Children's Home run by Cillrua Care Ltd in Leicestershire

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 1 Registered provider: Cillrua Care Ltd

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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 may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. One child was spoken to by the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual who was present during the inspection. The provider is yet to submit an application so that Ofsted can check that the person has the relevant capacity, skills and experience to fulfil the role.

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Inspection date: 6 July 2026

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 6 July 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 2 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’. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 3

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager is currently absent from the home. They are attempting to manage the home remotely. However, their oversight is ineffective. Leaders have failed to ensure that adequate monitoring arrangements are in place in the registered manager’s absence.

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager confirmed that the staff are no longer able to keep one child safe. Notice has been given to end the placement, and it was escalated with the child’s placing authority. However, the child still remains in the home with risks not managed effectively.

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Findings from the inspection

Despite the registered manager and staff being unable to meet the needs of the one child living in the home, another child was admitted to the home. There was insufficient assessment of how staff would be able to meet their needs, particularly alongside those of the child already living there. Furthermore, staff did not have an understanding of the specific risks for the child and any strategies to manage and minimise these risks. The child went missing from this home after one day. Professionals for both children were unaware that other children were living in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Plans for children are incomplete and do not contain the detail required to ensure that staff are aware of the day-to-day actions they should take to keep children safe. The plans for one child identify that 20-minute observations should take place during the day and one-hour observations at night. These observations do not take place consistently. Staff told the inspector that they do not always do visual checks to ensure the child’s wellbeing and take assurances from factors such as ‘the TV being on’. Leaders and the registered manager had identified this as an area of concern. However, they have failed to monitor and improve practice, leaving children at risk of harm.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have been aware of drug use in the home and of items that the child could use to cause injury to themselves, which is a known risk, but no action has been taken. Staff do not demonstrate an appropriate understanding of children at risk of criminal exploitation. They did not take action to manage risk when a child was seen to have a large amount of money when leaving the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and the registered manager have not ensured that there are sufficient staff to safely meet children’s needs. Children experience care from a range of unfamiliar staff, which affects their ability to develop secure relationships with the people who care for them. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 4 The registered manager has not clarified what support should be provided when children see the people who are important to them. Staff were not aware of relevant risks in relation to the people who are important to children, leaving them at risk of harm.

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Findings from the inspection

When children go missing from home, key agencies, such as the police and local authority, are informed. However, staff do not consistently look for children when they are missing. This does not demonstrate that children are cared for or encouraged to return to the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The requirements under Regulations 6, 45 and 46 raised at the previous inspection were not reviewed at this visit and have been restated alongside the previous recommendation. Requirements under Regulations 12 and 13 remain and are also now subject to compliance notices. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/04/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/01/2026 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 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 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

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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Requirement 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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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;

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff understand the risks for the child and take effective action to keep the child safe. This includes undertaking observations and room searches. 16 August 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 7 Leaders and managers must ensure that children’s risk management plans are up to date and reviewed when new or emerging risks are identified.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children’s missing- from-care protocols are known, understood and acted on by staff.

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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

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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 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; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that there are effective monitoring and review systems in place to monitor the care provided to children. This includes ensuring that observations of children to ensure their safety and wellbeing take place and that strategies identified in their relevant plans are followed. These review and monitoring systems must include details of what action has been taken by leaders and managers to address and challenge any identified shortfalls in practice. 16 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; 31 July 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 8 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect

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Requirement 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)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to children’s plans being individualised and to children being 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 opportunities for positive relationships to form.

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Requirement 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 taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the consultation with each relevant person and taking into account their views 31 July 2026

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Requirement 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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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 31 July 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 9 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").

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Requirement 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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Requirement 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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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 10

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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 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2843441 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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