Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 1 Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd Registered provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is operated by a private provider in the north west of England. They can accommodate 3 individuals who are looked after children and care leavers in one shared group living home. In addition, they can accommodate 2 individuals in a shared premises that is not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers. At the time of inspection, 2 looked-after children aged 16 or 17 years were being accommodated.

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provider

The service manager was registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 27 July 2026 and started that day. The inspector was on site on 29 and 30 July 2026.

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Outcome

Inconsistent quality of service delivery adversely affects some children's experiences, and this may limit their progress. Leaders and managers must make improvements. The next inspection will be within approximately 18 months.

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Summary of findings

Children are happy living in the accommodation provided by the service. They live in good-quality accommodation, which is designed and located to meet their needs.

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Summary of findings

Staff provide nurturing support and children say they can identify a trusted adult to talk to if they have a problem.

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Summary of findings

Children are supported to consistently attend education settings, training and employment, learning useful skills and making progress.

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Summary of findings

Staff help children to learn the skills needed to become independent as an adult. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 2 The registered service manager is very caring and child centred. However, she does not have effective oversight of staff practice or shortfalls in managing incidents.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not review the areas of development for the service. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children like living in their homes. Leaders and managers give children opportunities to discuss the décor and furnishings, including in the communal areas. Children have painted a mural in their kitchen diner. Some children care for small pets, and one home has a small summer house, sunflowers and herb garden. The accommodation reflects children's preferences, and they feel a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers welcome children when they move in. Children visit where they will live before moving in and staff show them the local area. There are opportunities to meet other children and staff. Staff speak to children already living in the homes about any new arrivals to the service. This helps children to prepare for change and settle into their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children make positive contributions to their community. Staff encourage children to attend youth drop-ins and community groups. Children establish daily routines with constructive activities. One child had a role as a volunteer, and another is working with older people. This increases children's confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to register with a dentist, doctor and other primary healthcare services. They refer children to access specialist healthcare agencies, such as mental health and substance misuse services. Staff help children to make appointments and offer support to attend.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff spend time with children to help them develop their practical life skills. They do tasks together, such as cooking, cleaning and laundry. Staff record achievements, and children track their own progress towards independent living. It also helps to develop a supportive relationship between staff and children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

There are some surveillance cameras in the communal areas of the homes. Children are aware of this and have given consent. One child said, 'I know about it; they are not watching me constantly, but it is a bit weird.' Leaders and managers are unclear on the reasons for its use.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff identify children's vulnerabilities. Leaders and managers ensure that staff are trained and skilled in working with children who are at risk or exploitation, misuse substances or possess weapons. When there are concerns about children, staff communicate with safeguarding partners. This provides additional help for children and support for staff.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not complete robust checks on staff before they begin working for the provider. In some applications, there were insufficient employment references and proof of identity documents. Leaders and managers do not assure themselves that staff are safe to work with children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 4 Children have bespoke missing-from-home plans, and staff are aware of the procedures to follow should any child be missing from home. Staff record incidents where children return slightly later than planned or when the child's whereabouts are unknown. Leaders and managers do not assess the level of risk to children in the community following each incident. As a result, staff do not reflect on what they need to do to reduce the times that children are missing.

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How well children are helped and protected

When incidents occur involving risks to children in the home, leaders and managers do not always reflect on future learning for staff practice. An incident occurred where police were called to manage a child's behaviour that resulted in their arrest. Leaders and managers gave the child immediate notice to leave their home and did not identify any further actions for staff support.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not always notify Ofsted when serious incidents occur. This lessens Ofsted's oversight of incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager is a passionate, child-centred practitioner. She knows the children well and advocates for their needs. Staff said that the service manager is approachable and supportive. Along with a deputy manager, she provides emergency on-call support for the children and staff to access.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers provide staff with regular supervision. This gives staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice and consider their wellbeing. Staff feel confident in their role, which is often working on their own with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff have regular team meetings. However, staff do not share how they support children in line with their plans. This is a missed opportunity for management and staff to ensure that the team are consistently meeting children's needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered person does not complete a thorough audit of the service or review the quality of the support provided. They do not assess what is working well and what needs to improve to develop the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Feedback from partner agencies, including a social worker and an independent reviewing officer, has been positive about the support that children receive from the service. They have commented on the quality of the accommodation and communication from staff and said that children are happy and settled in their homes. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 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 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 support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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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

keep the child's support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child's needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should review serious incidents involving a child and evaluate what staff need to do to keep the child safe in future. 13 September

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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

ensure that staff work effectively as a team, where appropriate, to meet the needs of children;

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Requirement Due date

implement recruitment practices that ensure staff are suitable to work with children and to keep them safe from harm. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(b)(e)) 13 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if— 13 September Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 6 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;

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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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for monitoring and improving the quality of support provided by the supported accommodation undertaking by completing a review ("a quality of support review") at least once every six months, which must take into account—

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Requirement Due date

the views of children, including any feedback and complaints received;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from individual children on the impact the supported accommodation has had on the child's life, especially regarding how well prepared the child felt for transition into supported accommodation and how well prepared the child feels for transition out of supported accommodation;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from each child's accommodating authority, staff and any relevant persons;

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Requirement Due date

any relevant research and developments in relation to the way in which the needs of children are best met. 13 September Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 7 After completing a quality of support review, the registered person must produce a written report setting out the actions the registered person intends to take as a result of that quality of support review.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the review report to the CIECSS within 28 days beginning with the day on which the report is completed, and make a copy of it available on request to each child's accommodating authority. (Regulation 32 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d) (2) (3))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any use of CCTV is used only when necessary for safeguarding children. Its use should be reviewed to ensure that it continues to be compliant with data protection law and protects children's privacy. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', page 30)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd

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Inspector

Sue Garner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Stepping Stones Building A New Direction Ltd 9 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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