- Independent mental health service
Stepping Stones Clinic
Assessment report published 2 June 2026
Contents
Ratings - Specialist community mental health services for children and young people
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 24 and 25 February 2026
Stepping Stones Clinic provides community mental health care for children and young people.
We undertook this comprehensive assessment due to the service being newly registered with us. This service was registered with CQC on 30 August 2023 due to a change in location.
The provider first registered with the CQC in April 2020 at a different location. The service is registered to provide treatment of disease, disorder or injury. There is a registered manager in place.
The service offers treatment for general psychiatry, including attention deficit disorder, depression and addiction for children, young people and families as outpatients. The service provides support to children and young people nationally, but most were local to the area.
The service saw 2189 young people between February 2025 and January 2026. The service also worked with young people over the age of 18 where needed, to support their transition to adult services. Some non-clinical staff were based overseas and carried out administrative duties remotely; appropriate oversight arrangements were in place.
In most cases, the families of young people fund their treatment, or funding is provided by insurance companies.
At the previous inspection in July 2023 the service was rated as good overall with no breaches of regulation. Our rating of this service stayed the same. We rated the service as good. There were no breaches of regulation.
Staff worked within clear systems to manage risk and safeguard young people from harm. There was a positive learning culture, with incidents and concerns reported openly and used to improve practice. Effective referral and exclusion processes helped ensure young people’s needs could be safely met, and staff worked well with external agencies such as GPs and community services to maintain continuity of care.
Young people were supported by caring, skilled and knowledgeable staff who provided effective and person-centred mental health care for children and young people. The service delivered care that met people’s individual needs, with a strong focus on involving young people and their families as partners in care. Feedback from young people and carers was consistently positive, and many described the service as life‑changing.
Care and treatment was based on recognised best practice and delivered by experienced clinicians. Most outcomes for young people were positive, and carers felt well informed and supported.
The service was well led, with visible and approachable leaders who promoted an open, inclusive and supportive culture. Governance arrangements were effective, and leaders had good oversight of quality, safety and risk.
However, we identified some areas for improvement, including the need to strengthen the collection and monitoring of clinical outcome measures, ensure all non‑medical staff receive regular formal supervision, and improve oversight of equipment maintenance to support accurate physical health monitoring.
People's experience of this service
Young people and their families reported that staff treated them well and behaved kindly. Feedback was gathered from 18 families and carers of young people using the service. Families and carers described the service as “life‑changing” and said they “would be lost without them.” One carer commented that the service had “changed my life.” Another carer stated they had good communication with the service.
Staff were discreet and respectful when caring for young people. We observed staff describing young people in a thoughtful and respectful manner.
Carers said they felt staff safe and supported even when they needed help and support outside of their appointment times.
Young people and carers were supported to provide feedback on the service and their care. Staff actively sought feedback from young people throughout the year. Between February 2025 and January 2026, feedback was received from 139 young people and families. Survey results were largely positive: 89% were very satisfied with their assessment, 94% felt understood in their care and treatment, and 98% said they would recommend the service to friends and family. One respondent reported being very dissatisfied.