Children's home run by Dimensions Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2648446 1

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may experience trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since January 2025, she has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has 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

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, the manager and responsible individual have not worked in the home. Senior leaders have overseen the home during this period.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no children were living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 12 and 13 May 2025. Ofsted issued two compliance notices under regulation 12 and regulation 13. Ofsted also suspended the home’s registration because children were at risk due to serious and widespread failings to provide safe and effective care. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2648446 2 The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notices under regulation 12 and regulation 13. It was found that the compliance notices in relation to regulation 12 and regulation 13 were met.

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This monitoring visit

At the last full inspection, six requirements were made. At this inspection, the inspector found that one of these requirements had been met. The others were not considered and will be reviewed as part of the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have provided effective oversight of the home. However, the positions of registered manager and responsible individual remain vacant. As a result, Ofsted has re-issued the suspension notice and the registration of the home continues to be suspended.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have made vast improvements to the internal and external environment and the home is now free from hazards. All areas in the home have been decorated and repairs completed. In addition, the fire risk assessment has been updated, and senior leaders have ensured that all actions have been rectified. This is now a homely, nurturing and safe place for children to live.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have implemented new monitoring tools to improve their oversight of the home. These include managers and responsible individual audits, weekly safeguarding audits and keyworker checklists to name a few. It is hoped that these tools will enable managers to identify any shortfalls in the care that children receive and to be proactive in addressing them. However, it has not been possible to measure how effective these are in practice yet, due to no children currently living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

There is now a system in place to report, record and monitor safeguarding concerns.

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This monitoring visit

All staff have now completed their mandatory training. Risk assessment proformas have been updated, and the revised format has the potential to offer clearer guidance and information to staff. However, the effectiveness of these changes cannot yet be evaluated, as there are currently no children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff’s understanding of safeguarding is now routinely explored through team meetings and supervision sessions, supporting ongoing professional reflection and development.

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This monitoring visit

The planning and assessment process for children moving into the home has improved. Senior leaders have a suitable process and plan to ensure that essential information about potential children for the home is requested, assessed and planned for against the needs of the children already living there. Again, this process remains untested as the registration of the home remains suspended. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2648446 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/05/2025 Full Inadequate 03/12/2024 Full Good 18/07/2023 Full Good 15/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2648446 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 with 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.

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that effective action is taken following any safeguarding concerns, that children’s 30 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2648446 5 plans are kept up to date and given clear direction to staff to support children. Additionally, the registered person must ensure the home environment is a safe place for children to live.

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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;

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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

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)(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 that the staff have the relevant skills and abilities to meet the needs of the children living in the home. 30 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 30 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2648446 6 manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 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— is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and 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. 30 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 30 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2648446 7 The registered person must ensure that all serious events are report to HMCI without delay.

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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: 2648446 8

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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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Inspector

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2648446 9 regulates and inspects 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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