About Us

Background & Services

Stepdown is an independent charity which provides a range of support services for:

• young people leaving secure and residential care who require intensive support to make the transition back to their families and/or to move on to independent living.
• young people and their families/carers who may benefit from specialist community support services to maintain family relationships and prevent family breakdown.

Continuity of Care

Stepdown Community Services are based on the principle of continuity of care and service provision

Partners

Stepdown works in partnership with other service providers within the Cora Network of Services.

Board of Managers

The Board of Managers of Stepdown is drawn from the Boards of St Philip’s, St Mary’s, St John’s and the Good Shepherd Centre.

Stepdown is a youg and progressive charity established to provide care and support services for children, young people and families.

Supporting Families

Stepdown aims to support children and families in the community and prevent breakdown.

Stepdown - Family Services will support families and children at home through planned programmes to meet the needs of parents, children and young people.

Supporting Young People

Stepdown aims to support young people in the community and prevent family breakdown.

Stepdown - Intensive Support for Young People will provide packages of community based support for young people where there is a significant risk of breakdown and reception into the care of the Local Authority.

Caring for Young People

Stepdown will offer a limited number of residential placements to support and prepare young people with complex needs to move on to longer term care settings.

Leaving Care

Stepdown aims to assist young people to return home from care successfully or to assist them to move on to independence.

Going Home

Stepdown - Leaving Care Service will work to develop an 'exit plan' for young people to return home from the point of entry to the care of the Local Authority.

Where young people are going home, the planned work will be with family, young people and carers.

Moving to Independence

Where young people will move on to independence, Stepdown will work with partners to secure accomodation, training, employment and health support to meet the needs of each young person.

Care to Independence

Stepdown recognises that young people leaving care can require continuing care to support them to move on successfully and take up all the opportunities available. Stepdown will provide the appropriate supported care environments and/or will do so in partnership with other accomodation providers.

Assessments & Additional Support for Learning Plans

Stepdown will support the implementation of Integrated Assessments and Pathway Plans and will provide detailed work plans and outcome reports.

Working Together

Stepdown is currently working with Local Authorities and other Agencies to support young people and families with significant and complex needs.

Referring to Stepdown

Stepdown will receive referrals by e-mail, telephone or mobile. All referrals will receive a response on th day of referral or the following day from a Senior Stepdown officer.

Quality Assurance

Stepdown will monitor all services provided and will seek response from children, young people and families and referring agencies on service quality and outcomes.