Children's home run by Gims Care Solutions Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2798954 1 Registered provider: Gims Care Solutions 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

The home is run by a private provider and provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has written to Ofsted confirming that he is ceasing to manage the home on 31 July 2025. A new manager has been appointed and was due to start 25 July 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection since the home and manager were registered on 22 November 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2798954 2

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improvement to be good

There are several safeguarding shortfalls, which have contributed to children’s care being compromised. However, all children have made some progress from their individual starting points.

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improvement to be good

One child moved into the home before it was registered. Since then, there have been three children who have moved in and three children who have moved out. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. One child was only in the home for a week as part of a temporary plan while a long-term provision was found. Two children have moved on, having made progress, and were reunified with their families in their local area.

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improvement to be good

Children are not provided with sufficient privacy. The home has external CCTV cameras. One camera is used intrusively to monitor children and adults rather than for the security of the home. The children’s guide does not provide children with a clear sense of what it is like to live at the home. It is not transparent about when a child’s confidentiality or privacy may need to be broken. This reduces the children’s opportunities to understand expectations and potentially undermines the forming of trusting relationships.

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improvement to be good

The home is generally suitably furnished and resourced to meet the needs of the child. However, there is a large safety box housing the TV in the lounge. There is no apparent justification for its presence. This creates a significantly institutionalised feel to this communal area of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff offer children a range of activities that support their interests. Children have attended the gym, boxing clubs, and played football and snooker. This helps children to participate in activities they enjoy.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to attend education. Staff understand the importance of education and incorporate this into the structure of the day. One child, who prior to living at the home was not attending any education, has returned to a full timetable. Another child has progressed from virtual educational sessions to these being conducted in person.

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improvement to be good

Children’s general health needs are mostly met. Staff work closely with the looked-after children’s nurse and utilise this relationship for support and advice. However, for one child, their emotional health needs are not being fully met, due to a delay in appropriate action being taken.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to enjoy time with people who are important to them. This allows children to maintain positive relationships and a sense of belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: 2798954 3

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding practice is not consistently good. When comments are made that could be interpreted as allegations against the staff, safeguarding procedures are not always followed. Consequently, information is not always shared with external professionals. This means that there has not always been a joined-up approach to potential safeguarding concerns.

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improvement to be good

Staff regularly search children’s rooms. These searches are not always proportionate or justified. Staff see these as a routine activity rather than something that would only take place when there were reasonable grounds for believing that there was a particular risk.

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improvement to be good

Staff use consequences to help children understand and change their behaviour. Some consequences used are punitive. Leaders and managers have recognised this and are attempting to embed a different way of working. This is in its infancy and there have been further examples of punitive approaches used since managers recognised the need for improvement.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are not always accurate. For example, in specific guidance for one child, some known risks were not documented and the records contained details of another child. This reduces the potential for staff to offer a consistent approach to the management of risk and risks children being associated with risks that do not relate to them.

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improvement to be good

Staff hold detailed and creative discussions with children. Thee encourage children to stay engaged and develop their understanding of risk, independence and general life skills. These regular conversations give children the opportunity to learn and to share their wishes and feelings.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond well when children go missing. Children are provided with the opportunity to speak to an independent person. This allows children the opportunity to share any concerns with a person outside of the home.

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

The manager has high aspirations for children. Professional feedback was mixed. Although professionals acknowledged some individual progress made, concerns were raised regarding the overall quality of care.

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

Leaders and managers’ assessment of the suitability of the location of the home only provided a generic overview of the risks. There were emerging risks linked to the location that have not been captured or considered. This was quickly rectified on inspection.

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

Children’s files did not always contain all relevant documents. For example, the child’s education, health and care plan contained outdated and incorrect information. In Inspection report for children’s home: 2798954 4 addition, important paperwork had significant factual inaccuracies within it. An accurate, up-to-date version of the paperwork was gained during the inspection.

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

Leaders and managers had not shared their internal review of the quality of care with Ofsted. This affects Ofsted’s ability to oversee the provision.

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

The manager’s reviews of incidents, restraints and missing-from-home episodes are generally reflective, and they consider steps to prevent reoccurrence. Leaders and managers demonstrate a commitment to learning from incidents. They attempt to address shortfalls in staff practice.

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

Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions. These are child focused and provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice, discuss the care of children and review their learning and development needs. Staff speak highly of the support they receive from the manager.

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

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. These meetings provide effective support for staff and are used as a forum to reflect on current practice and issues which could impact the child. These meetings give the staff team the opportunity to share ideas and feelings in a safe space, allowing them to reflect and adapt the care they provide to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2798954 5

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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 may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d)) 21 August 2025

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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—

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a) (i)(vi)) 8 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that important documents are up-to-date and are personal to the child. 17 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2798954 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children’s rooms are only searched where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature and help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they undertake a review that focuses on the quality of care provided by the home. The report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing local authority of all children in the home who are looked-after children within the regulatory timescale. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)  The registered person should ensure that they produce a children’s guide to help children understand: what the day-to-day routines of the home are, the care they can expect to receive while living there and how to make a complaint in line with the home’s complaints procedure. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2798954 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gims care solutions LTD

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 10, The Old Courthouse, Orsett Road, Grays, Essex RM17 5DD

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Inspectors

Naomi Starbuck, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2798954 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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