Icons Supported living Accommodation

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 1 Icons Supported living Accommodation

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

The service is operated by a private provider. It offers accommodation for up to 4 children in shared or group living premises that are specifically for looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, no looked-after children were accommodated.

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provider

The service manager and nominated individual roles are held by the same person. They registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 1 June 2026 and started that day. The inspector was on site on 3 and 4 June 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

The registered service manager admits children outside the conditions of the supported accommodation registration. Children with complex needs are accepted despite the service being unable to meet those needs, resulting in high levels of supervision being required.

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Summary of findings

Children are not consistently safeguarded. Safeguarding information is not reliably shared with partner agencies or Ofsted. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 2 The registered service manager does not monitor the service effectively to ensure that staff provide safe, high-quality support to children. There are also shortfalls in safer recruitment practices, staff supervision and the quality of children’s plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff provide high levels of support for children. One child received 2-to-1 staff support day and night. This is inconsistent with the intended purpose of supported accommodation. Children are not ready for semi-independent living. As a result, children do not make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The registered person does not ensure that staff keep children’s support plans up to date. The plans are not child friendly and are lengthy. Guidance for staff in the plans is unclear, making them difficult to implement. For one child, there was little evidence of actions taken or progress made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are not in education, training or employment. Staff encourage children to think about their options; however, children are not ready to take part in learning. This limits their chances for growth and independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to learn independent living skills. This includes cooking, cleaning and doing the laundry. However, staff do not always help children to take age-appropriate risks. For one child, staff locked away sharp knives and plates and managed their medication. This limits children’s ability to prepare for living on their own.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The registered person does not ensure that the young person’s guide is child friendly. It does not contain accurate information about the service. There are no details of available advocacy services. This does not help children to understand the service or the support available to them.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered person does not report serious incidents to Ofsted. For both children who have been accommodated, there have been significant safety concerns. These include going missing from home for lengthy periods and self-harming behaviour. This limits the oversight of the regulator. Without clear reporting, there is no assurance that children are safe.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered person does not ensure that children’s risk assessments are precise or up to date. Important details are lost in excessive information. This means that staff do not have clear strategies on how to support children and manage risk.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered person does not ensure that staff always take safeguarding action. They do not contact emergency services when necessary. One social worker said that staff have not used the out-of-hours team as requested. In addition, staff do not record incidents in a timely manner or to an appropriate standard. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 3 The registered person does not follow safer recruitment practices. Staff have worked without a current Disclosure and Barring Service check in place. One member of staff did not have a check for the children’s workforce. There was no risk assessment in place to mitigate these risks. This places children at potential risk of harm, as it cannot be assured that staff are safe to work with children.

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How well children are helped and protected

The registered person maintains the accommodation well. It is close to health services, shops, leisure facilities and education. Children can personalise their rooms. However, window restrictors and locked cupboards make it feel less homely. The setting is not used in line with its registration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered person does not assess children’s needs before accepting referrals. Children with complex needs and who are not ready for semi-independent living have been placed. Staff provide high levels of supervision that do not meet these needs. This causes instability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered person does not ensure that the statement of purpose is clear. It does not set out the service’s aims, values or how it will meet children’s needs. It does not explain what the service provides or how it operates. The service accommodates children whose needs it cannot meet, including those from vulnerable settings, such as police custody and secure children’s homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered person does not always carry out quality of support reviews. Opportunities to gather feedback from children, staff and other stakeholders are overlooked. There are no clear plans for improvement, and opportunities to use research to improve outcomes for children are missed. This makes it difficult for leaders and managers to improve the service in a meaningful way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered person is also the nominated individual and director of the service. They have not ensured that an independent complaints process is in place. This reduces the opportunity for concerns to be managed in a fair manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff report feeling supported, and there is a workforce plan in place. However, the registered person does not ensure that staffing processes are followed. The induction for staff is unclear, and supervision is inconsistent. One staff member did not receive supervision until 3 months after starting employment. For another member of staff, the records of the 2 supervision sessions they had were identical. Shortfalls in oversight and support for staff undermine their ability to support children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 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 well-being 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

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

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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. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(e)(f)(g)) 26 July 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

ensure that children— 26 July 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 5 are protected from harm;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar and act in accordance with child protection policies;

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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;

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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)(f)(i)(ii)(iii)(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. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 26 July 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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Requirement Due date

its purpose, including its ethos, core aims and function; 26 July 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 6 the category or categories of supported accommodation it offers;

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Requirement Due date

the services it provides for children it accommodates and supports;

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Requirement Due date

the characteristics of the children for whom it is intended the supported accommodation undertaking will provide accommodation and support, including the age range, number and sex of the children;

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Requirement Due date

the facilities it provides to the children it accommodates;

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Requirement Due date

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 address of the registered provider’s principal office, except where this is the same address as where the children are accommodated;

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Requirement Due date

the organisational structure, including management structure and staffing arrangements;

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Requirement Due date

how it ensures that the child’s rights and views are at the centre of the support, service delivery and planning;

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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 positive outcomes the service seeks to achieve for children and its approach to achieving those outcomes;

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Requirement Due date

the arrangements in place to support the development of children’s independent living skills, in line with their identified individual needs;

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Requirement Due date

the arrangements in place to promote children’s involvement and progress in education, training or employment;

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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; Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 7 anti-discriminatory practices in respect of children and their families;

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Requirement Due date

how it supports the cultural, linguistic and religious needs of children;

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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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Requirement Due date

details of how a person involved in the support or protection of a child can access the supported accommodation under- taking’s child protection policies. (Regulation 9 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)(k)(l)(m)(n)(o)(p)(q)(r))

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

includes details of— 26 July 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 8 the event concerned;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints and representations made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint or representation takes any part in its consideration or investigation, except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate. (Regulation 31 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a clear and transparent process is in place for managing complaints made against them, with independent oversight both internally and externally, and that this is clearly set out in relevant policies and procedures for children, staff and other stakeholders. 26 July 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;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from individual children on the impact the sup- ported 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. 26 July 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 9 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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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the young person’s guide is child friendly, contains accurate information about the service, includes details of available advocacy services and explains how children can contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, pages 42 and 43)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: Icons Supported living Accommodation 10

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 30 Glebe Avenue, Broughton, Kettering NN14 1NE

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Secret Muchawa

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Inspector

Amanda Cooper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Icons Supported living Accommodation 11 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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