Children's home run by Step by Step Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2838163 1 Registered provider: Step By Step Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. One child spoke to the inspector.

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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: 2838163 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming, and children’s achievements are celebrated with certificates displayed throughout the home. Children are supported to personalise their bedrooms, creating a sense of belonging. When damage occurs to the property, the manager addresses it promptly, ensuring that the property remains safe and homely for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to settle into the home when they move in. A parent said, ‘[Child’s name] is happy and positive about where they live.’ However, for one child, there was a lack of professional curiosity as part of the assessment process. This limits staff’s understanding of children’s risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff. One child described staff as ‘kind, loving and fun’. Staff talk to children about how to keep themselves safe. However, the staff do not consistently discuss the risks and dangers of vaping with one child, limiting their understanding of potential harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see their family and other important people in their lives. One child is now able to spend increased time with their family. The manager works closely with the local authority to ensure that safety plans are created and agreed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have education plans in place, and staff work closely with teachers to overcome barriers to learning and support education engagement. A social worker said, ‘Staff have been an integral part of [Child’s name’s] return to school’. For another child, staff have explored the child’s future career aspirations and have developed plans to support these goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of activities, from ice skating to indoor sky diving. This supports children to have shared experiences with staff and build positive memories. Additionally, children are encouraged to attend extra-curricular activities, including boxing. This seeks to support children’s social skills and their physical and emotional health.

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

Staff support children to understand the processes and procedures that are in place to keep them safe. One child said they are aware of who they can speak to if they have any worries or concerns.

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

Children’s voices are recorded in their individualised behaviour support plans, giving staff clear guidance on how to respond when children are upset . Staff speak with children about their risks and how they can be supported. These plans help staff to understand children’s needs and provide consistent, effective responses. Inspection report for children’s home: 2838163 3 Staff know children well. A teacher said, ‘They know [Child’s name] well and what approaches work best.’ When incidents occur, staff use identified de-escalation techniques, and physical intervention is only used as a last resort to prevent harm or injury. However, reporting and recording of these measures is not always clear or carried out in a timely manner, which reduces accountability and oversight.

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

Consequences are used to support behaviour management and are restorative in nature. For example, following a significant incident, staff supported a child to purchase flowers and a card to apologise to a staff member. This approach helps children to reflect on their behaviour and helps to restore relationships.

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

Children are supported with their emotional well-being. Staff speak openly to children about their feelings. Staff explore ways to support children’s self-regulation, including arts and crafts and meditation. The manager also seeks external specialised support, and when delays occur, they proactively engage the commissioned psychologist to ensure that children’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and is supported by an experienced deputy. Together, they are committed to helping the staff team to meet children’s individual needs. When children are finding things difficult, the management team provides additional presence to support staff and maintain stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals describe communication as excellent. Leaders and managers work closely with local authorities when children are unsettled, ensuring effective multi-agency working to explore ways to stabilise children’s placements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

On occasion, agency staff have been required. However, leaders and managers have taken steps to reduce the number of new faces working with children. Despite these efforts, the use of agency staff does have an impact on the continuity of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, reflective, supportive supervision. In addition, the provider commissions an in-house psychologist to further support staff in their role, although this service is still in the process of being fully embedded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are not consistently effective. Rotas are not always accurate, and staff do not receive additional training relevant to each child’s individual needs. This limits staff’s ability to fully understand and deliver care tailored to children’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2838163 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records of any measure are clear and recorded in a timely manner. 01 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2838163 5 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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all relevant information is obtained before a child moves into the home. 01 January 2026

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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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that monitoring systems are effective. In addition, they must ensure that training related to children’s risks is completed in a timely manner and that staffing arrangements in the home provide continuity of care for children. 01 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2838163 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work with children to help them understand, the risks associated with vaping, particularly the impact on health and well-being. This specifically relates to vaping. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: 2838163 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Step By Step Homes Limited

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Inspector

Kitty Wiper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2838163 8 regulates and inspects 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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