Children's Home run by Care Today Parallel Parents in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC403890 1 SC403890 Registered provider: Care Today Parallel Parents Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There are two registered managers at this home. At the time of the inspection, one registered manager was taking a period of leave.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC403890 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/08/2022 Full Outstanding 12/07/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Full Good 12/03/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC403890 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living at the home have positive relationships with staff, who understand their vulnerabilities and needs. Staff provide individualised, consistent and nurturing care. Children settle quickly into the home because of the efforts staff make to get to know them. The health and well-being needs of the children are met. This creates a sense of stability and security for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy and value the time they spend with staff. They discuss issues that are important to them and are essential for their continued progress. Children said that key-work sessions teach them about things such as staying safe online, the importance of being kind and looking after their bodies. Staff ensure the support is creative and fun. Children learn from this support and are developing a sense of self-worth and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are regularly praised and offered rewards for positive behaviours. Staff put clear and consistent boundaries in place, meaning children are helped to understand which behaviours are not acceptable. The children are mostly offered positive rewards rather than negative consequences. This helps to reinforce positive behaviours for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child said, ‘This is the best home ever.’ The children know how to make a complaint if they need to, and they said that the staff were ‘really nice’. The children enjoy a wide range of varied activities, such as walks to the park, swimming and football matches. They view the staff as trusted adults and are happy and relaxed at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children regularly attend school. Staff attend meetings with professionals about the progress the children are making in their education. When the children struggle in school, staff actively promote positive behaviour, and children are offered the opportunity to discuss any concerns. Professionals who support the children at school said that staff communicate well with them and are responsive to the needs of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s daily records are written directly to the children. They include colour photos of the children enjoying different activities. These record how well the children are doing, what they might be struggling with and how staff have supported them. The records are made into booklets for the children to keep when they leave the home. However, some documents relating to the children contain language that can be viewed as stigmatising, such as a child was ‘rude and abusive’. This is not measurable and does not explain what this looks like. This is not helpful for children who may wish to read their documents when they are older. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403890 4

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

The children’s wishes and feelings are explored in regular house meetings. The children are happy to contribute towards these meetings. They focus on a safeguarding theme each week and discuss topics such as road safety, being healthy and stranger danger. These meetings help the children develop their social skills and enhance their opportunities to make safe choices and decisions.

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

The children living at the home feel safe and are protected by a caring and skilled staff team. Staff understand the detailed care plans and risk assessments, and these are updated regularly. The staff have established strong relationships with the children, their parents, carers and families and professionals. As a result, the children are safeguarded effectively.

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

Staff are aware of the risks posed to children if they go missing from home. The children who live at the home do not go missing. When children who previously lived at the home went missing, staff looked for them and followed the comprehensive plans in place. Action was taken to keep the children safe, both during and after the episode of the children going missing from home. This means that risks to children are reduced because of the actions taken by staff.

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

The registered manager completes a review of the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises annually. This risk assessment has recently been updated in response to an external incident. Changes have been made to the evacuation assembly point. The children can discuss these changes, and staff took steps to make sure that the incident did not have a negative impact on the children.

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

Staff are trained to use physical interventions when necessary. They know the children well and have the training and skills to respond to changes in their mood and behaviour. Any physical interventions that take place in the home are reviewed by the registered manager, senior leaders and the team that provides the physical intervention training. This scrutiny ensures good practice and promotes open and honest feedback and discussions, which enhances the safety of the children.

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

Recruitment checks and verification processes are completed by the registered manager before new staff begin work at the home. This provides the necessary assurance that staff are suitable to work with children. A thorough induction to the home and the needs of the children is overseen by the registered manager. The recruitment procedures that are in place help to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a caring and supportive professional, who has high expectations of the staff team. Tolerance and individuality are promoted in the home. This is underpinned by regular team meetings. These are child-focused and include bite-size training sessions in areas such as attachment and child exploitation. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403890 5 Staff supervision sessions are held monthly and give staff an opportunity to reflect, discuss any concerns and review their progress. Training is revisited in these sessions, and safeguarding procedures and whistle-blowing are regularly discussed. Staff said they find this process beneficial. This helps staff to stay up to date with their knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak very positively about the registered manager and said they all work well together. Staff said that the registered manager promotes their development and helps them to be better in their roles. When necessary, poor practice is challenged and addressed by the registered manager. Appropriate action is taken when complaints are made by children, staff or external partners.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has oversight of the home and completes regular audits to ensure quality is maintained. There are monthly visits to the home by an independent person. These reports give an oversight into the quality of care at the home, and the registered manager, who is relatively new to post, has begun to review these each month. This ensures they are responded to quickly and any shortfalls identified are addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from parents and professionals about the staff and management of the home was positive. The staff communicate effectively with outside agencies and challenge services when necessary to ensure the best outcomes for children are achieved. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403890 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the staff record information about children in a non-stigmatising way. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘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: SC403890 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Today Parallel Parents

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Registered managers: Kimberley Lister Emma Dunwell-Woods

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Inspectors

Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC403890 8 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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