Children's home run by Chillington Close Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2605829 1 Registered provider: Chillington Close Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2021 and provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The child spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified.

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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 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: 3 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: 2605829 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/02/2025 Full Good 12/12/2023 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good 15/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2605829 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff talk to children to understand their interests and offer lots of opportunities and activities. Staff have been resourceful in thinking about how this can happen for one child living at the home when there are risks presenting in the community. Staff value education and provide support for the child living at the home to attend their education provision. Staff have advocated for individual tutoring sessions to supplement their part- time education provision so that the child has access to meaningful educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in enjoying positive physical and mental health. Children are encouraged to attend all health appointments. If they decline, staff help them understand the consequences of doing so. Staff have worked with the child living at the home to understand the importance of eating a varied and healthy diet, including eating regular meals. This has supported a positive improvement in the child’s growth. Staff talk to children about the risks of behaviours such as vaping, seeking the support and advice of external services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children can maintain relationships with people who are important to them and are creative as to how they can support this, especially at times of celebration, such as birthdays and Christmas. Staff provide exceptional support to children during their transitions into and out of the home. Staff offer lots of opportunities for children to develop appropriate independent living skills to prepare them for moving out of the home. Staff are also offered additional therapeutic guidance to ensure that children are supported as best as they can possibly be at this time. Two children who previously lived for long periods at the home maintain positive relationships with the staff who know them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most members of the staff team have worked at the home for several years, meaning that the child living in the home is cared for by adults who know them well. The home is warm, welcoming and decorated to a high standard. Staff have helped the child living at the home to personalise their bedroom to reflect their individual tastes and interests.

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

Staff know how to respond when children go missing. However, on one occasion, staff failed to notice that a child had been missing from the home for a significant period. Managers have taken action to address and strengthen practice following this incident. Staff confidently talk to children about the risks of going missing and the consequences of any restrictions that are in place. Staff invest in building relationships with children through talking to them and helping them build trust in the adults who care for them. The child living at the home can identify adults they can confide in and share any worries with. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605829 4 Staff are trained to use physical restraint safely and as a last resort after talking to the child and when de-escalation strategies have not helped to manage the situation. The two incidences of physical restraint during this inspection period have been well

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

managed, and learning has been taken forward to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. Staff always talk to children following restraints to understand how they feel about such measures and determine whether anything needs to be done differently.

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

Staff understand how to keep children safe online. There are appropriate systems and processes in place to monitor the safe use of the internet and social media. The decision- making process fully includes children, who understand the necessity of these restrictions. A concern regarding internet safety for the child currently living at the home has been raised. Staff have responded to the issue immediately and in a considered manner, using the opportunity for further education around the risks of being online, the consequences of inappropriate use of social media and how the child can keep themselves safe.

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

Staff ensure that routines and boundaries are consistent in the home. Staff are committed to ensuring that positive rewards are achievable and have individual meaning for each child. Children help choose their reward targets. Staff work with a restorative approach and will always try to understand the reason why children have behaved in a certain way so that they can consider how they can adapt their care. This helps children and staff understand how their actions have consequences.

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

Staff spend time explaining to children why they must take medicine and the potential consequences of not doing so. During medical review meetings, staff have advocated for the child living at the home when they have declined to take their medication. Staff have taken time to explain to the child what the consequences of this would be and ensure that other professionals understand the child’s wishes. Staff are trained to manage medicines safely, and records are maintained to ensure that all staff understand children’s medication needs. However, there is no daily written record of the medications stored at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is knowledgeable and suitably qualified. There are reliable systems in place to support their oversight of the home. The manager’s oversight is reflective, robust and critically considers the necessary learning to further develop the staff team. The manager consistently models therapeutic responses to children to support staff in understanding how to develop trusting relationships with the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel well supported by managers and value their physical presence when managing challenging situations. The manager has created a bank of resources to develop staff’s skills and ensure that they can fully meet the needs of the children living at the home. Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective and supports a culture of learning and development. Staff are offered a robust and varied induction and training programme. This means that children are cared for by adults who have the skills and Inspection report for children’s home: 2605829 5 knowledge to keep them safe and help them make progress. One member of staff has not attained the required qualification nor revised their mandatory training within the necessary time frame. This is a recurring area for development that has not been addressed effectively by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals working with staff comment positively on the open communication with the home and the excellent support staff afford to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment processes are in place, which means that children are cared for by adults who are safe. However, on one occasion, a staff member’s identity was confirmed using out-of-date documentation, which could mean that children are cared for by unsuitable adults. The manager has acknowledged this shortfall and will take action to address it. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605829 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person 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 promotes their welfare.

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 1 April 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff follow safe medication administration procedures, which includes keeping accurate records of the receipt, storage, disposal and labelling of children’s medicines as well as any medication kept on site. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.17)  The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice, ensuring that the recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2605829 7 Inspection report for children’s home: 2605829 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Chillington Close Ltd

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Registered provider address:

15 Heritage Park, Hayes Way, Cannock WS11 7LT

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Registered provider address:

Responsible individual: Charlotte Anderson

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Registered provider address:

Registered manager: Hannah Lyall-Scrivens

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Inspector

Helen Dickens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2605829 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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