Children's home run by Parallel Parents Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2790874 1 Registered provider: Parallel Parents Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2790874 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a comfortable, homely and well-presented environment. Children and staff take pride in the home. Children have been able to personalise their bedrooms, and photos of the children are on display throughout the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care from a stable and nurturing team of staff who know them well. Children enjoy positive relationships with staff and can identify trusted adults who they can speak to.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager recognises the importance of well-considered transitions for children moving into the home. When children have needed to move into this home in an emergency, the manager and staff have done all they can to support and comfort them and their families.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities with staff. Staff promote children’s individual interests and are keen to introduce children to new activities and experiences. Staff create photo albums of activities and children’s day-to-day experiences so that children have a record of their lives while living at the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend routine health appointments. Children’s emotional health is well considered, and healthy daily routines are well promoted by staff. When there have been delays in children accessing health assessments, the manager has escalated these appropriately.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children living at the home are in full-time education. The manager and staff have positive working relationships with education professionals. When children have issues at school, they try to explore alternative strategies to help them to stay engaged with their learning.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s family dynamics and have developed positive relationships with family members through regular communication. Children spend time with family members, which is well planned. When children move into the home, staff take steps to introduce themselves and provide reassurance to family members.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular opportunities to share their views about the home and the care they receive. Children know how to make a complaint and said that they know they can talk to the manager if they are unhappy and that she will take appropriate action. Children are aware they can access an independent advocate and are supported to do this when needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2790874 3

p.2

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

Staff have a good understanding of the specific needs and vulnerabilities of the children living in the home. There are risk management plans in place with identified strategies for staff to manage and minimise risks. Plans have been reviewed and updated with recent information to ensure that they remain current.

p.3

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

When incidents occur, the manager and staff respond appropriately to keep children safe. Records are detailed and are shared with relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer, when appropriate.

p.3

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

Staff encourage children to learn how to keep themselves safe. Children have engaged in online training courses and other reflective work following incidents that have occurred. One-to-one conversations with children focus on their specific needs and vulnerabilities.

p.3

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

There is a strong emphasis on children’s positive behaviour being rewarded. When consequences are used, they are restorative. Staff talk to children to help them to understand their behaviour. There is an effective rewards system in place, which is adapted in consultation with children and any specific goals they want to achieve.

p.3

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from this home. However, there are detailed plans in place with actions for staff to follow if children were to go missing. Staff are clear about the action they would take should this occur.

p.3

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

Safe recruitment procedures are in place for new staff. This means that children are protected from unsuitable adults being employed to work in the home.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. She is supported by a capable assistant manager, who shares the same aspirations for children. The staff team is stable, which supports children to build positive relationships with individual staff members.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about working in this home and say that they are valued and supported by the manager. Staff receive regular supervision. Records demonstrate that staff are encouraged to continually reflect on their practice to improve children’s care.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have received a range of training to ensure that they have the skills needed to meet the needs of the children living in the home. Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. These sessions encourage feedback and engagement from the staff team. Subject-specific training has also been covered in meetings, which the manager is keen to embed into daily practice in the home.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works well with external professionals. She will challenge and escalate any concerns appropriately. External professionals speak positively about the Inspection report for children’s home: 2790874 4 home and say that there is good communication about progress made by children and any incidents that have occurred.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal and external monitoring supports the development of the home. The home is visited monthly by an independent person, and the registered manager takes action to address any shortfalls identified in reports. Inspection report for children’s home: 2790874 5

p.4

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: 2790874 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parallel Parents Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.6

Inspector

Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2790874 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7