Caring Thoughts LTD

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 1 Caring Thoughts Ltd Registered provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

A private provider operates this service. It offers accommodation for up to 6 children in 2 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, 2 looked-after children or care leavers, aged 16 and 17, were using the service.

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provider

The registered manager, who is also the nominated individual and sole director, registered with Ofsted when the service was registered in July 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 9 March 2026 and started that day. The inspector was on site from 11 to 12 March 2026.

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Outcome

Inconsistent quality of service delivery adversely affects some children’s experiences, and this may limit their progress. Leaders and managers must make improvements. The next inspection will be within approximately 18 months.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not yet have sufficient oversight of the service, although they have made improvements since the last full inspection in October 2025. Consequently, some children’s needs are not fully understood or supported.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers now ensure that they work in line with the provider’s statement of purpose. Only children ready to live in supported accommodation are admitted to the service.

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Summary of findings

Children experience supportive care and enjoy positive relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

Children said that they feel safe and happy. External agencies and other professionals speak positively of the service and staff’s commitment to children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s experiences of this service are mixed. While staff are ambitious for children, some children do not have detailed support plans that include their known needs and risks. Their generic plans do not help staff to give children tailored support that enhances their progress as they move towards independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to develop their independent living skills as they prepare for adulthood. However, this support is not reflective of children’s current needs or skills, and plans do not include achievable targets for children to work towards. Also, children’s plans do not include their views and opinions about the level of support they need or how this will be provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are supported to access health services and education. When there are concerns about children accessing suitable education, staff make efforts to support them to identify provisions that can meet their needs. However, staff do not consistently encourage children to continue their learning through enrichment activities. This leads to children complaining of being bored, and is a missed opportunity to keep children motivated to learn new skills that will support their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children said that they have good relationships with staff and that staff understand their backgrounds and the things that are important to them. This helps children to feel listened to and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children said that they like their accommodation and, generally, their homes are well furnished. However, some minor repairs and decorating around the property are needed to ensure that the environment is safe and welcoming.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s risk assessments do not reflect all their known risks. These assessments are generic and the strategies in place to help staff to manage and reduce risks to children are not consistently based on their individual vulnerabilities. In addition, risk assessments do not include an evaluation of how children’s behaviours and risks may impact on others, including other children living in the supported accommodation.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children said that they are able to raise any concerns that they have with staff and that they know how to make a complaint. However, while the complaints procedure is included in the children’s guide, neither this document nor any associated staffing policies include guidance for when there are family relationships among staff. This lack of transparency does not ensure that any issues, concerns or complaints raised would be dealt with independently and free from any conflict of interest.

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How well children are helped and protected

The children’s guide is confusing and does not provide children with clear information about how they are expected to behave in the supported Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 3 accommodation. This does not help children to recognise that as they move towards adulthood that they need to take greater responsibility for their own safety and welfare.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff understand what to do if children go missing, and how to escalate these incidents to other agencies and professionals when needed. Since the last inspection, the registered service manager has revised missing-from-home recording systems. These now help to ensure that staff fully record all missing incidents and include the actions taken to safeguard children.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered service manager ensures that recruitment processes help to determine the suitability of staff to work with and support children. Staff recruitment files now include all relevant background information and details of previous employment and qualifications.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Since the last inspection, the registered service manager has not admitted any children with needs or risks that exceed the scope of supported accommodation. Nevertheless, when children are admitted, the registered service manager does not always ensure that all relevant information about children is available to shape their support plans. This does not help staff to quickly get to know children or their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Monitoring and review systems do not consistently help leaders and managers to quickly identify shortfalls in practice. For example, one child was without a support plan for 3 weeks and the registered service manager was unaware of this. This shortfall does not support the wider monitoring of the service. For example, the quality of support review is basic and does not include feedback, including from staff and external agencies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Recording systems for children’s information are often fragmented, with some information in paper files and some information on an electronic recording system. The daily logs are duplicated, with staff initially making notes in a centralised paper notebook and then transferring these to the electronic system. The member of staff transferring these notes is not always the author of the records, which brings into question the security and integrity of children’s documents and information. Furthermore, some documents are not dated or signed. This lack of consistency is confusing for staff and does not provide children with an accurate record of their journey to independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff said that they are supported in their roles. However, the registered service manager does not always ensure that staff receive regular supervision or appraisal. Some gaps in staff supervision relate to the time when the service was suspended, however, this does not account for all gaps for all staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff training is mostly up to date, although there are missed opportunities for managers to ensure that staff training relates to children’s known needs and risks. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 4 For example, staff do not routinely undertake training relevant to child criminal exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Partnership working between the service and placing authorities is much improved. Social workers and other professionals spoke positively about their weekly communications with the service, and children’s engagement and progress. However, the statement of purpose includes inaccurate information that does not align with the workforce plan. The workforce plan also includes inaccurate information and does not detail how planned actions will be achieved. This does not provide placing authorities or others with an accurate picture of the service’s development aims and objectives. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 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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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 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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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(f)(g)(j))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, a revised statement of purpose should align with the workforce plan in respect of staffing, induction, supervision, oversight, monitoring, audit and accountability. 4 May 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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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 4 May 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 6 ensure that children are encouraged and enabled to take a lead role in determining the support they receive and to participate in and influence how the supported accommodation operates;

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Requirement Due date

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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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

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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Requirement Due date

In particular, children’s known and emerging risks should be assessed, and their risk assessments and support plans should include achievable goals.

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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 premises used as supported accommodation—

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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. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(viii)(ix)) 4 May 2026

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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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Requirement Due date

the management and staffing structure; 4 May 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 7 the experience and qualifications of managers and other staff, and any further training required for those managers and staff;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the process for managing and addressing poor performance;

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Requirement Due date

the process and timescales for supervision and monitoring of staff.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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 31 May 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 8 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

In particular, the registered person should use information from internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement, including the review of incidents involving children and placement breakdowns.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. Information about the children must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the children. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards, page 58)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is available in a format that is easily accessible and understood by each child before or when they arrive at the setting. It must be clear and user friendly and include all relevant information as detailed in the regulations. The registered person should review and update the children’s guide as necessary, making sure that children are consulted before making any changes. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 42)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and

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Recommendations

fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and of children in the setting. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 51)

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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: Caring Thoughts Ltd 9

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: SKN Business Centre, 1 Guildford Street, Birmingham B19 2HN

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Marvolet Baker

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: info@caringthoughts.co.uk

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Inspector

Shelley Chowdhury, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Caring Thoughts Ltd 10 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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