Children's Home run by Sure Steps Support Services Limited in Halton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2827531 1 Registered provider: Sure Steps Support Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in October 2025 and is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The inspector spoke with the child as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2025. He is also registered to manage another home owned by the company.

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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: 2827531 2

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Summary of findings

One child lives at this home. They have settled quickly and are making good progress. The child feels happy and safe living at the home. A small and consistent staff team provides the child with nurturing care. Safeguarding practice is effective. An experienced and suitably qualified manager leads the home.

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Summary of findings

The following areas require improvement: staff rotas should include the full names of the staff members on duty; risk management plans should be regularly reviewed; focused direct work should be carried out with the child; and the child's care plan requires more details regarding their additional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has only lived at the home for a short time and is making good progress in many aspects of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is happy and has settled quickly. They told the inspector, ‘I wouldn’t change anything about this home; it is perfect.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is cared for by a small team of consistent staff. This is helping the child build positive and trusting relationships with staff who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing in their approach, and they strive to provide the child with a safe, secure and loving home. The relaxed family environment is helping the child feel comfortable and more confident about expressing their individuality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys spending time with staff doing activities in the home and in the local community. Staff seek opportunities for the child to have fun and participate in important childhood experiences. For example, the child has recently enjoyed a holiday with staff. Staff create memory books to capture the fun times they have shared with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supporting the child in becoming increasingly independent. For example, they are encouraging the child to take greater responsibility for keeping their bedroom tidy. They have also helped the child open a bank account so that they can learn about budgeting and saving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has regular contact with people who are important to them. Staff support this so that it happens in a planned and safe way. This ensures that the child remains close to their family and enables them to build on significant relationships. The manager has developed relationships with the child’s parent and communicates with them regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is being educated at home while the placing authority identifies a suitable school. Staff understand the importance of education in securing positive outcomes for Inspection report for children’s home: 2827531 3 the child. They organised structured activities to supplement the child’s education. This helps the child remain in a good daily routine that will support a return to education.

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

The child says they feel safe and secure living at the home. Furthermore, the child’s parent and external professionals express confidence in the staff team’s ability to safeguard the child.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. They are vigilant and professionally curious. When staff have been concerned about the child’s safety, they have taken prompt and effective action to safeguard them.

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

Risks are well understood, and the manager ensures that clear risk management plans are in place to guide staff in managing risks effectively. However, the plans have not always been reviewed following significant incidents. While this oversight has not compromised the child’s safety, it does not support a shared and up-to-date understanding of the level of risk faced by the child.

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

The child is generally settled, and there are very few incidents when they are upset or distressed. Staff are helping the child learn to manage their emotions and responses to situations in a more positive manner. The child receives lots of praise and incentives to reinforce positive behaviours. The child can choose their reward, which makes it more meaningful to them.

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

Staff manage challenging situations calmly and effectively. As a result, the use of physical intervention has not been necessary in the home.

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

Staff are embedding clear and consistent boundaries for the child, which the child generally accepts. The boundaries support the development of positive daily routines. For instance, the child wakes up and goes to bed at the agreed times. While the child does not welcome the rules around mobile phone use, staff take time to explain their purpose, helping the child understand why they are important.

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

Staff have important conversations with the child when they are concerned about their behaviour. However, direct work with the child does not focus on their specific areas of risk and vulnerability, such as support for staying safe online and building and sustaining friendships. This is a missed opportunity to help the child learn ways to keep themselves safe and make safer choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and confident registered manager. He is also registered to manage another home owned by the company. He is supported by a deputy manager who plays an active role in the day-to-day running of the home. Together, they form a cohesive and visible management team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2827531 4 The manager has good oversight of the home and the progress the child is making. There are robust monitoring systems in place. This helps the manager ensure that staff are delivering good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff rotas are planned well in advance to ensure that there are sufficient staff available to care for the child. However, the full names of all staff working at the home are not consistently recorded. This information is required by regulation. As a result, rotas cannot be relied on to verify who has worked at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by their managers. They receive regular supervision that helps them reflect on their practice. It is also used as an opportunity to discuss their professional development and career progression. One member of staff said, ‘Whenever I have needed support, they have always been on hand to guide me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a wide range of training that equips them with the knowledge and skills they need to meet children’s needs effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular team meetings and daily handovers. This enables them to share relevant key information and provide continuity of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals speak highly of the home and of the progress the child is making. They value the good communication from staff and report that they are kept well informed about the child’s development and day-to-day progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy their roles and speak enthusiastically about working together to support the child in reaching their full potential. One member of staff said, ‘This home has truly become a beautiful little family, and I’m really proud to be part of it.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2827531 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

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the staff rota includes the full names of staff working in the home. 31 May 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the child’s risk management plans are kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that the child is helped to understand important topics, such as puberty, staying safe online and how to build friendships with other children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6)  The registered person should ensure that the child’s care plan contains guidance to help staff meet the child’s additional needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)

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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: 2827531 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sure Steps Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Honeycomb East Honeycomb, Chester Business Park, Chester CH4 9QH

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2827531 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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