One client-led agency service, working alongside individuals, families, social workers, local authorities and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).
Your Life. Your Choices. Your Support.
Self-directed support in practice: your choices and personal outcomes guide planning, independent support worker recruitment and the ongoing case management included in every client arrangement. Explore the seven steps of your Nexsteps support journey.
Nexsteps is more than a support worker recruitment service. We bring together personalised care and support planning, client-facing case management, safeguarding responsibilities and access to suitable independent Support Workers.
We work with individuals to understand their needs, wishes, preferences, daily routines and desired outcomes, and to develop and review personalised support arrangements around their lives.
Where appropriate and authorised, planning is coordinated with local authority social workers, ICB professionals and other practitioners so that support remains joined up.
We provide client-facing coordination, follow-up, reviews and communication with relevant professionals, and respond when support needs or circumstances change.
Our role is to help people navigate and organise their arrangements, not replace statutory social work assessments, LA care planning or ICB clinical responsibilities.
Safeguarding is part of our agency service. We recognise, record, report and escalate concerns, with appropriate referrals and communication with statutory safeguarding services.
We respect consent, advocacy, the Mental Capacity Act and decision-specific best-interests processes where relevant. We recognise the responsibilities of statutory bodies and the individual professionals involved.
We recruit, screen, match and introduce independent support workers. Clients remain involved in choosing who supports them, including when recruiting a dedicated support worker team around an individual in their own supported living tenancy.
We help clients check appropriate DBS evidence, references, insurance and other relevant suitability information, and assist with further introductions where requested.
Nexsteps operates as a support agency with a hybrid approach. We combine personalised care and support planning, client-facing case management, safeguarding and the recruitment and introduction of independent Support Workers. This brings practical agency support together with joined-up planning around the individual.
People retain choice and control over their own support and individual budgets or Direct Payments. We work within the relevant local authority funding and rate framework, and the components of any support worker and agency charges are agreed in line with the individual funding arrangements. We do not assume that any council has already approved a particular Nexsteps charge.
With the person's agreement or another appropriate lawful basis, we coordinate relevant support information, reviews and agreed actions with the professionals involved. We aim to ensure the person's own support arrangements complement statutory assessments, care and support plans, and relevant health input.
Nexsteps does not take over a local authority's statutory safeguarding duties, social work decision-making or an ICB's clinical functions. Where a Mental Capacity Act assessment or best-interests decision is needed, the appropriate decision-maker and statutory framework continue to apply.
Our Personalised Support agency is intended for adults aged 18 and over, including people with learning disabilities, autistic people, people with mental health needs, older people, people with physical disabilities and people whose support arrangements are more complex.
Nexsteps' independent living and transition resources for young people aged 16–18 form a separate part of the organisation.
Read our full commitment to personalisation and self-directed support · Explore dedicated support worker teams
Our seven-page brochure explains the Nexsteps hybrid agency model, personalised planning, case management, safeguarding, working with local authorities and ICBs, and dedicated support worker recruitment.
For individuals, families, social workers and commissioners who want to understand how the service fits around an existing support plan.
Please don't include medical records or sensitive client information in an initial email.