24 July 2025
AFTER an intense couple of years, Turning Lives Around has undergone its first Ofsted inspection and has a development roadmap to shape its accommodation services for 16 and 17-year-olds going forward.
Changes to government regulations in 2023 means any organisation providing supported accommodation for 16 and 17-year-olds must be Ofsted registered. As one of the partners delivering the Our Way Leeds (OWL) service for 16-25-year-olds and providing a range of supported accommodation for young people TLA needed to become Ofsted registered.
The charity successfully achieved registration in April 2023 and some 15 months later underwent its first two-day inspection on the new supported accommodation framework 2023.
The inspection related to TLA’s supported accommodation accessed by 16 and 17-year-olds, which encompasses short term emergency accommodation, staffed 24/7 for 12 homeless young people with support needs, plus the ‘core and cluster’ housing schemes, incorporating two group living properties with on-site support, each housing 4, as well as homes for 11 more situated within a half mile walk of the core properties. In addition, TLA has 44 other placements in the community for OWL clients plus floating support for young people not accommodated with OWL.
“It has been an intense few years preparing for, and achieving, Ofsted registration and then gearing up to become ‘inspection ready’,” said Jenn Bravo, TLA Services Director with responsibility for OWL.
“Our Way Leeds is a relatively young service – just five years old – and this is our first experience as a charity, of Ofsted. The inspection was a valuable learning opportunity and a chance to receive an experienced, independent viewpoint of our services, where we can develop and where we need to focus our resources.
“It was very much a starting point on our journey and with this roadmap of development to guide us, we look forward to progressing further.”
Jenn added: “Just getting to this point has been a lot of hard work. A huge thank you to the colleagues involved in getting us here; they should be rightfully proud of what they have achieved.”