Key CommunityOfsted inspection, 7 Sept 2026

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Key Community 1 Key Community Registered provider: Key Community

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

The supported accommodation service is owned and managed by a charity. The provider can accommodate up to 27 children in 3 shared or group living premises that are not limited to looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 6 children aged 16 or 17 years were being accommodated by the service.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted when the organisation registered in March 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 7 September 2026 and started that day. Inspectors were on site from 9 to 10 September 2026.

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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.

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Summary of findings

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. However, when children raise concerns, managers and staff do not consistently address these issues. This undermines children's feelings of safety.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not ensure that recruitment practices sufficiently explore the employment and work histories of staff. This does not provide them with adequate assurance that staff have the right skills and qualities to support children safely.

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Summary of findings

Children generally make good progress towards adulthood and independence. Children speak positively of the opportunities available to them and about where they live. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Key Community 2 Staff speak of children fondly and understand their individual needs and vulnerabilities. Regular, structured discussions between staff and children help to keep their plans personalised and focused on their support needs. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Key Community 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to develop their independence skills. This helps them to improve their self-care skills and be self-sufficient and more prepared as they move towards independence. Children's individual goals are led by the child and their assessed areas of need. Assessment tools are used effectively to help children think about their development needs and identify areas where they need further support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most of the children are engaging in education and making progress and staff promote attendance and support children's aspirations. Staff work collaboratively with social care and education colleagues to help children to understand their rights and entitlements relating to further education. Staff take time to introduce children to local transport links to help them get to college independently. These essential life skills help to equip children for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff genuinely care for the children and understand their support needs and individual goals. Outcomes are regularly reviewed with children in supportive one-to- one sessions. Children can identify trusted staff members, and this helps them to settle in the accommodation and promotes their engagement in support sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff promote children's understanding of cultural differences with celebration events, which are inclusive of all cultures. Children make friends in the local community and attend places of worship and social activities together. Staff use interpretation programmes to deliver information to children in their own language. Asylum-seeking children said that this has helped them to develop their spoken English and integrate into the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff offer opportunities and resources for children to enjoy healthy activities. They help children to develop new interests and build relationships and social networks. One premises has a community vegetable garden, which children are encouraged to help with and enjoy the produce. This supports children to acquire new skills in budget management and have healthy food options when they live independently as adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Premises are well maintained and offer children warm and welcoming environments. Children are positive about the location and said they feel safe where they live. However, the display of organisational values in the lounge and the use of visitor badges and in/out boards undermine the homely nature of the smaller properties.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children's plans and risk assessments are well written, give a real sense of the children and clearly describe their goals. Risk assessments provide succinct and helpful information to give staff the right guidance to promote safety for children. However, at one premises, all known risks relating to the group dynamic were not considered in children's risk assessments. This limits the ability of managers and staff to respond effectively when children are unsafe. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Key Community 4 Managers generally respond positively to complaints from children. Children said that they 'know how to complain but have nothing to complain about'. Staff ensure that children understand how to make complaints by providing them with written information in their own language. However, one child raised a concern with staff about their experiences, which was not escalated to managers. This prevents

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How well children are helped and protected

managers from understanding and sufficiently addressing children's worries.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff take health concerns seriously to protect the health and wellbeing of children and staff. However, on one occasion, not all staff were informed of a contagious disease in a timely manner. While staff were subsequently quick to respond and address this matter to prevent infection to other residents and professionals, this delay was avoidable.

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How well children are helped and protected

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is in operation in communal areas of the accommodation. While consents are in place, there are no identified risks to justify its use. Staff are currently paid to view live CCTV footage, which is more aligned with surveillance than safeguarding purposes. This blanket approach to monitor areas of the home, including children, infringes on their right to privacy. Leaders and managers reflected on this during the inspection and were keen to review the way that CCTV is used across the premises.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have effective oversight of staff practice. They are reflective of what has gone well and are keen to learn from and address any areas for improvement. Managers have improved the referral process to ensure that children's needs are safely met alongside each other and that children are ready to live in supported accommodation when they are admitted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff receive regular supervision sessions and attend team meetings that focus on children's experiences and progress. Managers give staff opportunities to reflect on their practice and identify training and development needs. Staff said that leaders and managers are visible and supportive of them in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Recruitment practice does not sufficiently explore the histories for staff. One staff member detailed gaps in employment, which were not fully explored. Overseas checks were not sufficiently explored for another staff member. While these gaps were identified in a commissioning compliance audit and reflected on at a leadership level, appropriate action to address these shortfalls has not been taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Managers and staff have good working relationships with external agencies. Social care professionals are positive about the improved safety of children living in this supported accommodation service. Furthermore, professionals said that regular updates help them to understand children's progress and how ready they are for independence. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Key Community 5 Managers escalate challenge to local authorities when children's placements are no longer considered suitable or may adversely affect other children. However, leaders do not escalate this challenge confidently enough to drive positive change for children. This limits their ability to effectively advocate for children to ensure that they receive the support they need. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Key Community 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

only use devices for monitoring or surveillance in communal areas and then only if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children,

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to each child's need for privacy. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(c)(i)(iv)) 6 November 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

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)(c)(h)) 6 November 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Key Community 7 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 1. (Regulation 17 (1) (3)(d)) 6 November 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that supported accommodation settings maintain a domestic impression and provide children with homely and welcoming environments. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', page 29)  The registered person should ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response and the outcome of any investigation. In particular, staff must escalate all concerns to the registered person to ensure effective oversight and action. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', page 61)

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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: Key Community 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 116 Baring Street, South Shields NE33 2BA

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Sharon Leask

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: hello@keycommunity.org.uk

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Inspectors

Mark Cryer, Social Care Inspector Beth Forster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Key Community 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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