Children's home run by Footsteps a Path to Change 08 Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 1 Registered provider: Footsteps A Path To Change 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 by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2022. The manager also manages another setting.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living at the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2025 Full Good 19/09/2023 Full Good 22/06/2022 Full Good 22/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have lived at the home since the last inspection. One child spoke to the inspector about their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide effective support to help children engage with their education, and children are making good progress in their learning. One child aspires for their future, and staff are supporting them to apply to college. Another child is now attending school full time after previously struggling to do so. Staff work closely with the school to support attendance and engagement, and one education professional said that staff take a ‘proactive’ approach in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children value spending time with their friends, and friendships are encouraged. Children enjoy engaging in activities, and friends stay overnight at the home. Children’s friends are warmly welcomed and included in activities. This provides children with experiences like their peers and helps them develop important social skills and a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can receive support from an in-house therapist. One child is starting to engage with the therapist, which is helping to support their emotional well-being. Staff also benefit from the therapist’s advice and support, which helps them develop their therapeutic practice to meet the children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supporting children to develop their independence skills. This is helping children to prepare for future transitions and adulthood, while promoting a sense of responsibility and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to share their views about their day-to-day care. However, children’s views are not acted on consistently, which can limit their sense of involvement. Furthermore, children’s views are not always sought for staff appraisals or the review of the quality of care.

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

Incidents in the home are rare, and when they do take place, staff respond in an effective way. The records are detailed and evidence the actions staff take to ensure children are safe. The registered manager has good oversight of all incidents and ensures that any shortfalls are addressed promptly.

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

When allegations are made, the registered manager ensures that safeguarding procedures are followed correctly and in a timely way. Concerns are taken seriously and investigated fully, with any follow-up actions completed. Managers share learning from incidents with staff individually and during team meetings to strengthen practice and prevent reoccurrence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 4 Staff talk to children about issues specific to their individual needs. This helps children to develop a clearer understanding of potential risks and equips them with strategies to keep themselves safe. Staff seek support from external agencies to strengthen this knowledge. This demonstrates good multi-agency working to protect children.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and know the children well. Risk management plans are updated regularly and provide clear strategies to support staff to keep children safe. However, information in some plans is no longer relevant, which may limit staff’s ability to manage risk effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a permanent, suitably experienced registered manager. She demonstrates a strong commitment to the children and is dedicated to her role. The manager has built positive relationships with the children, which helps create a sense of trust and stability for them. One child spoke positively about their relationship with the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by managers, which helps contribute towards a positive working environment. The home is properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the children. The stable staff team provides the children with opportunities to build trusting relationships with those who care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. These provide them with opportunities to share learning and reflect on their practice. Appraisals take place with staff annually to ensure effective practice is maintained and support ongoing professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is effective management oversight of all incidents. Effective monitoring and reviewing systems are in place to ensure that any shortfalls are quickly identified and addressed without delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff attend training that is relevant to the children’s individual needs in a timely way. This ensures that children are cared for by staff who have the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s views are obtained about their day-to-day care on a regular basis for staff appraisals and the quality of care review report. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on when appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should assess and review children’s risks on a regular basis and ensure that risk management plans do not contain irrelevant information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2545082 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps A Path To Change 08 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Landmark House, Station Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 7BS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Davies

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Inspector

Danielle Allen, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 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 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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