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 and registered to provide care for up to 5 children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home and one child had moved out since the last inspection. The child living at the home was not spoken to as part of the inspection process but provided their views via email.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was present throughout the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, who was also present during the inspection. The proposed responsible individual has yet to be interviewed by Ofsted to ensure that the person has the relevant capacity, skills and experience to fulfil the role.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 20 January 2026

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 2 Following the last inspection, a restriction of accommodation notice was issued alongside compliance notices under Regulation 12 (Protection of Children Standard) and Regulation 13 (Leadership and Management Standard).

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit on 12 March 2026 reviewed progress against these requirements and the restriction, which had been in place since 23 January 2026. Due to sufficient progress made by the provider, the restriction of accommodation was lifted. However, the original requirements were reinstated, alongside the addition of two further recommendations to support continued improvement and ensure sustained compliance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/01/2026 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 4

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Summary of findings

The manager and staff aim to provide good-quality care. However, they have not ensured this is delivered consistently. Staff do not consistently record information about the child with sufficient care, depth or clarity, which limits their understanding of the child’s experiences and how these impact on their behaviour and emotional wellbeing. As a result, staff are not consistently able to provide attuned and responsive care, and relationships with the child are not yet securely established. Opportunities to support learning and improvement are missed due to a lack of reflection and analysis, and leaders have not put effective systems or targeted training in place to develop staff practice. This impacts on the child’s ability to feel understood, supported and form secure, trusting relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not demonstrated sufficient creativity or initiative in ensuring that the home environment reflects the child’s individual interests and identity. While the environment is large and well maintained, staff have not taken purposeful steps to personalise the space in a way that helps the child feel valued and develop a sense of belonging. Although the child’s possessions are stored safely, the lack of meaningful personalisation limits opportunities for the child to feel emotionally connected to their home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have also not supported the child effectively to establish connections within the local community. While some opportunities have been identified, these have not been actively explored or facilitated by staff. There is a lack of clarity and encouragement, which means the child is not being supported to build relationships, develop social networks, or feel part of the wider community.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently demonstrate effective challenge to external professionals when a child is without education, limiting progress in securing timely provision. While there are emerging efforts to support educational engagement in the home, such as practising past exam papers, this practice is not yet embedded or consistently implemented. As a result, opportunities for the child to reach their full educational potential are not maximised.

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improvement to be good

Children’s written documents lack detail and understanding of how behaviour forms part of the child’s communication, leading to a lack of empathy. Where documents have been created, there is not a consistent record of who has created these to allow for open and transparent practice. The child’s words have started to be used by staff, but this could be further expanded on throughout all documents, giving the child a sense of ownership and value. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 5 Staff do not consistently ensure that the child’s views are clearly communicated to professionals, and advocacy on the child’s behalf is not strong. Although independent advocacy is in place, staff have not reflected effectively on, or acted on, the feedback provided. This information is not consistently shared with the wider professional network, meaning opportunities to demonstrate that the child is respected and central to

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improvement to be good

Staff do recognise and record positive aspects of the child’s day-to-day achievements, helping the child feel valued. However, this practice is not consistent across the team. Relationships are beginning to develop through time spent between staff and the child, but this approach is not yet embedded. As a result, the child does not consistently experience a reliable and nurturing approach from all staff, which impacts their ability to feel secure, cared for and understood.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff take appropriate immediate action to locate them. However, plans outlining staff responses lack sufficient detail, which limits clarity and consistency in practice. Furthermore, opportunities to learn from these incidents are not fully utilised, and recording of missing episodes is not consistently completed.

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improvement to be good

There is limited evidence that staff fully understand the child’s lived experiences, with insufficient reflection and learning impacting the quality of care provided. As a result, care is not consistently attuned to the child’s individual needs. Opportunities to build meaningful connections are not maximised, which further limits staff’s ability to deepen their understanding and provide responsive, relationship-based care.

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improvement to be good

Medical attention is appropriately sought by staff when concerns are identified. However, there have been missed opportunities to escalate the need for further assessment, influenced in part by weaker relationships between staff and the child, which impacts effective communication. Positive input from specialist services in relation to the child’s substance use has contributed to a reduction in incidents, and staff actively encourage the child to engage with this support. Nevertheless, routine health needs are not consistently tracked effectively, leading to delays in accessing timely provision. While this has not resulted in harm, it presents a risk of missed opportunities to promote the child’s overall health and development.

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improvement to be good

Assessment of environmental risks surrounding the home is not sufficiently child-centred, and opportunities are missed to consider how local risks may specifically impact on the child’s safety and behaviour. There is limited evidence of collaborative discussion with relevant professionals, key individuals in the child’s network, or the child themselves to inform a more comprehensive understanding of risk. As a result, risk assessments lack depth and do not fully reflect the child’s experiences or vulnerabilities, highlighting the Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 6 need for more coordinated, multi-agency involvement and active engagement with the child to strengthen analysis and planning.

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improvement to be good

Where staff have needed to physically intervene to ensure the child’s safety, this has been proportionate and in line with safeguarding expectations. Following incidents, staff make efforts to provide nurturing support to help the child regulate and recover. Reflective practice is evident, with staff considering the child’s experience and incorporating learning into care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision is not consistently delivered to all staff, creating gaps in oversight and increasing vulnerability in practice. A lack of continuity further limits the manager’s ability to monitor effectively and review agreed actions. There is insufficient clarity regarding who is responsible for completing supervision, as well as whether those undertaking this role are suitably trained, resulting in inconsistencies in the quality of oversight and care provided. Additionally, management of performance where practice falls below expected standards lacks consistent progression, meaning opportunities to identify and challenge poor practice are sometimes missed. Although the manager has identified plans to strengthen systems for monitoring and reviewing staff practice, these are not yet embedded or operating effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Training is not yet effective enough to ensure that staff feel informed and able to care for the child effectively. While there are plans for training to be specific to the child’s needs, this has yet to be embedded. Staff are not fully up to date with practice guidance, leaving opportunities for unpredictable care, resulting in a lack of trust for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are taking place regularly. However, due to lack of consistency in the format and recording of these meetings, actions agreed are not followed through. This leads to potential for staff to feel unheard and that their contributions lack value.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager’s review of the home has not been completed in a timely manner, resulting in gaps in oversight and a limited understanding of areas requiring development. Systems intended to support effective monitoring and evaluation are not yet fully embedded. Although steps have been taken to introduce these processes, they are not being used consistently or effectively to inform reflective practice and drive improvement. Additionally, there has been a delay in sharing the manager’s review with the regulator, further indicating weaknesses in governance, accountability and compliance with regulatory expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Checks on staff safety and suitability during recruitment to the home are completed. However, there is a lack of knowledge of gaps in employment. This leads to the manager having limited understanding of staff skills and areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 7 The manager has consistently good relationships with professionals and people important to the child. They feel listened to and supported by her. Staff say they are happy, resulting in the opportunity for relationships to develop with the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 8

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirements Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 9 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, this relates to having systems for effective management oversight, and a system for escalation of where practice falls short for children and practice development.

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect

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Requirements Due date

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 (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(iii)(vi)(ix))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, this relates to children’s plans to be individualised, and for children to be informed of these plans.

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Requirements Due date

It also relates to there being management oversight of staff interactions with children, to ensure opportunities for positive relationships to form. 31 July 2026

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirements Due date

that staff— 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 10 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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Requirements Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements 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;

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Requirements Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b)(e))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, this relates to information being held together and up to date to allow for a whole overview of risk and to allow improved thematic oversight to reduce the risks.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirements Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirements Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirements Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirements Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirements Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report"). 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843441 11 The registered person must—

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Requirements Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirements Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirements Due date

the registered person must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year

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Requirements Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, this relates to the consultation and account of the views of each relevant person. 31 July 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment, including knowledge of any gaps in employment, supervision and performance management 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: 2843441 12

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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 13 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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