Children's Home run by Gemstones Care Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2772912 1 Registered provider: Gemstones Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this children’s home. The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in March 2024. The registered manager post is currently vacant. A new manager has recently been recruited and is working towards the required qualification in leadership and management. They have not applied to register with Ofsted. The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, one child was living at the home. The inspector spoke to them to obtain their views.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged good at the first full inspection, on 3 and 4 July 2024.

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This monitoring visit

An assurance inspection was carried out on 10 February 2025 following safeguarding concerns being received. Serious and widespread concerns were identified during this visit. A notice restricting accommodation and three compliance notices, under regulations 12 (the protection of children standard), 13 (the leadership and management standard) and 14 (the care planning standard) were issued.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to review the notice restricting accommodation and to determine whether the compliance notices had been met. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2772912 2 At this monitoring visit, we found that the compliance notices in relation to regulations 12, 13 and 14 had been met. The notice restricting accommodation has been lifted.

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This monitoring visit

Sufficient action has been taken to protect children from harm. A range of audits have been undertaken to identify and rectify any shortfalls in the running of the home. This has included an audit of all incidents that have occurred since January 2025. Where this audit identified shortalls, retrospective action was taken and learning shared with staff through reflective sessions looking at how they could have managed incidents differently. This has helped staff to reflect on and improve their skills to be better able to respond to similar incidents in the future.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have considered the staffing of the home to ensure suitable staff are in place to support and care for children. Despite support being provided, audits undertaken highlighted continued management failures in delivering improved care for children. As a result, a new manager was recruited to take forward and embed the actions needed to meet the compliance notices and continue to improve the quality of care.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have provided additional training and support to ensure staff are equipped with the knowledge and understanding to meet the needs of children placed in their care. All staff are retaking a comprehensive induction programme and must complete all mandatory training requirements within a required time frame. Staff have a better understanding of the requirements of their role and the need for a consistent approach when delivering care.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager has also undertaken specific training to help them meet the requirements of their role. This has included training as a designated safeguarding lead, managing allegations, safer recruitment and for carrying out supervision and appraisals.

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This monitoring visit

The child is happy living in the home and has made progress since the assurance inspection in February 2025. The child said the home is feeling a lot calmer and staff are more consistent in implementing rules and boundaries. The number of incidents has reduced since the last inspection. In addition, the child has secured an education placement, to start in May 2025.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are being supported to work more cohesively as a team. The staff team has remained stable since the assurance inspection. Team-building exercises and reflective sessions are helping with staff bonding. Staff rotas are also being managed to ensure that any bank or agency staff always work with a permanent member of staff. A review of a recent incident showed that staff were supporting each other more. This is improving the quality and consistency of the care being provided.

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This monitoring visit

The process to ensure the home is suitable for a child to move in has been reviewed and a more comprehensive assessment process put in place. This ensures that Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2772912 3 information needed to make a sound decision is collated. This includes consultations with relevant professionals, information to assess compatibility with the children already living in the home and an assessment of identified risks of all the children to see whether they can be mitigated.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit focused specifically on the compliance notices issued previously. The requirements issued at the previous inspection have not been considered and are restated.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2772912 4

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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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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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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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 20 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 20 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2772912 5 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure staff have the skills and competence to help children understand their behaviour, and manage conflicts positively and quickly, and without escalating the situation.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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 involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure the child’s local authority is informed of incidents and other matters affecting them in a timely manner. 20 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2772912 6 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 20 April 2025

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2772912 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gemstones Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: International House, 126 Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 3AP

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Inspector

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2772912 8 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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