Children's home run by Parallel Parents Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2626293 1 Registered provider: Parallel Parents Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a private organisation and offers care for up to four children who may have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was re-registered in August 2021 following a change in the company ownership.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a registered manager in post.

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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 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 children’s home: 2626293 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. Children have positive and trusting relationships with staff. Staff are invested in helping the children to have positive day-to-day experiences and support them to make progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff get to know children prior to them living in the home. One child who moved in to the home benefited from visits to the house and met the staff and other children before they moved in. Staff took into consideration the child’s views and experiences and were sensitive to their feelings of uncertainty. This was effective and they settled quickly. Children shared with the inspector that they are happy living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, staff prepare children well for independent living and help them to learn new skills. Staff have helped one child to develop their cooking, cleaning and shopping skills, resulting in them being more prepared for the future. However, staff did not go far enough to test the child’s ability to budget and take their own medication more independently. The child will continue to get this support in his new home, allowing him to build on the skills he has already been taught. Staff are effective in helping children to move out of the home in a planned and positive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health, education and emotional needs are met. Staff help children to reflect on how they are feeling and how this makes them react and behave. This helps children to understand their emotional responses and think about how they can make different choices in the future. This has a positive impact on children’s behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in their care planning. For example, they share their views on where they would like to live now and in the future. Staff advocate for children and ensure that their views are listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to engage in different activities. Children enjoy going to the gym and scouts. Staff used the outdoor spaces in the local community when children were unable to attend organised activities due to the COVID-19 restrictions. This helped to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children. Throughout the pandemic, staff kept children informed about the restrictions during weekly house meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a nice home. The home is being redecorated and the children are involved in deciding how the home should look. The registered manager has identified work to be completed outside of the home to reduce the risk of children gaining access to the roof. This work has not been completed quickly enough. However, the registered manager has put in place risk-reduction strategies until the work is carried out. Inspection report children’s home: 2626293 3

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are safeguarded living in the home. Children share any worries or concerns they have with staff. Staff are understanding and support the children in a nurturing way. This helps children to feel safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff respond well to children who are missing from home. They understand the triggers for children leaving the home and work with other professionals to return the children safely to the home. Children discuss with staff the reasons why they went missing, and return-home interviews are regularly completed.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff use different strategies to help children manage their behaviour. These are detailed in risk assessments and behaviour support plans. Overall, staff are effective in de-escalating incidents without the use of restraint, which is used as a last resort. Staff try to understand the reasons for a child’s behaviour, rather than focusing on the actions or incident.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager has a good oversight of incidents in the home. He provides debriefs and reflects on actions taken by staff to learn lessons and improve practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff use praise to promote positive behaviour. When sanctions are used, these are appropriate. Children can reverse the sanction if good behaviour is demonstrated. This is effective and encourages children to make better choices about their behaviour.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are alert to potential risks children may face and have appropriate discussions with them. Topics covered include relationships, smoking and internet safety. This gives children the knowledge to keep themselves safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a confident leader who supports and manages his team well. He has a good understanding of the children’s needs and is child focused.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team who provide stability and consistent care to children. The registered manager provides staff with regular supervision and team meetings, and they have appropriate training to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff have good relationships with stakeholders. Children’s social workers are kept informed about children’s progress and any concerns that may arise. Two social workers gave positive feedback about the home and the care children receive. One social worker commented, ‘I can’t speak highly enough of the support staff have provided [to the child].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children share their views on a regular basis through children’s meetings and have regular discussions with staff and the registered manager. Children know how to complain but have not felt that they have needed to. Inspection report children’s home: 2626293 4 The registered manager has effective monitoring tools in place. As such, he has a good understanding of the strengths and areas of development of the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2626293 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills, such as budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that identified repairs to the outside of the home are completed in a timely manner to ensure that the environment supports children to keep safe. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)

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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 children’s home: 2626293 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parallel Parents Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2626293 7 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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