Elysian Field Limited

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 1 Elysian Field Limited Registered provider: Elysian Field 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 West Midlands. It can accommodate up to 49 individuals in 3 single-occupancy premises, 6 shared or group living premises that are limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers, and 6 shared or group living premises that are not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers. At the time of the inspection, 20 looked-after children aged 16 or 17 were living in the premises.

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provider

The service does not have a registered manager. The previous manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025 and left their role in March 2026. The service is managed by an interim manager who has applied to Ofsted to be registered.

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provider

The provider operates two models of support. The first model supports unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in premises that do not have staff. Children in this model receive a standard 10 hours of support per week for their first four weeks reducing to 5 hours of support per week. They have access to an out-of-office hours helpline. The second model of support is for care-experienced children who require support from a staff member 24 hours a day. In this model, a staff member is awake on duty in a group living home.

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provider

The service was registered in February 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 18 May 2026 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 20 to 22 May 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.

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Outcome

The next inspection will be within approximately 6 months. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 2

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Summary of findings

The quality of children’s accommodation varies. Health safety and fire hazards are not routinely identified, and this places children at increased risk of harm.

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Summary of findings

Staffing resources are limited and a lack of meaningful contingency planning impacts on children’s needs being met by suitably skilled and experienced staff members. Continuity of support is hindered by a high staff turnover, and this limits children’s progress.

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Summary of findings

Unsafe recruitment and a lack of training that reflects the children’s known needs place children at increased and unnecessary risk of harm. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Some staff know children well and talk confidently about children’s individual needs and how they meet these needs. However, this is not consistent across all staff. In addition, children’s support plans and risk assessments lack detail about their past experiences and how these impact on children’s current needs. In some instances, children’s support plans and risk assessments are the same. They do not provide staff with adequate information about how best to respond to each child’s needs. Some staff’s lack of knowledge about children, combined with poor records, mean that they are not able to help children progress or manage risks effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s support is not designed around their known needs and vulnerabilities. The organisation uses blanket approaches that do not always meet the needs of children or keep them safe. For example, all unaccompanied children have 5 hours of support per week, despite their needs. A further example is that staff report children missing from home after 48 hours of not being seen, rather than this being led by children’s circumstances at the time. These approaches do not consider the individual needs or safety of each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s progress is limited because target areas are not meaningful to children’s individual circumstances. Direct work sessions are generic and cover broad topics. This is a missed opportunity for staff to help children to learn the skills they will require to live independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children spoke positively about the staff and their experience of living in the premises. Unaccompanied children said they viewed their homes as a place of safety, and British children said they liked the freedom and the responsibility of living in supported accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

When children’s first language is not English, staff use a range of methods to ensure they can effectively communicate with children. They are attuned to and sensitive towards children’s literacy comprehension and take this into consideration when choosing which method of communication and interpretation is most useful to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff demonstrate empathy regarding the past experiences of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. They are sensitive to cultural differences and the traumatic events some children have encountered during their journey to England. Staff seek specialist support from other agencies, and this helps children to develop resilience.

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How well children are helped and protected

The quality of children’s accommodation varies. Some are pleasant and homely, while others pose preventable health, safety and fire hazards that are harmful to children’s health. For example, one child’s bedroom has damp walls and black mould on the window frames. An ongoing issue with drainage in another premises has resulted in a pungent odour in a child’s kitchen. Concerningly, the organisation’s Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 4 health and safety audit system has failed to address these matters to ensure that children are living in safe and habitable homes.

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How well children are helped and protected

Fire safety is not prioritised in the premises. Staff do not consistently follow fire safety risk assessments. For example, a final fire exit gate has been locked due to security concerns, and this prevents children from leaving in the event of a fire. Combustible items are being stored in a boiler cupboard where a protective conduit is being held together with tape. This careless approach to fire safety places children at increased and unnecessary risk of harm.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children show new or emerging support needs, staff do not ensure that the children’s plans reflect these new needs. For example, on some occasions, staffing has not been increased in line with children’s changing support needs. The organisation has continued to support the child without increasing resources as these were not agreed by the child’s placing local authority. The manager’s lack of challenge to the placing authority has failed to ensure that decisions are made in the children’s best interests and that the children’s support remains safe, appropriate and effective.

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How well children are helped and protected

Recruitment practice does not ensure that leaders and managers can effectively assess the suitability of staff before they commence their roles. For example, one staff member had failed to provide employment information over a 10-year period after leaving school. A temporary worker, who has recently lived overseas, did not have any overseas checks carried out despite undertaking a social care role outside of England. These shortfalls place children at unnecessary risk of harm.

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How well children are helped and protected

Mandatory induction training is not carried out when staff first undertake their role. For example, one staff member who had worked at the organisation for 5 weeks had not undertaken any formal training. As a result, leaders and managers cannot assure themselves that new staff have the skills during their induction period to identify or report poor safeguarding practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that the organisation has sufficient staff to safely meet the needs of the children. Despite their staff shortages, leaders have continued to accommodate children and adults. As a result, staff have high caseloads that they said they cannot continue to manage. Interim measures, such as temporary agency workers, are poorly thought through. For example, leaders and managers have not considered the relevant skills, experience and qualifications of agency workers before they begin supporting children. For children, this means they are receiving support from temporary workers who do not have relevant training to meet their known individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not consistently tell Ofsted about changes in their organisation. For example, they have failed to tell Ofsted about the opening and closing of premises. Equally, when changes are made to the organisation’s Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 5 statement of purpose, leaders and managers have failed to share the revised version with Ofsted. As a result, Ofsted cannot effectively monitor the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Similarly, leaders and managers have failed to tell Ofsted about serious incidents where children have been at risk of harm. For example, leaders and managers did not tell Ofsted that an accidental fire had occurred in a premises or that a child had tried to drown themselves. Their lack of reporting means that Ofsted cannot continually assess children’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders do not prioritise staff development. Poor oversight of training means that staff have not completed all training or updated it when this is required. Furthermore, when staff are promoted into managerial roles, leaders do not ensure they have training, support or guidance to understand their new role and their responsibilities. This means leaders cannot assure themselves that the staff and manager have the correct skills to carry out their role and meet the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Monitoring systems are not effective in identifying areas of poor practice. This means that new systems and procedures to improve practice are not developed. Leaders and managers have failed to meet the requirements raised at the last inspection. Their lack of formal systems to track progress and changes in the organisation negatively impacts on the manager’s ability to effect positive change for children and staff. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 6

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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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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 the supported accommodation undertaking has sufficient staff to support and accommodate children safely and effectively;

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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(1);

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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. 10 June 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 7 (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(d)(e)(f)(g))

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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 location of the premises used as supported accommodation is suitable for the category or categories of supported accommodation provided, by—

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Requirement Due date

reviewing the appropriateness and suitability of the location of each of the premises used as supported accommodation ("a location assessment"), and in doing so, consulting and taking into account the views of each relevant person;

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Requirement Due date

carrying out a location assessment of each of the premises used as supported accommodation at least once in each calendar year;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used as supported accommodation—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

comply with all relevant statutory provisions dealing with health and safety or fire safety matters. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x)) 10 June 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—

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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 10 June 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 8 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

in the event that the registered person or a member of staff considers that an accommodating authority or a relevant person is failing to provide the support set out in a child’s relevant plans, make representations, or, as the case may be, enable staff to make representations, to the accommodating authority or relevant person with a view to ensuring that the child’s needs are met. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(c)(h))

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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

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)) 10 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to the CIECSS, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place— 10 June 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 9 the premises of the supported accommodation undertaking are significantly altered or extended, or additional premises are acquired for use as supported accommodation.

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Requirement Due date

If premises are no longer used, or intended to be available for use, as supported accommodation by the supported accommodation undertaking, the registered person must give notice in writing to the CIECSS no later than 10 working days after the registered person becomes aware of the decision to cease use of the premises.

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Requirement Due date

Where additional premises are acquired, commissioned or arranged, or the supported accommodation undertaking intends to acquire, commission or arrange additional premises, and the supported accommodation undertaking intends to provide supported accommodation at those premises, the registered person must give notice in writing to the CIECSS as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, of the following—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the category or categories of supported accommodation to be provided at the premises.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to the CIECSS within 72 hours of the supported accommodation undertaking—

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Requirement Due date

accommodating a child for the first time in any premises which were not referred to in the registered person’s application for registration;

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Requirement Due date

accommodating a child in premises for the first time after the premises are brought back into use, after the undertaking temporarily ceased to use the premises as supported accommodation. (Regulation 34 (1)(g) (2) (3)(a)(b)(c) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it, and 10 June 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 10 notify the CIECSS of any revisions and send the CIECSS a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 9 (3)(a)(b))

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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 all staff are familiar with information- sharing requirements relating to the young people that they care for and act in accordance with these arrangements. They must ensure that children’s information is not shared inappropriately. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 58)

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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: Elysian Field Limited 11

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Elysian Field Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 4 Bloors Lane, Rainham, Kent ME8 7EG

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: hello@elysian-field.co.uk

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Inspectors

Beth Forster, Social Care Inspector Helen Wallis, Social Care Inspector Virginia Vickers, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Elysian Field Limited 12 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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