Children's Home run by Step Up Children and Family Services Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 1271182 1 Registered provider: Step Up Children and Family Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider and offers care for up to 5 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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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: 1271182 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2026 Full Good 28/01/2025 Full Good 05/12/2023 Full Good 27/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1271182 3

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Summary of findings

Children are kept safe and provided with effective support from staff. Children build trusting relationships with staff, and they are making good progress from their starting points.

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Summary of findings

Staff work closely with external professionals and internal specialists to meet the children’s needs. The home is decorated to a high standard and has a family feel. Children are supported to pursue new hobbies and interests.

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Summary of findings

The skilled and experienced management team holds the children at the front and centre of every decision made about their care and welfare. One shortfall was noted as part of this inspection. This related to not all children receiving clear fire safety guidance and participating in a fire drill promptly after moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and one child has moved out. The inspector spoke with all 4 children living in the home. The children spoke positively about living in the home. One child said, ‘Staff are really good with supporting you with everything, no matter what, they never give up on you.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have created a very stable environment in which the children feel safe and nurtured. The good care provided has helped children make significant progress from their starting points, particularly with their safety, educational and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are carefully planned. Staff review plans to consider the impact of the children living together. Before children move in, staff take the time to get to know them and build relationships with them. This has helped children feel comfortable and settle in quickly. When children move out of the home, staff hold celebrations for them and remain in touch. Staff provide children with gifts and memory books to celebrate their time living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A family coordinator and a counsellor provide valuable additional support to the home. The family coordinator helps to strengthen relationships between children, their families and professionals, promoting positive partnership working and family engagement. The counsellor leads the home’s behavioural encouragement and independence programme. They also offer bespoke therapeutic support to children, helping staff to respond effectively to children’s emotional needs and challenging circumstances. This approach encourages the children to grow in their independence, develop their routines and understand the benefits of responsibility. One professional said the home has ‘one of the most robust independence plans’ they have seen. They said, ‘They set up the children for independence very well. It is one of the few placements to have an actual plan that works, so I am very impressed.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1271182 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress with their education because staff create clear routines and structure. This supports children to engage with their learning in a meaningful way. Staff advocate for children and work closely with education providers. This joined-up approach helps children improve their attendance and succeed. Two of the children have just started college and have been supported by staff during the summer holidays to learn how to use public transport independently in preparation for college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said that staff create a great number of opportunities for them to take part in. Staff have created a vegetable patch in the garden, which the children enjoy tending to. Children are supported to attend local clubs and activities. For example, a child who aspires to become a professional boxer is supported to attend a local boxing club regularly. Staff organise holidays for children and days out at theme parks. This helps children to build self-esteem and feel part of their community.

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

Children say that they feel safe living in the home. Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and respond proactively to increased risks to ensure that children are safe. The skilled staff team has a diverse range of experience, which benefits the children. The registered manager carries out detailed, individualised risk assessments for each child. Any emerging or escalating risks are thoroughly evaluated in consultation with the clinical team, who provide regular guidance during staff meetings.

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

Staff have a strong understanding of each child’s individual vulnerabilities, experiences and risks. Effective planning and consistent support help children to stay safe both in the home and in the wider community. As a result, children have become safer, and their vulnerabilities have reduced since moving into the home.

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

Staff work effectively with therapists, health professionals and other agencies to provide joined-up support for children. This collaborative approach promotes children’s physical health, emotional wellbeing and overall development, helping them to achieve positive outcomes.

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

Children live in a home where positive behaviour is consistently recognised and encouraged. The home’s strong restorative approach helps children to understand their feelings, reflect on their actions and develop strategies to make positive choices. As a result, children are very settled, develop positive relationships and show increased emotional resilience. There have been no incidents of children going missing from home, and no physical intervention techniques have been used since the last inspection.

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

The home provides children with a calm, nurturing and stable environment where incidents occur very rarely. Staff regularly celebrate children’s achievements and recognise their positive choices, using a range of age-appropriate rewards that build confidence, self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment. When consequences are used, they are thoughtful and focused on helping children learn and grow. Strong safeguarding Inspection report for children’s home: 1271182 5 arrangements support children to use social media and the internet safely, helping them to develop their independence while remaining protected from harm.

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

Health and safety risks are monitored and managed effectively. Routine fire safety checks are carried out, ensuring that the environment remains safe for children. However, one child did not participate in a fire drill promptly after they moved into the home. This limited the child’s opportunity to practise how to respond appropriately in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The qualified and experienced manager is child focused and passionate about ensuring that children have positive experiences in the home. The leadership team is actively engaged in the children’s lives and knows the children well. The manager is very proud of the children’s accomplishments. Leaders and managers hold high aspirations for the children. As a result, children are motivated to achieve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides effective leadership of the home. She actively cultivates a supportive environment that enables staff to safeguard children. Her leadership is purposeful and consistently drives progress. She communicates a clear vision that builds staff confidence, ensuring that the home continues to run smoothly and safely even in her absence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that the management team is supportive and approachable. Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision sessions in line with the home’s therapeutic approach to help them explore important topics and reflect on their everyday practice. This helps staff’s ongoing development and helps them feel valued. One staff member said, ‘I personally feel the management team are approachable and have clear leadership . I am happy with my supervision and feel able to openly discuss issues.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access a range of training to help them understand children’s needs and how to meet these. New staff benefit from a detailed induction. The team is stable and well trained to meet children’s complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses internal and external systems to monitor and record children’s behaviour, progress and overall experiences. Leaders and managers regularly review the home’s strengths and areas for development to support continuous improvement and sustain high-quality care. As a result, the progress that children have made from their starting points can be easily identified. This helps to ensure that children receive individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about their experience of working in the home and consistently report feeling well supported by the registered manager. They benefit from regular input from the home’s therapist. They speak highly of the positive impact of increased clinical consultations on their practice. One staff member said, ‘I feel incredibly proud of the work I do and being able to work at [name of home] and be a part of a team who genuinely cares and makes a difference.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1271182 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home complies with all relevant health and safety legislation. The registered person should ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that children are aware of the procedures to be followed in the event of a fire. The registered person should also ensure that children participate in fire drills promptly after moving into the home. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1271182 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Step Up Children and Family Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 742 New Hey Road, Huddersfield HD3 3YQ

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Inspector

Anda Roddy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1271182 8 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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