Children's Home run by Chillington Close Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2718786 1 Registered provider: Chillington Close 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 owned by a private provider and provides care for up to 2 children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified. She is also registered as the manager of one of the provider’s other homes.

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Information about this children’s home

One child is currently living in the home. The child spoke with the inspector during the visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 18 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2718786 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2025 Full Good 14/02/2024 Full Good 31/10/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2718786 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The same child has continued to live in the home since the last inspection. This has provided them with a consistent routine, a sense of security, and opportunities to build trusting relationships with staff. During this inspection period, no children have moved into or out of the home. This stability has allowed the child to thrive in an environment free from the disruption that can occur when there are changes to the peer group or household composition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, well maintained and homely. It provides a comfortable and welcoming environment where the child can relax, play and grow. The home is highly personalised to the child’s interests and preferences. Throughout the home, there is a clear sense of the child’s lived experiences, with their achievements, memories and personality visibly reflected in the environment. This demonstrates a strong commitment from staff to ensuring the child feels a genuine sense of ownership and belonging. The home also includes a dedicated learning space that is well resourced with age ‑ and developmentally appropriate materials. This area supports the child’s engagement in education and provides a quiet, purposeful space for learning within the home environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the child’s educational circumstances have changed. Due to an unsettled period at their current school, they are now accessing a reduced timetable. Regular multi ‑ agency meetings are held, and the registered manager consistently attends to explore all available options. The manager works closely with the virtual school and other agencies to implement strategies that address the child’s current educational gaps. A suitable specialist provision has been identified which is better equipped to meet the child’s needs, and the child is scheduled to transition to this setting at the beginning of the next academic year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys a range of activities, holidays and days out, which are arranged regularly and contribute to their happiness and sense of fun. These experiences are carefully recorded and stored in well-presented books and memorabilia that the child can keep for the future. This thoughtful approach provides the child with a tangible record of positive memories, supporting their sense of identity and offering a lasting reminder of the care and attention given to creating enjoyable experiences during their time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to meet important people from their history. This process is carefully managed through life ‑ story work, delivered in conjunction with an external professional to ensure it is sensitively planned and implemented. Staff ensure that the child is fully prepared through age ‑ appropriate and developmentally suitable interventions which help them to understand and engage with this important step. As a result, the child has been able to reconnect with significant individuals in a way that feels Inspection report for children’s home: 2718786 4 safe and manageable, positively contributing to their sense of identity and emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is healthy, and their day ‑ to ‑ day health needs are well met by the staff team. Staff ensure that the child receives the resources and support they need to manage daily life. However, delays in the child’s statutory medical reviews mean that they may not be receiving all of the support to which they are entitled. The manager has requested these reviews but has not formally challenged the local authority regarding the lack of response.

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improvement to be good

The child is not always safeguarded effectively because staff do not consistently follow the guidance set out in risk management plans, including required supervision levels. This has contributed to avoidable and significant incidents. The manager has reviewed the incidents and provided reflective guidance to staff to strengthen safeguarding practice , but this improvement work is still in progress

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improvement to be good

The home provides a nurturing and consistent environment, and staff are attentive to the child’s day ‑ to ‑ day safety and wellbeing. Procedures are in place to safeguard the child, and they have developed positive, trusting relationships that help them feel comfortable raising concerns. However, despite these strengths, safeguarding practice is not yet consistently effective across the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management plans are in place and generally guide staff in responding to the child’s needs. When physical restraint is used, it is proportionate and only as a last resort. The manager reviews all incidents and completes reflective work with staff, which supports learning and contributes to improving safeguarding practice. However, this approach is not yet embedded consistently across the team.

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improvement to be good

Managers promote a culture where staff feel confident to raise concerns. When concerns are reported, managers act decisively and investigate issues promptly, taking appropriate action without delay. This demonstrates their commitment to protecting the child and prioritising their safety and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

The child has experienced several minor accidents and near misses, which staff record clearly with details of location and circumstances. Some of these incidents occur in school and other settings. The manager monitors these closely, identifies patterns and takes action where required. For example, after several slips in the garden, the lawn was replaced with artificial grass to reduce risk. This reflects a proactive approach to preventing avoidable harm and improving safety. However, wider safeguarding practice in the home requires improvement to ensure risks are consistently well managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: 2718786 5 The registered manager is experienced and knows the home well, giving her a strong understanding of its culture and the child’s history. This enables her to provide consistent and stable leadership, benefiting both the child and the staff team. Since the last inspection, the manager has taken on a dual role and now manages another local home within the group. To support this, an experienced assistant manager has been appointed, and this leadership restructure is working well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child’s voice is listened to, and their wishes and feelings are central to care planning, including decisions about family time, identity work and education. For example, the child’s enjoyment of forest school activities was shared in education meetings and used by staff and leaders to advocate for outdoor and experiential learning approaches. This ensures the child’s preferences help shape the support they receive. However, the child has not yet received independent advocacy to further support the expression of their views, wishes and feelings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff turnover has been a challenge for leaders, and the manager has a clear under- standing of the reasons behind this. She recognises the significant impact that staff changes can have on the child and has managed this carefully to minimise disruption. Positively, the home is now fully staffed with a qualified, committed and highly motivated team. One member of staff commented, ‘it’s a really nice place to work, a home, not a house, work doesn’t feel like work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through therapeutic training and regular input from an in ‑ house clinician. Team meetings provide valuable opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice, seek support and maintain a strong focus on the child’s needs. The manager values the staff team and holds high aspirations for their development, actively supporting them to progress in their careers. This investment in workforce development contributes to a positive, stable and skilled team, which directly benefits the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A particular strength of the manager’s practice is the effectiveness of multi-agency working. The manager has built and maintained strong professional relationships with a range of external partners, including the virtual school and social care colleagues. Inspection report for children’s home: 2718786 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 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 person 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff adhere to the guidance documented in risk management plans when planning activities in the community or when visiting new environments. 27 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c)) 27 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2718786 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that all outstanding health and education assessments are pursued and escalated without delay.

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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: 2718786 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Chillington Close Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 15 Heritage Park, Hayes Way, Cannock WS11 7LT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Anderson

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Hannah Lyall-Scrivens

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Inspector

Gill Rudkin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2718786 9 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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