Children's Home run by Parallel Parents Ltd in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 1 Registered provider: Parallel Parents Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in May 2021. It provides care for up to five children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The new manager has the required qualification and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The home shares the same site as an independent school. Inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live at this home. They are settling in well and have formed positive relationships with the staff. The children are proud of their home and enjoyed showing the inspector how their bedrooms reflect their personalities and preferences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families and local authorities compliment the staff team for working closely with them. This close working ensures that children’s needs are met and they make progress. Children are aware of the plans for their care, in that they are working towards family reunification or moving to foster care. One child’s behaviour has significantly improved since moving in. He is now awaiting a move to a foster carer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthy lifestyles are encouraged. The children are supported by staff to eat a healthy diet. They undertake a variety of extra-curricular activities, such as basketball and swimming. They are encouraged to attend community-based activities so they can broaden their friendship groups.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are becoming more able to manage their emotions. Staff encouragement and support is enabling children to become more reflective, both individually and as a group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s meetings are used to discuss specific topics and current issues. Children know that the issues they have raised have been listened to and their requests actioned. This teaches the children the art of negotiation and how to ensure they express their views and wishes in a way that enables them to be heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children attend the on-site school. Children are part of the handover between the care and education teams. These handover meetings take place at the start and end of each school day. These meetings ensure that both teams are aware of anything that may have an impact on or improve the children’s participation in education. The children are given a daily points score that contributes towards their agreed incentives. They listen keenly as they hear the score they have achieved. The team explains why they have awarded the score, so the children understand the aspects of their behaviour that require improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children undertake age-appropriate tasks to develop their ability to complete self- care tasks independently in the future. They have family time in and away from the home, according to their specific needs. These visits help to maintain the familial relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 4

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improvement to be good

The inexperienced team struggled to manage children’s behaviours. The matching process for the first children placed at the home was poor. The team in place at the time was particularly ill-equipped to meet one child’s needs. He later moved to a more suitable place.

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improvement to be good

Staff failed to update children’s risk assessments with presented behaviours. They omitted known risks, such as self-harmful behaviour and dangerous behaviour in cars. The home’s location risk assessment also fails to reflect known risks. These omissions and inconsistencies fail to safeguard children or staff. It also prevents the implementation of identified strategies.

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improvement to be good

The use of physical holds is reducing. Children are becoming more reflective and increasingly able to use alternative strategies when they become angry or upset. The records relating to incidents of staff using a hold to manage challenging behaviour contain data that does not correlate. There is a lack of attention to detail. This prevents an accurate assessment of whether the hold could have been prevented, and of outcomes and follow-up actions.

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improvement to be good

Previously, sanctions for negative behaviour failed to align with the behaviours the staff were addressing. This has improved and sanctions now often include reflective work with the child. This is to ensure that children recognise why the sanction is in place.

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improvement to be good

There have been allegations and other significant events, such as children managing to briefly lock staff out of the house. This placed children and staff in danger. Ofsted was not notified of these events. This prevents Ofsted, as the regulator, having relevant information about practice within the home.

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improvement to be good

There are examples of positive direct work being carried out with the children. This includes a knife-crime walk, and educational online videos about fire safety and the dangers of smoking. Children now do presentations at the children’s meetings on relevant topics. Their research and discussions help to embed the learning points. Children say that staff help them to stay safe when using the internet on mobile and gaming devices.

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improvement to be good

Despite not going missing, children have run out of the house, followed by staff. Staff are working with the children to highlight the dangers of this behaviour. Staff know the protocols to follow should a child go missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and his deputy have left the home. A new manager, from within the organisation, has recently started the registration process. The manager is establishing a good team. He recognises that the team requires support and Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 5 guidance as they develop. Some staff are new to residential care, but their passion and enthusiasm enables them to provide good person-centred care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff describe the new manager as supportive, approachable and funny. He is working with staff to improve the home’s development plan. This is to ensure that it reflects his aims for the service. He is using internal monitoring and quality assurance processes to improve standards. These are assisting him in identifying areas that need addressing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is seeking ways to better reflect the detailed direct work they do with children. Staff record children’s meetings minutes in a colourful and child-friendly way. The manager is encouraging the use of rewards and incentives. This is positive and includes lots of verbal praise and small treats such as extra games-console time. This is to help children recognise the positive changes in their behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that he and the team work closely with families and potential carers. He is revising how the staff seek and use feedback so that he can show how it shapes the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team is working to diversify the menu and broaden children’s view of the world. There is evidence of discussions about racism and global protests. The team is aiming to ensure that the children realise they are global citizens, and aware of challenges they and/or others may face. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 6

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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, 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—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into ac- count 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;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 8 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 7 In particular, ensure that children’s risk assessments and placement plans are regularly updated with all relevant information.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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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

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons, without delay, of any serious incident, as described. Notifications need to be shared with some urgency. 8 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records are completed fully, with attention to detail and accuracy. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2624934 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parallel Parents Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Heaviley, Stockport SK2 6LR

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Inspector

Sonia Hay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624934 10 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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