Help Plus

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Help Plus 1 Help Plus Registered provider: Ziche Limited T/A Help Plus

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service was registered on 6 November 2024 and is operated by a private provider in the North-East, Yorkshire and Humber region. It can accommodate up to 4 individuals in one shared or group-living home that is not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, one looked-after child aged 16 or 17 was being accommodated.

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provider

The service does not currently have a manager registered with Ofsted. The current service manager applied to become the registered service manager on 26 March 2026, and this application is being considered.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 23 March 2026 and started that day. The inspector was on site from 25 to 26 March 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

Leaders and managers do not have effective oversight of the service. The service has not had a registered service manager since May 2025.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers admit children outside of the registration conditions of supported accommodation. Children are admitted with complex needs that the service cannot meet.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not fully consider the impact that children coming to live at the home may have on people already living there. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Help Plus 2 Children are not always safeguarded effectively. Child protection information is not consistently shared with partner agencies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers do not operate this service in accordance with their statement of purpose. They accept children with complex support needs that they cannot meet. Therefore, not all children make progress or have positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers do not gather sufficient information about children’s needs and vulnerabilities before they move into the service. Staff do not know how these experiences may influence children’s behaviours and progress. Children’s support plans lack essential information. Leaders and managers do not ensure that children are suitable to live together. This places other young people living in shared housing at risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers’ oversight of this service is ineffective. As a result, children do not always experience quality support that promotes their safety and well-being. For example, they fail to ensure that children’s safety plans are up to date. As a result, children’s plans are not always comprehensive and meaningful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers do not communicate all serious safeguarding concerns to partner agencies. When they do inform agencies of safeguarding concerns, they sometimes minimise these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The standard of the accommodation has deteriorated since the last inspection. Children and young people living in the home have caused considerable damage. The provider has taken steps to repair this, but these works are not yet complete. This makes the house less homely for children.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers admit children into the home with complex needs that cannot be met in supported accommodation. This exposes children to significant risks. For example, on one occasion a child switched off the home’s electrical supply.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not always keep children safe. They fail to inform agencies when significant events happen which affect the safety of children. For example, leaders and managers do not always notify social workers when children cause significant property damage in the home. Furthermore, they do not always make them aware when police are called to the home. On one occasion, an ambulance was called for a child when they were in the community. Leaders and managers did not inform the child’s social worker.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not ensure that children’s plans are current and incorporate their identified vulnerabilities and risk-management strategies. They Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Help Plus 3 sometimes minimise children’s vulnerabilities in their safety plans. This does not provide assurance that these plans will keep children safe.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some staff do not seem to have the skills required to support children effectively. On two occasions, when serious incidents have occurred in the home, staff have remained in rooms away from children. They have been unable to offer the children the support required to de-escalate the situation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The provider has failed to ensure that there is an appropriately experienced registered service manager for the service. The service has not had a registered service manager since May 2025. Three applicants have applied to perform the role. None of these applicants have met the required standards for registration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not ensure that the service operates in line with their statement of purpose. They do not have suitable systems in place for monitoring and oversight. This hinders their ability to manage children’s risks in line with their agreed processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers accept children with needs that cannot be met in supported accommodation. They do not always take effective steps to ensure that children are supported when it becomes apparent that the service is unable to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not monitor the service effectively. They fail to identify serious shortfalls that affect children’s safety, well-being and experiences. This places children at risk of harm because staff do not know or understand children’s individual needs or risks to their safety. Furthermore, leaders and managers do not complete an effective quality-of-support review at least once every six months. This is a missed opportunity to reflect on areas of identified strengths and weaknesses and the experiences of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers keep a record of serious incidents that occur in the service. However, they fail to record all serious incidents that occur in the home and in the community. This hinders leaders and manager’s ability to have effective oversight of children’s vulnerabilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not inform Ofsted, without delay, when serious events occur. They do not always share important information relating to child protection with other agencies. This affects multi-agency responses to keep children safe and support their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have ensured that staff have received additional training since the previous full inspection. One staff member said that this had helped them to de-escalate situations. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Help Plus 4

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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 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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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(c)(f)) 3 May 2026

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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

are enabled to keep themselves safe; 3 May 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Help Plus 5 have their individual needs met;

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Requirement Due date

have 24-hour access to help in a crisis or emergency situation;

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Requirement Due date

prepare and implement child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies, and share information where relevant to keep children safe;

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Requirement Due date

understand the relevant roles and responsibilities assigned to them by the registered person in relation to protecting children. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(e)(f)(iv)(vi))

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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—

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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

engage and work with the accommodating authority if the registered person has concerns or if the child’s support needs to be changed, including where that change may mean that the child requires more intensive support;

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Requirement Due date

before a child arrives or upon a child’s arrival, ensure that the child is given a written guide, in an accessible format, containing information about— 3 May 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Help Plus 6 the support and accommodation provided by the supported accommodation undertaking;

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Requirement Due date

what advocacy support or services are available, how the child may access that support or those services, and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy;

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Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representation in relation to the support and accommodation provided and how any such complaint or representation will be dealt with;

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Requirement Due date

what services and facilities are available that take account of children’s needs arising as a result of cultural differences or disability;

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Requirement Due date

and which the registered person must keep under review, seeking children’s comments before revising the written guide;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(c)(f)(j)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint an individual to manage the supported accommodation undertaking if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered service manager in respect of the undertaking, and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the supported accommodation undertaking. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 3 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child and the registered person considers that incident to be serious; 3 May 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Help Plus 7 there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry— (i) is instigated, or (ii) concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry);

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all children live in a homely and welcoming environment. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 29)

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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: Help Plus 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Ziche Limited T/A Help Plus

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 17 Brook Street, Wakefield WF1 1QW

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Inspector

Steve James, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Help Plus 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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