Children's Home run by Footsteps to Futures Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2791409 1 Registered provider: Footsteps to Futures Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation and provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties. There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since September 2025. A manager has been in post since September 2025 and has not yet submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 21 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2791409 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2791409 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s overall experiences and progress are good. A social work professional said, ‘The team really do care about [child’s name] and want to build on their relationships and provide stability.’ A parent shared how they feel that staff put a lot of effort into supporting their child and make sure that they are well cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are not yet accessing education consistently. Staff support children to access online resources and communicate with education professionals to explore suitable options for children. Children enjoy accessing a range of activities and experiences. This helps them to develop confidence and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the value of continued family relationships for children. They support children to spend time with family when it is safe to do so. This helps children to maintain important family relationships and promotes their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and provides a comfortable environment for children. Children are relaxed around staff, strengthening the homely feel. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their interests and tastes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One-to-one sessions between children and staff are varied. They discuss a wide range of topics together, and these are always relevant to the child. Records of these discussions are detailed and reflect the emotions explored by the child. However, there has been two occasions where a child has shared their views, and they have not been acted upon.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most home records are detailed however, do not always use child-friendly language and occasionally lack detail. This impacts on how children understand their experiences and history if they read their records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves out of the home are well planned. Staff support children to develop skills in readiness for independence or when returning to the care of their families. Children’s moves into the home are not always thoroughly assessed. Managers do not always consult with the social workers of children already living in the home. Staff say that their views are not always considered.

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

Staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities for children, and these are documented in detailed risk management plans. The plans help staff plan how to recognise and respond to risks effectively. One child’s independent reviewing officer said how the risks associated with missing from the home have reduced since living in the home.

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

Staff only physically hold children as a last resort. This is to prevent children from harming themselves and others. Incidents are recorded to a good standard and include Inspection report for children's home: 2791409 4 reflection with the child and staff involved. This helps children understand the reasons why they are held.

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

Managers and staff develop effective relationships with other professionals to help support and protect children. When children go missing from the home, staff follow established protocols to return children home quickly and safely. Staff ensure that information is shared with relevant external safeguarding agencies. This means that there is a robust multi-agency response when children go missing from the home. However, independent return home interviews are not routinely evidenced in children’s records.

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

Staff help children to understand and manage their feelings and behaviours safely. Consequences are used infrequently but when they are used, they are proportionate. Staff celebrate positive behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been no registered manager since September 2025. A new manager is in post. However, they have not yet submitted their application to register with Ofsted. The responsible individual is providing additional support while there is no registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The frequency of professional supervision sessions and team meetings is variable. In professional supervision sessions, there is a clear agenda which includes discussion about children and their needs, the team and staff’s individual support needs. However, there are gaps between supervision sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers do not monitor and review the quality of care provided to children consistently. There is a lack of critical reflection, which hinders opportunities for learning from practice. The new manager has plans to improve oversight, but these are not yet embedded in day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have access to a range of training courses and are up to date with mandatory training. Some staff have not yet completed training in order to help develop knowledge about children’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The new manager and senior leaders are committed to providing improved care for children. Leaders are aware of areas for development and have plans to progress these, although they are not yet embedded. Inspection report for children's home: 2791409 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 Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the 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 children’s home that—

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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 home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure effective and consistent oversight of the quality of care provided to children to identify areas of concern and respond with clear and measurable actions. This includes recording in children’s case records and ensuring that language is child focused. 10 December 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2791409 6 Ensure that all staff have regular practice-related supervisions where clear targets are set and reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff training is up-to-date and takes into consideration the individual needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff are working in line with their statement of purpose and preferred model of care consistently.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s views are listened to and acted upon. 10 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 12 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that careful and considered decisions are made when admitting children into the home. This includes consultation with social workers for the children already living in the home. 10 December 2025

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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: 2791409 7

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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

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2791409 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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