Vera Chilly Social Care

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 1 Vera Chilly Social Care Registered provider: Vera Chilly Consultancy Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

A private provider owns and operates this supported accommodation service. The service has five shared premises and can accommodate up to 17 children. The accommodation is limited to looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, two children were being supported.

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provider

The organisation and the service manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024. The nominated individual and registered manager roles are held by the same person, who is also the director of the organisation.

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provider

Since registration, Ofsted has undertaken three monitoring visits in response to concerns around the effectiveness of leadership and management in the organisation.

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provider

A restriction of accommodation notice was imposed following a monitoring visit on 24 September 2024. This notice prevented the provider from accepting any new children moving into its premises. Three compliance notices, relating to the leadership and management arrangements, safe recruitment and tailored support to children, were also issued.

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provider

A further monitoring visit was conducted on 28 October 2024. The provider had complied with the restriction of accommodation notice. However, it had failed to improve the leadership and management arrangements, safe recruitment practice and support plans for children.

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provider

The third monitoring visit in December 2024 found improvements in the leadership and management arrangements. The compliance notices were met, and the restriction of accommodation notice was lifted.

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provider

During this inspection, the registered person had not ensured that the children’s support plans accurately reflect the children’s current risks and support needs. A notice restricting the accommodation of any new children was issued. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 2 Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 18 August and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 20 to 22 August 2025.

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Outcome

Serious or widespread weaknesses lead to significant concerns about the experiences and progress of children. Leaders and managers must take urgent action to address failings.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not operate this service in compliance with The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. For example, the needs of the children admitted to this service exceed the scope of the regulations.

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Summary of findings

The registered service manager is not leading and managing the supported accommodation service in line with the ethos or achieving the outcomes set out in the undertaking’s statement of purpose.

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Summary of findings

Children’s known needs and vulnerabilities are not considered when the referral assessments are completed or reflected in their plans.

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Summary of findings

Children experience positive relationships with staff, which contributes to their sense of safety and feeling valued. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children with high support needs, who are not ready for supported accommodation, are currently living in accommodation provided by the service. Although some progress has been made, children continue to live in highly restrictive environments, including practices such as two-to-one staffing and the presence of waking night staff. One child does not leave the home unsupervised or have their own mobile phone. The consistently high staffing levels, supervision and restrictions are beyond the scope of supported accommodation. This practice impairs children’s readiness for independence when they leave the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The information provided to children when they move into their accommodation is overly lengthy and has not been reviewed. This does not help children understand what to expect from the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff regularly hold one-to-one discussions with children. Staff explore current concerns with the children, which include newly identified risks. Such information is not consistently transferred to the support plans. This leads to inconsistent practice and prevents staff from being able to support children and respond to the risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) across the service is invasive and not proportionate to the risks to children. This is not reviewed by the manager and staff have little understanding of the purpose of this. For example, children’s lounges, dining areas and communal spaces are covered by CCTV despite there only being one child living in the home. This does not create a welcoming, homely, accommodating environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children do not consistently experience positive endings to their placements. Where some admissions have lacked sufficient planning, some children have had to move at short notice. This undermines the child’s sense of belonging and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to attend their health appointments and promote healthy lifestyles. However, staff are expected to manage and administer children’s medication, which means that children are not learning important life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

One child said they are happy, feel safe and get on well with staff. The staff encourage and promote family time when this is appropriate, and this helps to strengthen family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are supported to attend education. Staff recognise the importance of this and actively encourage engagement. For example, one child worked with a tutor, sourced and funded by the provider, as a stepping stone to build confidence in attending college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The standard of the accommodation provides children with a homely and welcoming place to live. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 4

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How well children are helped and protected

Risks to children are not always considered. The registered service manager has failed to ensure that information from referrals is transferred to children’s support plans. When plans are updated, they do not always include newly identified risks. This impedes staff’s ability to understand and respond to the needs of the children or manage risk.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not ensure that children’s plans contain clear guidance for staff. Plans do not include significant information, such as individual staffing levels. This does not promote transparent risk management practice.

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How well children are helped and protected

Most serious incidents have been notified to Ofsted as required. However, one serious incident was not notified, which hinders Ofsted’s ability to consistently monitor the action taken by the provider to safeguard children.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children do not have keys to their own homes, which restricts opportunities for them to develop independence skills, and it also presents a significant fire risk. Children are unable to exit their homes without staff support at certain times of the night. Leaders and managers have failed to include this in the fire evacuation plans, placing both staff and children at the potential risk of harm.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff have limited understanding of safeguarding procedures despite having completed safeguarding training. The registered service manager works well with the local authority designated officer and has implemented safeguarding policies, such as the ‘family relationship policy’. However, the policy is not always followed. For example, the registered service manager directly supervises a family member. This shortfall prevents leaders and managers from appropriately managing emerging safeguarding concerns effectively.

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How well children are helped and protected

Since the monitoring visits, safer recruitment processes have improved. The registered service manager works closely with the human resources representative to ensure recruitment checks are completed to a good standard.

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How well children are helped and protected

There is no use of physical intervention. Staff use their positive relationships with the children and their skills and knowledge of each child to de-escalate incidents. Relevant training in working with children enhances staff practice and strengthens their understanding of trauma and its effects.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers continue to offer services to local authorities that they are not registered to deliver. Information to commissioners is misleading, offering services the provider is not registered to deliver.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The significance of the children’s individual needs and risks is not considered by the manager as part of the assessment process. A referral for one child clearly stated Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 5 that they required residential care, meaning that their needs were outside the scope of supported accommodation. Following an assessment by the registered service manager, the child moved into supported accommodation. The child continues to receive two-to-one staffing and is subject to restrictions aligned to a care setting. Despite Ofsted identifying and addressing this during previous enforcement action, the registered service manager continues to work outside the scope of their supported accommodation registration. The result is that a notice restricting the accommodation of any new children has been issued. Compliance notices have been issued to address leadership and management and the quality of support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not use effective monitoring systems. Throughout the inspection process, key documents were consistently not made readily available. A quality of support review was sent to Ofsted several months after it was due and the current review, which is due, has not yet been submitted. As a result, leaders and managers are unable to demonstrate that they can identify and address service shortfalls effectively or ensure they have a clear understanding of the regulatory requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Records for the admissions and discharge of children are inaccurate and poorly maintained. This prevents the registered service manager monitoring and keeping a precise record of past and current children’s information in an effective manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff report that they feel well supported by the registered service manager. Staff receive regular supervision. Staff training is up to date and the manager is easily accessible for staff, including out of hours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Positive feedback from professionals about the service reflects their satisfaction with the provider. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The support standard that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that children are encouraged and enabled to take a lead role in determining the support they receive and to participate in and influence how the supported accommodation operates;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that plans for support are based on initial referral information, are meaningful and are created in full consultation with the child, taking account of relevant plans for the child;

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Requirement Due date

keep the child’s support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 10 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the supported accommodation undertaking that puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the supported accommodation undertaking in a way that is consistent with the ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the undertaking’s statement of purpose; 10 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 7 ensure that arrangements are in place to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation undertaking and admissions of children to premises used as supported accommodation, including, where relevant, emergency referrals and admissions;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child is fully aware of their entitlements throughout the duration of their placement in supported accommodation, including—

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Requirement Due date

what they can expect from the provision of supported accommodation. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(f)(h)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for monitoring and improving the quality of support provided by the supported accommodation undertaking by completing a review (“a quality of support review”) at least once every six months, which must take into account—

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Requirement Due date

the views of children, including any feedback and complaints received;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from individual children on the impact the supported accommodation has had on the child’s life, especially regarding how well prepared the child felt for transition into supported accommodation and how well prepared the child feels for transition out of supported accommodation;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from each child’s accommodating authority, staff and any relevant persons;

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Requirement Due date

any relevant research and developments in relation to the way in which the needs of children are best met.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of support review, the registered person must produce a written report setting out the actions the registered person intends to take as a result of that quality of support review.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the review report to the CIECSS within 28 days beginning with the day on which the report is completed, and make a copy of it available on request to each child’s accommodating authority.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d) (2) (3)) 10 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 8 The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation or child criminal exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child and the registered person considers that incident to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it;

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Requirement Due date

is instigated, or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry);

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Requirement Due date

there is an incident involving the use of a measure of restraint of a child;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)(f)) 10 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The accommodation standard is that children experience a comfortable and secure living environment.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used as supported accommodation—

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Requirement Due date

are designed, furnished and maintained to remove avoidable hazards which could pose a health and safety risk to children. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(ix)) 10 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep records of other information relating to the supported accommodation undertaking set out in Schedule 3. The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

maintain the records in Schedule 3, which may be kept in electronic form; 10 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 9 ensure that the records are kept up to date;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are accessible to children, the CIECSS and each accommodating authority. (Regulation 25 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must maintain a register of all children who have resided in their supported accommodation provision.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 10

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Vera Chilly Consultancy Services Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Suite 41 Wentworth House, High Street North, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU6 1JJ

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Vera Nnadozie

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: Vera.Nnadozie@verachillysocialcare.co.uk

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Inspectors

Helen Wallis, Social Care Inspector Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Vera Chilly Social Care 11 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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