Children's home run by Footsteps to Futures Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2824487 1 Registered provider: Footsteps to Futures Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is managed by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who have social and emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection. They did not want to engage with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 26 September 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the home’s first inspection since registration.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2824487 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has recently moved into the home. There was a clear transition plan for them, where the child was central to the process. Before the child’s move, staff visited them in their previous home. This time spent together helped the child become familiar with the staff and provided reassurance about who would be in their new home when they moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is registered with all expected health agencies. At times, the child is reluctant to attend health appointments. Staff have explored the child’s worries regarding this and offered support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have quickly built positive relationships with the child. Unlike in their previous homes, where they stayed in their bedroom and avoided staff, the child now chooses to spend time with staff. The child responds positively to the staff’s light-hearted and playful approach in their daily interactions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff plan individualised one-to-one time with the child, so they can explore specific issues impacting on them. Time is spent assessing the child’s understanding of the issue and then staff offer guidance or suggest an alternative viewpoint. The child has started to consider what staff are saying and taking on board their comments. Staff also use opportunities in ad hoc conversations to discuss an issue and explore the child’s views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has many opportunities to express their views and wishes. Time is allocated each week to plan the meals and activities for the forthcoming week. In addition, the child has collated key information about themselves and shared this with staff, to enhance staff’s understanding of how they wish to be supported. However, when staff add this information to documents, they do not record the actual voice of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has not accessed any formal education for several years. Staff are working closely with education professionals to ensure that some form of education is provided. However, in the interim, staff have not implemented a daily timetable or provided structured educational activities to support the child’s learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been accessing a wide variety of new activities. They have been willing to try new experiences and have benefited from this. For example, staff have taken the child ice skating and to watch an ice hockey game. The child enjoyed these experiences, and these are becoming their new hobbies.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Before the child moved into the home, the manager was proactive in collating information about any potential risks. Based on the information gathered, a comprehensive risk management plan was developed, which accurately reflects the Inspection report for children's home: 2824487 3 child’s behaviours. It also outlines strategies and responses that staff can implement to effectively support the child’s needs.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff have introduced clear boundaries and expectations for the child. Although the child initially struggled with these boundaries, they have since started to recognise that these are in place to help them and keep them safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Since the home opened, there have been very few incidents. These have been managed well by the staff, and they have been responsive to the child’s needs. After each incident, the manager has ensured that staff and the child are debriefed and there is suitable manager oversight. However, lessons learned are not consistently explored with staff, which limits opportunities to promote reflective practice and continuous improvement.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

New staff have been welcomed to the home. The necessary recruitment checks have been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home was registered in June 2025. The registered manager resigned in September 2025. A new manager has been appointed but they are yet to be registered with Ofsted. The manager has been getting to know the team and the child they are caring for and establishing her vision for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have spent time building their relationships with each other. They have received a thorough induction and valued this time to learn about the company values. There is a good training plan in place for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The oversight by the leadership team is evident in all case records. The new manager has not yet been able to undertake an audit, but this activity is planned. From the records that the manager sees each day and observations of staff, she is assured that practice in the home is of a good standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have received regular, good-quality supervision. They can reflect on their practice and consider how they could improve their approach. Supervision is also used to explore the training and development needs of the staff. Therefore, staff are equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills to respond to the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team is supportive of the whole team, contributing to the overall running of the home. Time has been spent with individual staff upskilling them in day-to-day processes in the home. Staff have appreciated this support to enhance their skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has quickly formed collaborative relationships with external professionals involved with the child. When required, the manager has advocated for the child to ensure that their needs are prioritised and services provided to them. Inspection report for children's home: 2824487 4

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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 Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the home having plans regarding the child’s education and structuring their days when not in school, so they continue to learn. 1 December 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. They should also ensure that they actively Inspection report for children's home: 2824487 5 capture the voice of the child and record what the child has said. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10)  The registered person should have sufficient capacity to ensure that the quality standards are met for each child in the home. This includes sharing lessons learned after incidents with the whole team. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.7)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children's home: 2824487 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps to Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 5, Riverbank Business Park, Whatton-in-the-Vale, Nottingham NG13 9FX

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2824487 7 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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