people. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 28)

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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: Nylah Homes Leicester 14 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Nylah Homes Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Hillary Katiyo

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: directors@nylahhomes.co.uk

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Inspectors

Shelley Chowdhury, Social Care Inspector Chris Jay, Social Care Inspector Amie Pearson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nylah Homes Leicester 15 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspectors

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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