Step Up Supported Living Limited

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Step Up Supported Living Limited 1 Step Up Supported Living Limited

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Registered provider: Step up supported Living Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

The service is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers 7 shared living premises that are limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers. It also offers 3 living premises that are limited to single occupancy only.

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provider

At the time of this visit, the service was providing accommodation for 8 children aged 16 and 17 years.

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provider

The provider and service manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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provider

This visit was announced on the day it took place. The inspector spoke with one child and visited 2 residences.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out in response to a local authority raising concerns about the provider’s ability to lead and manage the organisation and to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

The provider was given notice on the same day about the visit.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector visited 2 premises that had featured in local authorities’ concerns.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found significant regulatory breaches in relation to the leadership and management of the service. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Step Up Supported Living Limited 2 Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that only children who are ready to live in supported accommodation do so, that staff are suitably trained to support children and that serious incidents are notified to Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers did not have an effective system for assessing the needs and suitability of children before their placements were agreed and children were moved into the supported accommodation without suitable plans for their support. Some children’s needs and vulnerabilities exceeded the scope of those who can safely live in supported accommodation, in line with The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have demonstrated some awareness of mismatches between children’s needs and the service’s capacity. They have recognised that several children have been admitted to the service before the children have the skills required for semi-independent living, and these children have subsequently moved.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that all children are supported by suitably trained and experienced staff. Staff are provided with training. However, the current system is not sufficiently effective, and it therefore remains unclear whether all staff have completed all necessary mandatory training and are sufficiently skilled to support the needs of all children. Nor was it wholly clear whether there are specialist training courses for children who have a higher degree of support needs. The lack of targeted, specialist training for staff has limited staff’s ability to meet the complex needs of those children who are not yet ready for supported accommodation.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers consistently notify safeguarding agencies of significant incidents. However, the provider has failed to notify Ofsted of all significant incidents as required. Several serious incidents have occurred that resulted in 2 children being placed at risk of others, and children have gone missing from home. This limits Ofsted’s ability to maintain proper oversight of the service and to understand how effectively children are being safeguarded. This failure undermines transparency and weakens external assurance of safety.

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This monitoring visit

Children have both support plans and risk assessments, and staff record incidents and events daily. However, some records were incomplete, vague in their content, not dated or signed, and lacked evidence of management oversight.

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This monitoring visit

One child spoke extremely positively about their experiences since living in the supported accommodation and about having adults whom they talk with and feeling safe. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Step Up Supported Living Limited 3

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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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including 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 supported accommodation undertaking that puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation undertaking and admissions of children to premises used as supported accommodation, including, where relevant, emergency referrals and admissions; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place for the supervision, training and development of staff. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(f)(g)) 12 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") in relation to each child accommodated by the supported accommodation undertaking which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 2,

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 12 June 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Step Up Supported Living Limited 4 *The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation or child criminal exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child and the registered person considers that incident to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it;

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry);

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Requirement Due date

there is an incident involving the use of a measure of restraint of a child; and

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)(f)) 12 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to follow up information received by Ofsted and/or to ensure that the supported accommodation provider was complying with regulation.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Step Up Supported Living Limited 5

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Step Up Supported Living Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 116 Podsmead Road, Gloucester GL2 5AD

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Portia Muneta

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Inspector

Linda Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Step Up Supported Living Limited 6 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 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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