Children's Home run by Sure Steps Support Services Limited in HaltonOfsted inspection, 16 Sept 2026

Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 1 Registered provider: Sure Steps Support Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for one child with learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection and spent time with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration. The homes and manager have been registered with Ofsted since April 2026

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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: none Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 2 Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 3 Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 4

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Summary of findings

The child has settled into the home and is making progress. There are trusting relationship developing between the child and staff. The staff team are nurturing, caring and child centred and have a good understanding of the child’s needs. They are supporting the child to develop their communication so the child can express their needs and wants. There is good multi-agency working to ensure the child’s health and education needs are being met.

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Summary of findings

The child is safe in the home and has a high level of supervision which is in line with their assessed needs.

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Summary of findings

Staff feel supported by the manager and they regularly attend supervision sessions and team meeting. There are some gaps in the staff training and the manager must ensure that the these are completed to give all staff the skills and knowledge to meet the child’s needs

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager planned the child’s move into the home carefully and thoughtfully. She considered the child’s individual needs alongside the skills, experience and expertise of staff. Before moving in, staff and the manager visited the child and gave them opportunities to visit the home. This well-planned approach helped to reduce the child’s anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is starting to build trusting relationships with staff. Staff are calm, nurturing, child centred and what the best for the child. The staff speak with warmth and enthusiasm about how well the child has settled in and the progress they are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s health needs and work closely with relevant professionals to ensure that these needs are met. Through consistent support, they are helping the child to manage their lifelong health conditions. Staff have also successfully supported the child to overcome anxieties associated with having their hair cut and attending dental appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat the child with dignity and respect and demonstrate a good understanding of their communication needs. They have developed individualised and culturally appropriate Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) resources, which, alongside the child’s use of gestures and facial expressions, have significantly improved communication. As a result, the child can express their wishes and feelings and has a genuine voice in their day-to-day life. Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 5 Staff work closely with the child’s school sharing their knowledge and experience to promote consistency, particularly in relation to the child’s communication needs. This support has helped the child attend school every day, become more settled and make progress. One teacher said, ‘The manager has recently shared with us strategies and resources which was used with the child over the summer period at the home, helping

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

us at school to promote consistency between the home and school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to have regular time with people who are important to them. This includes taking the child to see family on a regular basis. Staff understand the importance of these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from a wide range of activities both in and outside the home. these include swimming, visit to a sensory park and day trips. They also encourage engagement in home-based activities such as sensory play, trampolining and arts and crafts. This is helping to support the child’s emotional health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is child friendly, bright and welcoming. There are pictures of the child displayed around the home and there are age-appropriate toys. The manager has reorganised the home’s layout and converted one area into a dedicated sensory room. Staff encourage the child to use this regularly, which helps regulate the child’s sensory needs.

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

The manager and staff place the child’s safety at the centre of their practice. They have developed a strong understanding of the child’s needs and the support required to keep them safe. High staffing levels ensure that the child receives consistent supervision and support both in the home and when out in the community.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s emotions and the way they express them. Through recognising the subtle changes in the child’s behaviour, staff can quicky identify when the child is unhappy and can communicate with them so the child’s concerns are addressed. There have been one complaint and this has been managed appropriately.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s complex needs, risk and vulnerabilities. There are risk assessments and behaviour support plans in place to support staff. However, the manager has not fully identified all current risks in these documents to provide staff with clear information on why some restrictions are in place. As a result, these being omitted from the plans does not allow the manager to regularly review these restrictions to evaluate whether they remain necessary and proportionate.

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

Positive behaviour is constantly promoted. Staff use effective de-escalation techniques to meet the child’s needs. Staff are calm and nurturing and the child responds well to this approach. Physical intervention has only been used on one occasion and was necessary to protect the child’s safety. The manager ensured that the child was given an opportunity to express how they felt after the incident. Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 6 When an allegation was raised about a staff members practice, the manager took swift action to address this. A full investigation took place and the manager informed the local authority designated officer. However, she did not notify the regulator to ensure full transparency.

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

The manager ensures that safer recruitment of staff is carried out. Staff are supported through an induction and probation, which is reviewed over a three-month period. This ensures that staff working with the child are able to provide care that meets their needs and keeps them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced, child-centred and aspirational and has a good understanding of the child’s needs. A deputy manager, who is equally committed, supports the manager in her role. There are robust monitoring and review systems in place which gives the management team a clear oversight of the day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work well together and they know the child well. There is good communication between staff, who share information at the daily handover effectively. This means that staff are fully informed and this is providing stability and consistency for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have all completed their mandatory training. However, the manager has not ensured that all staff have received training in the homes therapeutic model, as set out in the statement of purpose, or in the use of communication aids for children with disabilities. As a result, not all staff have the appropriate skills and knowledge required to meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has created a warm positive culture in the home, which is mirrored by the staff team. Staff feel well supported and are confident in seeking advice from the management team when needed. Regular supervisions sessions give staff an opportunity to reflect on their practice and consider any areas for further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. These meetings provide staff with opportunities to share information, discuss their experiences and contribute ideas about improving both the home environment and the care provided. This approach gives staff a shared sense of ownership for the continual development of the care provided to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed strong working relationships with other professionals and there are clear communication and multi-agency working. The manager is a strong advocate for the child and will actively challenge other professionals who are not meeting the child’s needs. Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 7

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 16 November 2026 Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 8 In particular, the registered person must ensure that they are clear systems in place to monitor children’s risk assessments and ensure that these reflect children’s current risks. Specifically, risk assessing the use of restrictions that are currently in place around the child needing to wear a harness when going out in the community and the lock on the kitchen door. The manager must also ensure that these restrictions are kept under review.

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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 children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the required knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the child. Specifically, staff are trained on communicating with children with disabilities and the therapeutic model described in the homes statement of purpose. 16 November 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other 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, 16 November 2026 Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 9 sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that significant incidents are notified to Ofsted. Specifically, when there has been an allegation against a staff member

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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 children’s home: 2868935 10

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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

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2868935 11 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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