Children's Home run by Gemstones Care Limited in Birmingham

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 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

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to 3 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

Since the last inspection there has been a complete change in the leadership, management and staffing of this home.

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Information about this children's home

A manager has recently been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children's home

A responsible individual has also been appointed but the provider has not submitted the relevant documentation to Ofsted. Consequently, Ofsted are not yet able to carry out the relevant suitability checks.

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Information about this children's home

Two children currently live in this home, who were present and spoken to.

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Information about this children's home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, 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. Inspectors have 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: 2772912 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: 2772912 3

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Findings from the inspection

Serious and widespread concerns were identified in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have failed to implement effective systems and processes to keep children safe and improve the quality of care provided to them. Improvements made at the last full inspection have not been sustained and this decline has adversely impacted on children's safety.

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Findings from the inspection

Care planning and assessment processes for children moving into the home are poor. Children's risks are not adequately assessed to ensure that staff can safely meet their needs or those of other children already living in the home. Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved on from the home because staff could not safely meet their needs. Another child arrived at the home and neither the manager or staff were aware that the child was moving in and so were unprepared. Consequently, poor planning impacts negatively on children's safety, wellbeing and overall experiences.

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Findings from the inspection

Safer recruitment processes are not in place. Leaders and managers do not ensure recruitment checks are fully completed before staff start working with children. When checks raise concerns, these are not followed up to ensure that staff are suitable and safe to work with children. This places children at increased risk of being cared for by unsuitable people.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff have the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to fully meet the children's needs. There are significant gaps in staff training, which are specific to children's known risks and vulnerabilities. Furthermore, staff do not have training in the use of physical intervention. Consequently, staff do not have the necessary skills or experience to safely meet the needs of children living in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Systems for reporting, recording and monitoring incidents are poor. Leaders and managers do not have clear oversight of incidents, which is exacerbated by poor recording of events. As a result, action required to help mitigate further risks to children are not taken. For example, one child regularly went missing and on one occasion came to significant harm. Staff did not inform the relevant professionals or ensure that the child was spoken to when the child returned home. The lack of action meant strategies to help reduce the child's risks were not put in place.

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Findings from the inspection

Despite the serious shortfalls in care and safety of children, the 2 children currently living in the home said they are happy and get on well with the staff. One child is settled and making progress with their education. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2772912 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/06/2025 Full Good 03/07/2024 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2772912 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 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have effective systems in place to oversee and improve the quality of care provided to children. This includes systems:

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Requirement Due date

 for reporting, recording and monitoring of incidents to safeguard children;  that ensure learning is taken when children have left the home in an unplanned way; 19 April 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2772912 6  for ensuring safe recruitment practices are in place and ensuring staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to support children in their care.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) 2(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they carry out a full and robust assessment of children's needs before making a decision to move children into the home. The assessment must consider the needs of those children already living in the home and assess their risks effectively to determine whether it is appropriate for children to live together. 19 April 2026

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 19 April 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2772912 7 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to reduce the risk of children, in their care, coming to harm. Staff must ensure that they seek the support of professionals, when necessary, to help keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 19 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2772912 8

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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 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2772912 9 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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