Children's Home run by Cillrua Care Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 1 Registered provider: Cillrua Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It offers care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. All children were spoken with as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection of the home since it was registered in September 2025. The registered manager, who registered with Ofsted in April 2025, was present throughout the inspection

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not build positive or trusting relationships with children. As a result, children do not feel able to talk to staff or seek their help. When staff fail to find a way to connect with children consistently, the manager does not challenge this or follow it up. Although staff write about some of their time with children, these entries lack clear actions, outcomes or evidence of meaningful work. This means children’s views are not heard or acted on, and they miss opportunities to develop safe and trusting relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not trust that staff will be consistent or attuned to their needs. They describe staff as uninterested and say this affects the quality of time they spend together. One child said that they spend a lot of time away from the home because the atmosphere feels ‘off’. This illustrates the negative impact that poor relationships and inconsistent care have on children’s day-to-day experiences and their sense of safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Independence work is not developed in partnership with children. One child said that staff reduced support too quickly, which left them feeling anxious and unsure about what to do. Staff are unclear about when to offer support, guidance or praise. As a result, care is reactive rather than planned, and children do not know what help or expectations they can rely on. This inconsistency undermines children’s confidence and limits their progress in developing the skills they need for increasing independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that children’s health needs are properly recorded or monitored. Routine health appointments are not tracked, and when children require specialist support, such as substance misuse or sexual health services, referrals are not made or followed up. This lack of oversight means children do not receive the help they need to stay healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s educational needs are also poorly understood. The home does not hold essential education documents, so staff cannot reflect learning needs in children’s plans. Where children have special educational needs, staff fail to identify or record this information. As a result, they are unable to provide the targeted support that children require. When children do not attend school, staff do not put alternative learning arrangements in place. This means children are not supported to make progress with their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

When children move into the home, their needs are not fully assessed or understood. Staff do not consider the compatibility of children living together, and risks between children are not discussed or planned for. Children’s plans lack sufficient detail, so staff do not have clear guidance about what actions to take to meet children’s needs or manage risks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 3 The home is large and generally well decorated. However, it lacks personalisation that reflects children’s identities and experiences. For example, one child’s photographs were found stored in a suitcase rather than displayed, which suggests staff have not considered their importance to the child. Where damage has been caused, repairs have not been completed promptly. This does not convey to children that they are valued or that the home belongs to them. During the inspection, however, some efforts were made

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff do not have sufficient oversight of children who are known to misuse drugs or be involved in criminal activity. They do not consistently know who children are spending time with or communicating with. Checks of children’s mobile phones are not completed, and staff were unaware that one child had access to an additional phone. As a result, staff do not understand the risks children may be exposed to outside the home, and they cannot take effective action to keep them safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Room searches are not carried out consistently, even when there are known risks. Staff therefore cannot be confident that children are not in possession of drugs, weapons or smoking materials. Some staff reported that they do not feel confident to challenge children to complete searches. This creates avoidable risks to children’s health and safety.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Children’s plans lack clarity and consistency. Key information about children’s risks and vulnerabilities is missing, which means staff do not have the guidance they need to provide safe and effective care. When incidents occur, records do not clearly capture what action staff took or how risks were managed. This leads to inconsistent practice and means children are not consistently adequately safeguarded.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff look for children when they are missing and there is a running record of actions taken and who has been informed. However, when children return home, it is not clear that staff have tried to talk to them about their time away from the home. There is not yet a system in place for effective review of this information, leading to limited knowledge about what children are experiencing. The opportunity for gathering contextual information is missed.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The manager has not notified the regulator of significant safeguarding incidents or concerns. Important information has also not been shared with children’s social workers. As a result, regulatory bodies and placing authorities have been unable to maintain effective oversight of children’s safety. This failure to report concerns reduces external scrutiny and increases the risk that children’s needs and vulnerabilities are not identified or responded to in a timely way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership of the home is weak. The manager does not have sufficient time to carry out their role effectively due to the current staffing arrangements. When the manager is absent from the home, leadership tasks are not delegated appropriately. As a result, shortfalls in practice are not identified or acted on, and opportunities to improve children’s care are repeatedly missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management monitoring of the home is ineffective. There is no system to ensure that key information is prioritised for the manager’s review. Staff supervision is infrequent and does not consider children’s progress or safeguarding concerns. Information from incidents is not recorded consistently or communicated reliably to the manager. This limits the manager’s oversight of risk and means that children are not receiving safe or well-coordinated care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not consistently record complaints or take appropriate action. One child said staff did not inform them of the outcome of a complaint they made. The manager does not investigate complaints, which leaves children vulnerable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Areas for staff development are not fully understood. Staff who lack confidence in aspects of their role have not been identified, and leaders do not assess or respond to gaps in staff knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff well-being is not considered following incidents, including occasions when staff have been injured. As a result, staff do not feel consistently valued or supported, and their ability to understand and respond to children’s needs is reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff team does not work together effectively to provide consistent care. This lack of coordination means that children do not receive well-planned or reliable support, particularly when they first move into the home. This increases the risk of instability and leaves children without the structure and security they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Communication with parents and professionals lacks detail and consistency. One parent said that they are not spoken to regularly and were not informed when significant incidents occurred. Poor communication prevents effective partnership working and means that opportunities for learning, reflection and shared planning are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers were receptive to the concerns raised during the inspection and have developed an action plan. However, the impact of this plan has not yet been evaluated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the seriousness and widespread nature of the failings identified, Ofsted has issued two compliance notices and imposed a restriction of accommodation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 5

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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 Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 6 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 6 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(iv)(vi)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that plans for children’s care are clear and personalised and that there is management oversight of these plans and staff have knowledge of them.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to ensuring that, where there is damage to the home, this is repaired in a timely manner, and that children’s bedrooms are clean.

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Requirement Due date

* The leadership and management standard is that the registered manager enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that-

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered manager to-

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 6 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that the registered manager develops processes to evaluate the quality of care at the home and that staff receive regular and good-quality supervision.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that where children make complaints, they are recorded, with action taken where practice falls short, and that this is communicated to the children.

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The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensuring that staff—

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treat each child with dignity and respect;

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help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult; and

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make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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In particular, this relates to ensuring that a reasoned and detailed account of children’s independence plans is noted in documents, and for children to be informed of these plans.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to there being management oversight of staff interactions with children to ensure that there are opportunities for positive relationships to form. 6 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 8 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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

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

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(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular this relates to notifications being made by the registered manager under these circumstances. 6 March 2026

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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 and young people, 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 Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Knox Cropper Chartered Accountants, 153–155 London Road, Hemel Hempstead HP3 9SQ

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Inspector

Rebecca Barker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 10 and inspects 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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