Parallel Parents West

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Parallel Parents West 1 Parallel Parents West Parallel Parents Limited Suite D, First Floor, 8 Millfield Court, Eccleston, St Helens WA10 5NS Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This privately owned independent fostering agency was registered in April 2023. The agency is a registered regional branch of the organisation, Parallel Parents. The agency provides the following types of foster placements:

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Information about this independent fostering agency

 emergency  short term  long term  parent and child  respite.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the agency had four approved fostering households, caring for a total of four children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

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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 independent fostering agency 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: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Parallel Parents West 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living with the agency’s foster carers. Children experience child-centred, individualised care and support from their foster carers. One professional said, ‘They [foster carers] are clearly attuned to his [the child’s] needs.’ This enables children to develop positive, trusting relationships with their foster carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency’s matching of children to foster carers is good. This results in children being placed with carers who can meet their needs. Transition plans are robust and allow an adequate period of adjustment and integration for the child and foster carer to get to know each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop a sense of belonging with their foster carers. One child scaled living with their foster carer as ‘infinity out of infinity’, and another child said they felt part of the family. Foster carers spoke affectionately about the children they care for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of new experiences that contribute to their physical and emotional health, such as going away on holiday and attending football camp. Children receive support to develop their individual areas of interest, for example swimming, boxercise or Zumba. These new experiences help build children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support to spend time with their family members. Staff and foster carers appreciate the significance of these family relationships. This helps the children to maintain their identity and continue to see the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children are attending school or pre-school provision, and their attendance is excellent. Foster carers support children to achieve their educational potential and have opportunities beyond the school day to engage in activities which promote learning. One child goes to an after-school club each week.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Case records reflect children’s lives and the work that is carried out with them. The child’s voice is evident throughout the agency’s records. The views of the child are sought regularly on all aspects of their care and support. All staff, including the manager, know the children well. The staff are regular visitors to children’s homes, and they see them at family activity days.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers receive the training and development they need to carry out their role effectively. This includes access to specialist training when new needs emerge. Foster carers receive sufficient training on health and hygiene issues and first aid. This ensures that children are cared for by foster carers who have the experience, skills and training necessary to meet their needs. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Parallel Parents West 3 Foster carers and children have access to specialist advice if required. Therapeutic support is available from within the wider organisation, and an education coordinator is able to provide advice and guidance on educational issues. Furthermore, there is a designated sensory needs practitioner based in the agency who offers foster carers additional support to understand the behaviours of their children. This supports and improves children’s emotional well-being and placement stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency promotes equality and diversity well. The agency ensures that foster carers have a good understanding of children’s cultural identity and needs. When a child requires it, the children’s guide is available. The guide is also available through suitable alternative methods of communication, for example audio or translation into another language. This supports children’s heritage and identity.

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

Children trust their foster carers and can talk to them about worries or concerns. Children spoken to during the inspection process identified their foster carers as someone they would go to if they felt unsafe.

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

The agency promotes safe care, makes unannounced visits to foster carers at least annually and ensures that children have regular opportunities to speak to a supervising social worker without their foster carers. Unannounced visits take place at evenings and weekends to ensure that the standard of care remains high, even when a social worker is not expected to visit.

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

Children’s behaviour is managed well by foster carers, who receive specific behaviour support training. Individual up-to-date risk management plans address any known vulnerabilities for each child effectively and set out what action staff and foster carers should take to address the risks.

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

Foster carers use effective de-escalation techniques, and there have not been any incidents when children have been physically held. This helps create a positive home environment where the children can flourish.

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

Incidents of children going missing from the home of their foster carer are extremely low. When children do go missing, there is an effective multi-agency response in these situations. Foster carers and staff make every effort to contact and locate the child, working closely with the police and the placing authority. Independent return home interviews are completed.

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

The agency follows safer recruitment processes for foster carers, staff and panel members. This helps ensure that foster homes are a safe place for children to live. Careful recruitment also prevents unsuitable staff from being recruited and having the opportunity to harm children or to place them at risk. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Parallel Parents West 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency has a permanent registered manager, who is suitably qualified and experienced. The registered manager is dedicated and passionate about the service. The manager is supported by a responsible individual who shares the same child- centred ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are extremely child centred and highly committed to achieving excellent outcomes for children. They know their foster carers and children well. They also take pride in children’s progress and achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that the managers are supportive and that they enjoy working for the agency. Staff receive regular supervision, and records demonstrate that supervision is of good quality with opportunities for reflection. Team meetings take place regularly, which allow for feedback and discussion. The staff’s views are listened to, and their ideas are considered when reviewing any changes to care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Workforce development is a strength of the agency. Staff have been supported to undertake social work training as well as other specialist courses, such as autism and sensory needs. This investment motivates staff and confirms that they are valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Quality assurance audits are undertaken across the agency’s activities and feedback is shared with the team. The manager and staff work together to implement any changes that are needed to improve and develop practice. Feedback is obtained from foster carers and children and acted on when appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment of foster carers includes a strong system of detailed initial home visits to ensure that only suitable people progress to assessment. Foster carers report feeling valued and welcomed by the agency when they first contacted them. The process for assessment is timely and sensitive to the needs of the carers. Assessments explore key issues and ensure that people feel equipped to foster.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Each foster carer is supervised by a named, appropriately qualified social worker, who has meetings with the foster carer on a regular basis. The meetings have a clear purpose and provide the opportunity to supervise the foster carer’s work and ensure that the foster carer is meeting the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers are extremely positive about their experiences and say staff ‘go above and beyond’. Foster carers feel supported by their supervising social workers, and they feel valued. Foster carers report that they can always speak to someone who knows about their situation and who can offer timely and helpful advice. Foster carers say that the agency has an inclusive family feel, which they are part of.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Panel members have the necessary knowledge and expertise to support the agency decision-maker to make effective child-centred decisions. However, the written record of the meeting includes information already gathered from panel members and the supervising social worker. This means it is not an accurate record of the Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Parallel Parents West 5 meeting. Furthermore, panel members’ feedback on the quality of assessments and how this is used to improve practice is not always evident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency decision-maker makes a considered decision that takes account of all the information available to them in a timely way. However, the foster carers transferring from within the wider organisation to the agency are approved by both services for one day. This is not in line with the fostering regulations. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Parallel Parents West 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, The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the national minimum standards. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

A fostering service provider must not approve a person who has been approved as a foster parent by another fostering service provider where that approval has not been terminated. (Regulation 27 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that foster carers transferring from Parallel Parents are not approved until the 28 days’ notice period has expired. 1 September 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that panel members are supported to provide feedback on the quality of assessments and make comments and offer advice on practice to the agency. This is to be done with the intention of helping to improve fostering practice and care planning for children. (‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’, 14.2)  The registered person should ensure that the written minutes of panel meetings are accurate and clearly reflect views expressed by panel members and other professionals during the meeting. (‘Fostering services: National Minimum Standards’, 14.7)

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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 Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the National Minimum Standards. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Parallel Parents West 7

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Parallel Parents Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Parallel Parents Limited, Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport SK2 6LR

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Independent fostering agency details

Responsible individual: Sean Fitzpatrick

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: admin@caretodayparallelparents.net

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Inspector

Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Parallel Parents West 8 inspects 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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