TNS Care Limited

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: TNS Care Limited 1 TNS Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is owned and operated by a private provider.

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provider

It can accommodate up to 17 individuals in 4 shared living homes that are limited to accommodating children in care and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, this service was providing supported accommodation for 13 children aged 16 or 17 years.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

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provider

The nominated individual is one of the 2 directors.

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Inspection dates: 15 to 16 July 2026

The inspection was announced and started on 13 July 2026.

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Inspection dates: 15 to 16 July 2026

The inspector was on site from 15 to 16 July 2026

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Outcome

Consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive experiences and progress for children. Where improvements are needed, leaders and managers take timely and effective action. The next inspection will be within approximately 3 years.

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Summary of findings

Children in general have positive experiences with this provider. Children are supported by a consistent, stable and dedicated team of staff. This has helped children to make good progress towards their independent living skills. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: TNS Care Limited 2 Good-quality risk assessments help guide staff in the support they provide. Staff understand children’s individual needs and associated risks. Strong multi-agency response to risks around exploitation is in place.

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Summary of findings

Feedback from children, staff and professionals was consistently high.

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Summary of findings

Support plans are not fully individualised and do not always capture the voices of children. Serious incidents were managed appropriately but not always notified to Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children enjoy living in their accommodation and feel supported by staff. Usually, staff prioritise building positive and strong relationships. As a result, children feel valued, understood and empowered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The 4 homes support local children. The homes are situated close to amenities and transport links. This helps local children to remain in the area they know and feel connected to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children were accessing education. Staff advocate for children to ensure they receive the right support and equipment to aid their learning. Staff think creatively about ways in which to engage children when there may be barriers to education. The provider has strong links to local colleges. For those children who were not in education, training or employment regular personal education plan meetings were held to explore what could be done.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff prepare children to move on from the service. Typically, when children reach adulthood, they remain in the accommodation until they are fully prepared for independent living and have suitable accommodation arranged. One young person continued to be supported as a care leaver, and work was being done with the placing authority to ensure that a move was appropriately planned in line with the young person’s wishes and feelings. Where appropriate, relationships continue after they have moved, with young people maintaining contact and celebrating adult milestones with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s social workers and other professionals are very positive about quality of communication, the quality of support provided and the progress children make. One child’s social worker said, ‘Any concerns or worries raised are addressed promptly and appropriately, with staff demonstrating a genuine commitment to safeguarding and the welfare of young people. The team works collaboratively with professionals and is proactive in finding solutions when challenges arise.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are encouraged to spend time with family members and friends. Children take pride in where they are living, and, as a result, they often have visitors to their home. This enables staff to get to know children’s friends and allows children to socialise in a safe space. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: TNS Care Limited 3 Staff complete meaningful, individual work with children. This helps them to learn skills for daily living in adult life. Staff are creative in their approach when supporting children to live independently. Support plans were in place, but these were not fully individualised and did not always reflect the voice of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children typically report being happy in their homes, and they live in safe, secure and comfortable accommodation. Some institutionalised signs in one property detracted from the otherwise homely feel. Sharps were also consistently locked away, meaning children are not supported to take age-appropriate risks.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers ensure children’s risk assessments are well written, accurate and easy for staff to understand. Risk assessments are updated with new information and identify actions to reduce risk of harm. Staff understand what each child needs to stay safe.

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How well children are helped and protected

A strong multi-agency approach to safeguard children at risk of exploitation is in place. Strategy discussions are held frequently with local authorities and partner agencies to share information and identify actions. Children are linked to external agencies for support.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff work in a trauma-informed way to understand children’s behaviour and de- escalate incidents when required. This has contributed to there having been no restraints since the provider was registered. Staff are empathetic about children’s experiences of trauma, and for those children who are new to the country, the journey that they have been on.

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How well children are helped and protected

Recruitment practices help to ensure that staff are safe and skilled to support children. Staff regularly access clinical supervision from a psychotherapist to better understand children’s experiences and how to support them, and to support staff wellbeing.

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How well children are helped and protected

There have been several missing-from-home episodes. Children do not always come in at the agreed time. Staff follow procedures to ensure that children are reported missing and liaison with local authorities and professionals, including the police, is strong.

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How well children are helped and protected

When serious incidents occur, staff and managers respond promptly to prioritise children’s safety and wellbeing. Leaders and managers inform safeguarding agencies of serious incidents. However, a number of incidents, particularly in relation to one child, were not reported to Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leadership and management of the setting have remained stable since registration. Leaders and managers are appropriately qualified and experienced. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: TNS Care Limited 4 Oversight of the service has improved since registration. Leaders and managers are reflective and take learning when things are not effective. They demonstrate a commitment to drive forward improvements for the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered manager prioritises spending time with children. They explore children’s wishes and feelings in a way that makes them feel heard and that their words matter. The registered service manager ensures that they regularly attend all properties. This helps to ensure they are well informed about the progress, needs and experiences of the children, rather than relying solely on reports or updates from staff. This helps them to maintain oversight of what is happening for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff gave consistently positive feedback on their employment, and many had been in post for a significant amount of time. One staff member said, ‘The positive culture, strong leadership and commitment to continuous improvement make it a safe and supportive place to live and work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff are well supported and receive individual supervision and time with the psychotherapist if this is required. Professional development of staff is strong. An induction and ongoing training programme are in place to ensure that staff have the necessary skills, experience and resources to best support every child. The vast majority of staff hold a Level 3 qualification, and a number of staff have either completed or are working towards a Level 5 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Internal quality of support reviews have been completed but not always submitted to Ofsted within timescales. In addition, feedback was not always obtained and used to develop a clear action plan. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: TNS Care Limited 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 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; and

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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)(i)(ii)(e)(f)) 20 July 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— 1 September 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: TNS Care Limited 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; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure a plan for support is in place to support the child to develop the resilience and skills required to transition out of supported accommodation when the child is ready to live more independently. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(k))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the supported accommodation settings are nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of young people, and are always homely and welcoming environments. Supported accommodation settings must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, fire, food storage and hygiene etc.). However, in doing so, settings should seek as much as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 29)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of support provided by the service and the experiences of children living in each of the provider’s settings, looking at the impact the support is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The review must be robust and must consider feedback and evidence from all settings under the provider’s registration. (‘Guide

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Recommendations

to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 62)

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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: TNS Care Limited 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Priory Place Priory Road, Tiptree, Colchester CO5 0QE

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Inspectors

Emily Stevens, Social Care Inspector Clare Hannah, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: TNS Care Limited 8 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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