Designed for Everyone.
Built with Inclusion.

NextStep Living is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities, long-term health conditions, neurodivergent individuals, and anyone who may need additional support to access our website and services.

We actively work to continually improve the experience for all users, and we apply relevant accessibility standards to guide our ongoing development. We believe accessibility is not a tick-box exercise — it is a core part of how we serve young people and the professionals who support them.

Our website has been developed with reference to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. We aim to meet or exceed these standards across all public-facing pages.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA. "Partially compliant" means that some content does not yet fully conform to these standards.

We are committed to improving compliance on an ongoing basis. Our development team reviews accessibility as part of every update, and we have a rolling programme of improvements in place.

Known limitations we are actively working to address: • Some older PDF documents may not be fully accessible to screen readers — we are working to update these with accessible alternatives • Certain third-party widgets embedded on the site may have limited accessibility support — we are reviewing alternatives • Some images in blog posts published before 2024 may be missing alt text — we are retrospectively adding descriptions

If you encounter an accessibility barrier not listed here, please let us know using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

Our commitment to accessibility is underpinned by UK law. We recognise our obligations under:

The Equality Act 2010 — which requires us to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people are not put at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.

The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 — which require public sector bodies to publish an accessibility statement and meet WCAG 2.1 AA where applicable.

The Children and Families Act 2014 — which enshrines the rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access support and information.

Whilst NextStep Living is a private registered provider rather than a public body, we voluntarily adopt the same accessibility standards and are committed to meeting the spirit and intent of these regulations.

We understand that different people access information in different ways. Here is how we can support you:

For young people in our care: If you find it difficult to read or understand information on our website, please speak to your key worker or support worker. We are happy to provide any information in a different format, including easy-read versions, larger print, or audio.

For families and carers: If you need information about a young person's care in a different format — such as large print, audio, or a different language — please contact our team and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

For professionals: Our referral documentation is available in standard and accessible formats on request.

Third-party accessibility tools: Many devices and browsers have built-in accessibility tools, including screen magnifiers, text-to-speech software, and high-contrast modes. You can also use tools such as: • AbilityNet's My Computer My Way guide: mcmw.abilitynet.org.uk • The BBC's accessibility guides: bbc.co.uk/accessibility

We want to be transparent about the current limitations of our website. The following issues are known and are being addressed:

PDFs and downloadable documents: Some older documents on our website were not created with accessibility in mind. We are reviewing our document library and will publish accessible alternatives. In the meantime, please contact us and we will provide the content in an alternative format.

Video content: We are in the process of adding accurate captions to all video content. Newly published videos will include captions as standard.

Interactive maps: Our embedded maps may not be fully navigable by keyboard. We include address information in plain text as an alternative.

Complex tables: Some data tables on the website may not be fully readable by older screen readers. We are updating these with proper table headers and ARIA labels.

We carry out accessibility testing on a regular basis as part of our development process. Our most recent accessibility audit was carried out in January 2025.

Our website has been tested and is intended to work with the following browsers and assistive technologies:

Browsers: • Google Chrome (latest version) • Mozilla Firefox (latest version) • Microsoft Edge (latest version) • Apple Safari (latest version) • Mobile Safari on iOS • Chrome for Android

Screen Readers: • NVDA with Firefox on Windows • JAWS with Chrome on Windows • VoiceOver with Safari on macOS and iOS • TalkBack with Chrome on Android

If you experience difficulties using our website with a browser or assistive technology not listed above, please let us know and we will do our best to resolve the issue.

We are committed to continuously improving the accessibility of our website. Our planned improvements include:

• Completing accessible alternatives for all PDF documents — target: June 2025
• Adding captions to all video content — target: May 2025
• Conducting a full third-party accessibility audit — target: July 2025
• Reviewing and updating all image alt-text — target: April 2025
• Improving colour contrast on remaining secondary elements — target: April 2025

We review this Accessibility Statement every six months, or sooner if significant changes are made to the website.

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of our website. If you encounter a barrier, need content in a different format, or would like to report a problem, please contact us:

Accessibility Lead NextStep Living Ltd Email: accessibility@nextstepliving.co.uk Phone: [Phone Number] Post: [Registered Address], England

We aim to respond to accessibility requests within 5 working days, and to provide an accessible alternative within 10 working days where technically possible.

Enforcement Procedure If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS):

Website: equalityadvisoryservice.com Phone: 0808 800 0082

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations in England, Scotland, and Wales.