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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 1 Registered provider: Footsteps to Futures

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in August 2020 and is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 3 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 2 children living in the home at the time of the inspection. Both children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

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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: 2598648 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2026 Full Good 15/01/2025 Full Good 29/08/2023 Full Good 03/05/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive warm, nurturing care from staff who know them well and are committed to helping them thrive. Children develop trusting relationships with staff. They feel safe and listened to and are supported to make good progress in all aspects of their lives, including health, education, independence and family relationships. Leaders have created a positive, reflective culture where children’s needs remain at the centre of practice and staff feel valued and well supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming, providing an environment where children experience a sense of belonging. Children have influence on how the home reflects their personalities and staff support their preferences. Staff have created an environment in which children feel comfortable and relaxed, confidently seeking out staff for conversation, reassurance and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from caring and thoughtful staff who know them well and are invested in helping them succeed. Staff demonstrate warmth, patience and affection towards children, who describe staff as people who ‘fight their corner’ and advocate for them. This nurturing approach has helped children to develop trust, emotional security and confidence. One social worker described this as ‘the longest period [name of child] has benefited from a stable home’, attributing this to the consistent, loving care provided by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make good progress in education and staff work closely with education professionals to overcome barriers to attendance and achievement. Support is tailored to children’s individual needs, future goals and aspirations, and contributes to children making sustained progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where appropriate, staff support children to maintain and develop important family relationships. Staff facilitate long-distance family time and carefully planned reunification work. Staff promote independence in ways that reflect children’s aspirations for the future, whether this is preparing for adulthood or supporting a planned return to the care of their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children appreciate that staff recognise and understand how they are feeling, and the responses they need, without them needing to verbalise this. Regular key-work sessions are meaningful, and children’s views directly influence the care and support they receive, with strategies being adapted or discontinued when children say they are not helpful. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 4

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

Staff demonstrate good knowledge of safeguarding concerns for children, and they respond promptly when concerns arise. Children are encouraged to understand and manage risk, and safeguarding practice is undertaken with children whenever appropriate and possible.

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

When staff have supported children at risk of exploitation, external professionals speak positively about the quality of information the manager and staff gather, record and share, which helps to build a more comprehensive understanding of the network around the child. Online safety measures have been effective in alerting staff to concerning activity, enabling prompt action to reduce potential harm to children. When measures such as bedroom searches are taken, staff help children understand why this is necessary.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond with determination and persistence. They use knowledge of children’s associates, routines and likely locations, along with information shared by partner agencies, to maximise opportunities to locate children safely. Staff have undertaken extensive searches, demonstrating to children that they are valued and cared for. Although these efforts have not always resulted in children returning home, they have provided valuable information which has informed future safeguarding plans and decisions about children’s ongoing care.

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

Staff work proactively with health professionals to ensure that children’s physical and emotional health needs are understood and met safely. For children who have complex medical needs, the registered manager has co-produced additional systems with the child to ensure that staff have the knowledge and confidence to administer medications safely and in the best way for them. Children are supported to develop independence in managing their own heath needs, but this is balanced against appropriate safeguarding oversight, with appropriate intervention when necessary.

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are generally detailed and provide staff with clear guidance to help keep children safe. However, when risks have necessitated additional measures such as deprivation of liberty orders, the home’s care planning documents do not explain how the measures set out in the order will be implemented in practice. For one child, it is not clear that safety measures needed were realistically achievable for the staff team. Documents did not reflect the potential impact of this or how this could be mitigated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides child-centred leadership and has created a positive culture where children’s views are actively sought and influence daily life in the home. The registered manager is ambitious for children and has established an ethos that is understood and shared by the staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 5 Reflection and continuous learning are part of everyday practice among the staff team. Staff speak confidently about feeling safe to discuss incidents, difficult experiences and their own practice, without fear or blame. Reflective discussions following significant incidents focus on understanding what has happened, identifying lessons learned and improving future practice. Management oversight is evident, with senior leaders providing additional support where appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive effective support to develop their knowledge and skills. Supervision encourages meaningful reflection and considers staff wellbeing and resilience, while providing clear expectations and constructive challenge. The registered manager regularly reviews the quality of supervision sessions undertaken by others, providing feedback to strengthen practice across the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment processes are followed, including the registered manager undertaking additional checks where appropriate to assure themselves that those employed are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff benefit from a comprehensive induction programme that embeds the registered manager’s values and expectations. Staff have access to a range of training, including in topics specific to the individual needs of the children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring and quality assurance arrangements help the manager maintain a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for further development. Systems to review the children’s progress incorporate the children’s views and are used to inform practice and future planning. External professionals speak positively about the quality of leadership, communication and the care children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 6

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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 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 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to plans in place to manage known risks at the time of children moving into the home. This includes any court orders in place and how these will be implemented by the manager and staff. 15 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 7

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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: 2598648 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps to Futures

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Harley Jar Trust Footsteps To Futures Ltd, Unit 5, Riverbank Business Park, Old Grantham Road, Whatton, Nottingham NG13 9FX

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Inspector

Terrianne George, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 9 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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