Peabody TrustOfsted inspection, 11 Sept 2026

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Peabody Trust 1 Peabody Trust Registered provider: Peabody Trust

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

Peabody Trust is a large housing association. It registered with Ofsted on 20 July 2025. The registered service manager and the nominated individual have been with the service since registration.

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provider

The service can offer accommodation for up to 68 children across 7 homes, some of which offer supported accommodation in shared premises limited to looked-after children and care leavers. Some premises are shared with other children and young people. One of the premises is a self-contained flat.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 21 children aged 16 and 17 years were living across 7 premises.

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Inspection dates: 7 to 11 September 2026

The inspection was announced on 7 September 2026 and started that day. The inspector was on site from 9 to 11 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. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Peabody Trust 2

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Summary of findings

Children’s experience of support varies. Some children are happy with where they live and with the support they receive, and others are not. High staff turnover and the absence of managers in some homes impact on the consistency of support for some children.

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Summary of findings

In some premises, there is a core permanent staff team that creates opportunities for children to build trusted and positive relationships with them. Most children benefit from the advice and guidance the staff offer towards developing independence.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers accept children whose needs and complexity are often higher than they initially expect. This impacts on whether children’s risks can safely be managed and on the support available for them and other children. When risks increase or behaviours deteriorate, the provider recognises the issues but does not consistently take prompt action.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The quality of the support varies across the premises. Children speak highly of the support they receive from most of the permanent staff. Most staff help the children, show interest in them and are available to offer advice and guidance. Some staff can empathise with the children’s experiences. Nonetheless, some night staff and occasional staff do not know the children well and are not equipped to respond to the children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children say that the support they receive from core staff is helping them to prepare for further independence because staff help them, for example, to arrange health appointments and consider vocational options for education. Some children make good progress and are helped to move on to more independent settings. One child has excelled and was supported to transition to play sport internationally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The workforce is diverse. This promotes inclusion and encourages children to celebrate events that are important to them. Most staff can empathise with children’s experiences and offer a non-judgemental approach to help them address issues that they are facing, helping to increase their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff try to use an independence skills booklet to help the children see where they are making progress. Yet, some children say that staff could be more proactive to help them to better understand the areas they need support with. Support plans are usually discussed with children but do not fully reflect the work that is being planned with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

When children raise complaints, they receive inconsistent responses depending on whether the manager of their home is available. Some homes have QR codes for Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Peabody Trust 3 children to access to express their views about their experiences, and others do not. The children’s guide does not contain clear contact details for children to direct their most serious or persistent concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children can personalise their room, and they receive welcoming packs for the kitchen and personal use. Some premises have access to extra food supplies that the children can share when they need them. Some premises provide additional toiletries to help children with personal hygiene, and children can access free weekly breakfast, lunch and dinner clubs in another home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children across the homes experience issues with Wi-Fi connectivity, limiting their ability to connect online with friends and family. Managers did purchase boosters that only partly improved the situation, leaving children unsure about plans for this issue to be fully resolved.

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How well children are helped and protected

Permanent staff have extensive skills and experience that equip them to recognise likely risks to children. This helps those staff to find meaningful ways to support and encourage some children. This is a mitigating and protective factor. The children can safely share their views with those staff, which helps them to better understand and address their vulnerabilities.

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How well children are helped and protected

Most staff know the children well and develop trusted and supportive relationships with them. They find creative ways to engage with children and show willingness to encourage children to develop their own interests. Most staff are keen to understand the children’s circumstances and support children to keep safe with regular conversations about what is happening for them.

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How well children are helped and protected

Inconsistencies from staff who do not regularly work in the homes result in gaps in the way children are protected. For example, failing to notice that a child was missing until they were arrested. One child living in shared accommodation expressed worry that some night staff may let children into the building who do not live there, and this leads to children feeling unsafe where they live.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children say that when they raise issues with managers, solutions can be delayed and any consequences implemented are not always effective. Some children believe that other children are not challenged by staff when they do not follow house rules, particularly at nighttime. Some children do not have confidence in some staff’s ability to maintain a stable living environment.

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How well children are helped and protected

Some children spent long periods away from their accommodation living with extended family because their room was too hot in the summer or because of pest control and ongoing challenges from other children or young people. Some children smoke cannabis on the premises. Staff and managers do not implement the behaviour policy effectively. Children receive warnings from managers about their behaviour, but this approach is not successful in improving the situation. This directly affects other children’s health and wellbeing. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Peabody Trust 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager and nominated individual are supported by the homes’ managers. The senior management team communicates well together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Since registration, leaders and managers have been continuing to shape the whole service to adjust to the supported accommodation regulations. For example, they are adjusting contractual expectations from commissioning services. There are occasions when the managers’ ability to advocate for children whose needs are not best met in supported accommodation and to promote their prompt transition to more suitable settings is compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager’s understanding of how each home is being managed is limited. Some of the staff working in some of the homes are working with high-level complexity, and this impacts on the staff’s ability to provide support to some children in crisis. High staff turnover, a prolonged period of manager’s leave and poorly coordinated holidays for senior staff create gaps in the consistency of support that children receive and reduce the quality of support for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The processes leaders and managers use when making decisions about their ability to support children do not allow for enough professional curiosity. The result is missing information about children’s circumstances at the point of admission, which may mean that supported accommodation is not suitable for some children. Children who are ready to develop their skills for further independence are sometimes exposed to difficult dynamics in the home when other children experience crisis situations, which staff are not always able to fully address.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff describe leaders and managers as approachable and supportive. The registered manager provides regular and constructive supervision to staff and other managers. Managers listen to children. They act appropriately when they become aware of concerns about children or staff. This includes taking disciplinary action and managing performance. Additional training is provided to staff in areas where gaps in practice are identified by internal or external feedback, for example children missing from care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The management team members use robust interviewing and recruitment practices for permanent staff. During the recruitment process, they explore prospective staff’s values as well as their skills to support children effectively. Children are invited to contribute to the selection process, helping to ensure their views are listened to. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Peabody Trust 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 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 the supported accommodation undertaking has sufficient staff to support and accommodate children safely and effectively;

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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. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(d)(f)) 21 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a behaviour management policy setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the approach to supporting children to maintain a reasonable standard of behaviour that reduces the risk of harm to, and supports the welfare and protection of, children and other individuals;

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Requirement Due date

the expectations of children in relation to their behaviour, what will happen if those expectations are not met, and how the registered person will ensure that children know what those behaviour expectations are; 21 November Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Peabody Trust 6 how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the premises providing supported accommodation. (Regulation 22 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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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

co-operate with the child’s accommodating authority in agreeing the child’s placement plan or, as the case may be, pathway plan;

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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—

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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. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(c)(d)(j)(iii)) 21 November

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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 each child is provided with a private bedroom—

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Requirement Due date

which has sufficient telephone or internet connectivity in order to enable the child to maintain relationships and feel connected. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(d)(iii)) 21 November

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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: Peabody Trust 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Minster Court, 45-47 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7JB

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: andrew.forbes@peabody.org.uk

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Inspector

Daniela Ferrario, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Peabody Trust 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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