Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd 1 Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd Registered provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

provider

A private provider owns and operates this supported accommodation service. The service can accommodate up to 19 children living in 4 shared premises. The premises are not limited to looked-after children and care leavers. The provider operates in the West Midlands.

p.1

provider

Ofsted carried out a full inspection from 29 September to 2 October 2025. Serious and widespread shortfalls were identified in relation to safeguarding practice and management oversight. As a result, the provider was issued compliance notices in relation to regulations 4 and 7.

p.1

provider

Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit on 3 December 2025 to monitor the compliance notices. The inspector found that the provider had made some progress in meeting the compliance notices. However, these were reissued for Regulations 4 and 7 to ensure full compliance.

p.1

provider

A further monitoring visit took place on 5 February 2026. It was found that further progress had been made and the compliance notices had been met.

p.1

provider

At the time of this inspection, 9 looked-after children or care leavers aged 16 or 17 were being accommodated.

p.1

provider

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

p.1

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. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd 2

p.1

Summary of findings

Staff understand children’s needs, but they do not all complete specific training to help them to meet children’s needs. Mandatory training is not routinely kept up to date.

p.2

Summary of findings

Not all children know about their plans, and these are not always updated promptly.

p.2

Summary of findings

Leaders and managers recognise where improvements need to be made but do not always implement these changes.

p.2

Summary of findings

Children feel supported by staff and like where they live.

p.2

Summary of findings

Children’s cultural needs are identified and understood by staff.

p.2

Summary of findings

Improvements have been made to referral processes to help ensure that supported accommodation is suitable for each child.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

The children’s guide to their accommodation does not contain clear guidance on the complaint’s procedure. It is unclear how children access complaint forms and how these are processed. Furthermore, information around children’s allowances is inaccurate and misleading. The document is translated into other languages, making it accessible to all children. However, the guide is not reflective of the service, meaning that children do not know what to expect.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

All children have a support plan that is regularly reviewed. Each plan identifies key support needs such as health, education and independence skills. Key workers review these and share the findings with the relevant agencies. Some children do not know what their support plan is; these are not always developed with children or shared with them. This limits the effectiveness of plans and prevents staff from understanding how to best support children.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff ensure that children know how to access local amenities to meet their cultural needs. Staff encourage children to support new children moving into the accommodation. They visit places of worship and local specialist food markets together. One child was supported to access a specialist barber. Staff went with the child and ensured they understood how to care for their hair. Taking part in such activities helps the children develop a sense of belonging and cultural connection.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children are positive about the support they receive and their relationships with staff. One child said they would give the service a ‘10 out of 10’, while another stated, ‘I love it here; it is great.’ Children can identify staff they feel comfortable talking to should they have any worries. Some children could describe the things that staff supported them with and felt that they could ask for more support when needed. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd 3 Staff recognise the importance of education and encourage children to attend local educational settings. Staff connect with local colleges to ensure that when children move in, there are limited delays to access courses. Children’s progress is recognised and celebrated by staff. Children are proud of their achievements and want to learn. One child goes to college on their days off. They are keen to learn, and they have

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children

high aspirations for their future, which are encouraged by staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers consult with children when making changes to the service. One of the premises has recently closed, meaning that the children have moved to a new home. Children were consulted during this process and felt listened to. Children feel comfortable and safe in their new home and have individualised their bedrooms.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Staff access a range of mandatory training to enable them to meet the needs of children. However, progress is not routinely monitored, meaning that not all staff are up to date with training. Where training has been identified to support risk management, this is not always put in place by leaders and managers. For example, when assessing risks for the location of premises, training for staff had been identified but was not provided for them.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers have not taken action to address shortfalls in learning from serious incidents. Staff failed to identify high-risk behaviours, leading to children being at risk of harm. Leaders and managers did not ensure that staff were then trained to understand these risks, despite planning to do so. Consequently, staff do not always have the skills they need to provide effective support to children.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Staff do not routinely ensure that children have risk-management plans when new risks are identified. Processes for assessing and managing risk are unclear, and key risks are not always shared with leaders and managers. This shortfall makes it challenging for staff to understand and identify risks and how best to address them.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

Staff know how to respond if children are missing from home. All children have individualised missing-from-home plans, which contain information about relevant risks. Plans contain a clear process to ensure that staff know how to respond if children do not return home. Staff update children’s plans if they identify any new vulnerabilities.

p.3

How well children are helped and protected

On-call support is available for staff and children. Staff feel well supported by managers and know they can contact them in an emergency. Some children live in accommodation with ‘floating support’. Staff ensure that children understand how this works when they first move in. Children know how to contact staff out of hours, which makes them feel safe and supported.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd 4 Leaders and managers do not use effective monitoring systems. An electronic system is being introduced, but this is in its early stages. Leaders and managers are not always aware of key information relating to children, and they are not able to easily access records. A quality of support review was sent to Ofsted. This did not include any feedback from children, staff or agencies working with children. As a result, leaders and managers do not always identify and address any shortfalls.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Case records do not always reflect children’s lives and the work that is carried out with them. Key-work sessions with children are inconsistent in quality; some are not meaningful and do not consistently take place. Leaders and managers recognise this but have failed to make sufficient changes. Incident records do not include clear oversight by leaders and managers. This limits their understanding of the service and does not ensure that children’s records are reflective of their lives.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have implemented a more robust referral process. This is now being used to ensure that children moving into the service are suitable and ready for supported accommodation. Leaders and managers are reflective and feel that this new tool has enabled them to make more informed decisions.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers are committed to promoting children’s experiences, and they want them to do well. They communicate well with other agencies in children’s lives and ensure that they receive regular updates. One social worker described the manager as ‘always willing to go above and beyond’ in providing support for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have identified concerns for children moving to post-18 accommodation and aim to improve this. They have created a ‘move-on’ plan for children, and this focuses on children’s views of where they want to live in the future. Discussions with children start early to help prepare them for the move. Plans are shared with agencies working with the children. They hope that these plans will support children in being able to access suitable accommodation that meets their needs. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation 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 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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills appropriate for the work that they are to perform. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff complete identified training. Leaders and managers must also have a consistent approach to incident recording and reporting and ensure that relevant plans for children are promptly updated when required. 26 April 2026

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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; 26 April 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd 6 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;

p.5

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. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are involved in devising their plans and that these are kept under review in consultation with children.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the views of children, including any feedback and complaints received;

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

any relevant research and developments in relation to the way in which the needs of children are best met. (Regulation 32 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the report includes feedback from children, each child’s accommodating authority, staff and any relevant persons. 26 April 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd 7

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the young person’s guide contains accurate information about the support and accommodation provided by the supported accommodation undertaking. This should reflect their entitlements, including access to their finances and the full complaints procedure. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 43)

p.7

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: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd 8

p.7

Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd

p.8

Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Andrew Ramsey

p.8

Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: Info@lifeskillsupport.com

p.8

Inspector

Helen Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Life Skills Supporting Accommodation Ltd 9 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.8

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 . 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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9