Children's home firm shuttered after missing kids and sex attack claim

A private firm responsible for five children's homes, which were put into special measures due to horrifying failures, has confirmed their permanent closure.

Dimensions Care Ltd, the company operating these homes, came under scrutiny after Birmingham Live exposed the conditions at three of its five homes following shocking discoveries by Ofsted inspectors. These included a child who disappeared and later reported being sexually assaulted and possibly drugged by men in a hotel room.

In a statement released Thursday, the company announced the immediate and permanent closure of these small, family-style homes. These homes were spread across the region, with three located in Sandwell, Coventry and Telford, all of which were deemed inadequate during recent inspections.

Among the disturbing findings, inspectors interviewed one child at the Coventry home who had gone missing overnight and was 'drugged and sexually assaulted' by adult men. The aftercare and support they received was described as 'poor'.

At another home run by the same company, a child known to have an interest in knives and gangs and considered 'at risk' was taken by staff to meet with questionable 'friends' on multiple occasions, resulting in involvement in crime, according to Ofsted inspectors.

In yet another alarming incident, a child vanished 'for several hours' during the night, and staff remained unaware until the child informed them the next day.

The shocking conditions came to light after Ofsted inspections conducted in May and June. Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council were among the authorities contracting these homes to care for vulnerable youngsters.

Other failings included:

* There was no evidence at one home that 'children even lived there'. "There are no toys, games, photos or their belongings on display."

* Police were called by staff after two children 'broke in' to their own kitchen in the night because it was kept locked to prevent them getting food.

* A child who had moved in four weeks earlier had not unpacked the few belongings they arrived with, while their 'precious possessions' had still not been collected from their previous home.

* One teenager, in the middle of GCSEs, was allowed to stay in bed all day despite having an exam. "There was no support, encouragement or routine in place."

A subsequent inspection at a third facility in Telford also revealed appalling shortcomings. Inspectors declared: "Weak leadership and management of the home means that children are not safe. There are immediate risks to the safety and well-being of the children living at the home."

They discovered youngsters were placed without 'considering how children who already live at the home can live safely with new children who move in. As a result, some children have faced unplanned moves out of the house and significant police involvement.'

They concluded: "Serious incidents have resulted in harm to some children."

Two children were found to have left the home at night 'to meet with unknown males which put them at significant risk of harm.' The staff managed to bring the children back safely, but the support provided afterwards was deemed 'poor. Staff did not act to reduce risk for these children.'

The Express has reached out to Dimensions Care for comment.

The report also revealed that 'four children have experienced frequent and serious episodes of going missing from the home, during which they have been at significant risk of harm.' A fourth home also received a damning report, leading to all being downgraded to inadequate.

In a statement released today, the firm said: "It is with much regret that Dimensions Care has decided to permanently close its five care homes and has applied to Ofsted to voluntarily cancel its registration as a provider of social care.

"We are working with local authorities to find alternative places of care for four children from across three of our homes. Children from our other two homes have already been placed with alternative registered providers of care.

"These decisions have been extremely difficult to make, and they are outcomes that we've worked hard to avoid. Disappointingly and sadly for everyone involved, there was a decline in our previous 'Good', Ofsted-graded standards, which should not have happened.

"Having completed an internal investigation and after continuing to collaborate with Ofsted, we determined that the permanent closure of our homes and our voluntary deregistration is the most appropriate way forward.

"We remain grateful for the ongoing commitment, hard work and understanding of our frontline staff, and are working closely with them on next steps."

Dimensions Care Ltd is a relatively modest operation with an annual turnover of £1m and five facilities.

The firm's proprietors are also directors of the considerably larger Tristone Group, formerly known as Tristone Capital, which generated revenues of £26.5 million in the year to March 2024.

The larger company posted an operating profit of £2.4 million, representing a 60% increase on the previous year, with the majority of its income derived from specialist residential care services for adults and children.