Children's home run by Dimensions Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 1 Registered provider: Dimensions Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022; she is away from work currently. The interim manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025. She is currently enrolled on a relevant level 5 qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

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 the inspection, three children were living in the home and were present during the inspection. One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 2 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2025 Full Good 12/03/2024 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences and progress have been significantly affected by shortfalls in how they are cared for by staff and managers. This includes how they are helped and protected. The leadership and management of the home fails to keep children safe. There are immediate risks to the safety and well-being of the children living in the home. Consequently, Ofsted imposed a restriction of accommodation notice during the inspection to prevent any further children from moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There is a disorganised approach to care planning arrangements for children. Managers did not ensure that they had all the information about children and their vulnerabilities and potential risks before they moved into the home. Significant shortfalls in care planning mean that children move into and on from the home quickly. Children are not given the opportunity to settle and to be cared for by staff. As a result, children do not enjoy stability, and sudden unplanned endings add to children’s trauma and feelings of rejection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home does not provide a nurturing and homely environment. This is due to poor maintenance work and outstanding issues not being addressed promptly. Managers do not ensure that children have what they need to live comfortably in the home. It is not evident that children live in the home; there are no toys, games, photos or their belongings on display. For example, the majority of one child’s precious possessions have still not been collected from their previous home, despite them living here for four weeks. The few belongings they do have are still not unpacked. The same child’s bedroom walls are damaged and in need of repair. This lack of attention to children’s needs risks impacting on children’s self-esteem and self-worth. This does not promote children’s well-being or support them to feel relaxed in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are not making progress in their education and have poor attendance. Education in the home is not promoted. This has resulted in children having unhealthy routines, due to staff failing to implement clear boundaries and consistent parenting. During the inspection, one child was allowed to lie in bed all day despite having a GCSE exam. There was no support, encouragement or routine in place for this child to support them at such a crucial time in their life. As a result, children are not making progress in line with their plans and not meeting expected academic goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

When children make complaints, they are not taken seriously. The manager does not use thorough and consistent approaches to managing complaints from children. Complaints are not recorded properly or followed up in accordance with regulatory requirements. For example, one child felt unfairly treated after spending the night in police custody. This child expressed that they wanted to complain but were never supported to do so. Consequently, children do not feel listened to and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Managers and staff do not understand children’s lived experiences. Consultation Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 5 with children is poor. Staff do not create ways for children to express their wishes and feelings and have failed to capture or record children’s voices to involve them fully in planning their own care. To deny any child the opportunity to express their views and choices and develop life skills in decision-making will have negative implications for their future independence . This disempowers children and does not promote their dignity. Children are not listened to and their voices are not heard.

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

There have been repeated failings to respond to significant safeguarding incidents when children have been at risk of harm. Incidents have not been responded to effectively, recorded or reported in line with regulation. The manager and staff do not demonstrate that they have the skills and knowledge to keep children safe.

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

Staff have failed to protect children from exploitation and gangs. Staff took one child to meet ‘friends’ on numerous occasions and lacked the curiosity to enquire further about the safety of the child’s ‘friends’. This child has known risks related to gangs and knives. Staff failed to intervene early despite this risk being known for several years. They did not seek to work with agencies to reduce the risks around the child’s interest in knives. As a result, the child is now subject to a youth offending order. The manager’s and staff’s inability to identify and act on signs that a child is at risk of harm at an early stage places children at further risk. Furthermore, the manager lacks professional curiosity when reviewing incidents and fails to identify what staff could have done differently. This lack of effective oversight means that opportunities for learning from incidents are not always taken

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

The manager has failed to recognise and take appropriate action following allegations of harm. Allegations made by children have not always been robustly followed up and referred to the local authority social worker, local authority designated officer or Ofsted. This lack of oversight from the manager leaves children at unnecessary risk of harm.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to take effective action to safeguard children when serious incidents have taken place. For instance, staff were not aware that one child had left the home during the night for several hours. The child told staff about the incident the following day. The manager’s response was to complete an internal investigation. The quality of this was poor and the recommendations were not followed through. This meant that floodlights and external door sensors were not installed, and practice concerns were not robustly addressed through supervisions and team meetings . Failure to take effective action continues to compromise children’s safety and it does not help to raise standards to promote the safety and welfare of children.

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

Managers have failed to ensure that the environment is safe for children. They have not adequately risk assessed the real potential for fire in the home and failed to take appropriate and timely action when children have tried to use the gas hob to start fires. Managers have failed to identify and challenge staff practice of locking fire doors. Staff routinely lock doors, restricting children’s freedom and movement as a behaviour Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 6 management strategy. This is an additional fire risk. This lack of action by the manager to ensure the safety of the premises leaves children at unnecessary risk of harm.

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

Children have been exposed to bullying between peers. There have been occasions when children have been threatened with violence and intimidated. Staff have failed to keep children safe in these circumstances and have had no parental control in the home. Children have witnessed incidents of escalating violence, damage to their home and inappropriate and unsafe behaviour between staff and children. Staff have failed to manage these incidents and on occasions have resorted to calling police to manage children’s behaviour. Failure to manage incidents has also led to staff members being harmed.

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

There are significant weaknesses in the assessment and management of risks for children living in the home. The manager and staff do not demonstrate that they have the skills and experience to keep children safe. Managers do not ensure that they consider all information about children to manage their risks and risk assessments do not provide staff with clear guidance to follow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are serious weaknesses in the leadership and management of this home which mean that children do not have their needs met and are left in situations of significant risk and harm. A failure to take effective action to improve the quality of care in the home has compromised children’s safety, experiences and progress. As a result of these findings, three compliance notices have been issued, under regulation 12, regulation 13 and regulation 25.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in the senior leadership team. The impact of these changes has not been well managed. This has led to a poor culture characterised by a lack of transparency and open communication and a hierarchical structure that has discouraged the involvement of the wider staff team. There has been a lack of oversight and accountability. Senior leaders have failed to offer adequate support and challenge to the new manager. Board directors have completed an investigation into what has happened and are devising plans to bring about improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant gaps in the manager’s knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Leaders have failed to recognise this vulnerability and offer the manager the support and challenge they need to develop their practice and ensure a consistent level of oversight which will keep children safe. For instance, the manager has submitted a quality-of-care review, however, it does not show that the manager has identified the numerous and significant shortfalls identified during the inspection. The manager does not have good enough systems to review the quality of care and fully understand children’s experiences. Therefore, they do not understand potential risks to children and have not taken steps to challenge poor practice. This fails to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 7 The manager does not always notify the placing authority and Ofsted when there are serious incidents. The lack of information-sharing reduces the regulator and external

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

professionals’ understanding of safety and quality of care in the home. This weakens the safety net for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff team is relatively new and inexperienced. Only one out of eight staff hold the relevant qualification for residential childcare. The manager and staff do not have the necessary skills to care for vulnerable children. This has resulted in children having poor experiences while living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality of staff supervision is poor. Staff have not received regular supervision in line with the company policy. Managers are unable to assess whether staff are making progress and that they understand their roles and responsibilities in providing care to children and how to keep them safe. This exposes children to further risk, where poor practice from staff is not challenged and is normalised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have mixed views about working in the home. Some staff enjoy working in the home and being part of a resilient team. Others recognise that the manager and staff have failed to safeguard children and plans for their care have been disrupted as a consequence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 8

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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— that staff—

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that effective action is taken following any safeguarding concerns, that children’s plans are kept up to date and staff are given clear direction to support children. 5 October 2025

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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— 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 9 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

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement 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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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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they have effective oversight of all incidents and take action to address any concerns. Additionally, they must ensure staff have the relevant skills and abilities to meet the needs of the children living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 10 allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children have access to all areas of the home. The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children have a positive experience arriving and moving on from the home. They must also ensure that there is an effective process in place to ensure that children are suitably assessed to live in the home. 5 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 11 help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each child’s voice is captured in their care planning and they are supported to express their views and wishes.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 12 support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children have a clear education plan and children’s educational needs are consistently prioritised. Staff and managers must find creative ways of engaging children in education to prepare them for independence.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 13 understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is in good repair and presents a homely and nurturing environment in which children can thrive. After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure the home is a safe place for children to live. 5 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2686902 14

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Dimensions Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Harold Sharp Ltd, Unit 5, Brooklands Place, Brooklands Road, Sale M33 3SD

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Responsible individual:

Registered manager: Keshia Toolsee, Shanice Jackson

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Inspectors

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Hayley Booth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 15 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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