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About us
A small provider, deliberately.
Stepping Stone Homes Ltd runs Hammond House in Colchester. One home, three children, and a clinical model that reaches into every shift.
Our purpose
Hammond House exists to give children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties a warm, nurturing place to grow — and the chance to change their own narrative about themselves.
That happens through meaningful relationships with the adults around them. Self-worth, self-confidence and a positive identity aren't taught in sessions; they're built in a kitchen, on a school run, at bedtime.
What "therapeutic" means here
It doesn't mean a therapist visits on Tuesdays. Our Forensic Psychologist directs Comprehensive Therapeutic Treatment Plans and specialises in helping people process trauma, manage emotional dysregulation and build healthier coping strategies.
Our consultant Psychotherapist then provides monthly clinical supervision and reflective practice to the staff team — so the people doing the daily work are themselves the intervention. The approach is integrative, drawing on CBT, REBT, humanistic and solution-focused methods rather than one fixed school.
Where a child arrives already linked with CAMHS, we keep that relationship running through regular meetings.
Preparing to move on
We teach essential life skills, financial literacy and the practical knowledge that makes adulthood survivable. Key workers keep supporting young people past 16 into education or training, in line with their Pathway Plan.
At a glance
- Home
- Hammond House
- Location
- Colchester, Essex
- Beds
- 3
- Age range
- 7–17
- Genders
- All
- Supervision
- Minimum 1:1
- Clinical lead
- Forensic Psychologist
- Restraint model
- PRICE (RRN)
- Regulator
- Ofsted
Our outcomes
What we're actually aiming at
A sense of well-being
Quality care and protection, a fair view of themselves, and the feeling of belonging somewhere.
Managing life events
Resilience and mastery — responding to difficulty and opportunity without being flattened by either.
Social confidence
Making and keeping friends. Emotional competence, personal and social responsibility.
Independence
A wraparound transition into adulthood, not a cliff edge at eighteen.
Safeguarding
How we keep children safe
We work to the Southend, Essex & Thurrock Child Protection Procedures under the Essex Safeguarding Children's Board, with a multi-agency approach.
Minimum 1:1 supervision
Our young people are highly vulnerable, so supervision is 1:1 at all times.
Proportionate security
Cameras cover entrances and exits only — never private space. Door sensors alert staff at night. Access restrictions are agreed with the placing authority and follow Deprivation of Liberty guidelines.
Trained and named leads
Safeguarding training is mandatory at induction. The manager, deputising seniors and senior support workers hold Designated Safeguarding Lead training.
Want to talk it through?
Our team would rather have a five-minute call than read a form that goes nowhere.