Children's home run by Parallel Parents Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2765175 1 Registered provider: Parallel Parents Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A large national provider of children’s services operates this home, which is situated in a rural location. The home provides care for up to five children who have experienced trauma. There were four children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This home changed legal entity from a partnership to a limited company in August 2024 and so the home reregistered with Ofsted accordingly. Children have remained living at the home during this process and placement stability has been maintained.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is experienced and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management for residential care.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered school attached to the home. This is registered separately and was not inspected as part of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, a police investigation was ongoing into a serious incident which took place prior to the change in the home’s legal entity. It is not Ofsted’s role to investigate this, but actions taken by the setting in response to what happened have been considered as part of this inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2765175 2 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: 2765175 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home was re-registered, one child has moved out of the home. This move was managed sensitively, and the child had a planned transition. Staff have taken time to get to know one child who has moved into the home. This supports the child to settle and build positive relationships with staff, who have a good understanding of their previous experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children were spoken with as part of this inspection. They said they like the home and speak positively about the staff and each other. One child said, ‘The staff are nice.’ Staff understand the importance of capturing children’s experiences. They create memory books for children, preserving their memories of time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer children a wide range of activities. They encourage children to join groups in the local community, such as gymnastics and martial arts. This gives them the opportunity to make friends and pursue their interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the school which is located in the same grounds as the home and is part of the same organisation. There is effective communication with education professionals. Children’s attendance at school improves and they make good progress with their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to keep in touch with people who are important to them. One parent said, ‘They [the staff] are great. They bring [name of child] home, which is a great support to us all.’ When there is a plan for a child to return to live with their family, staff work well with parents to support them to understand and implement routines that best support the child. This good support means that family time is well managed and positive, and one child’s time with family has increased.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are gathered by staff regularly through one-to-one discussions and children’s meetings. This influences change in the home and to children’s individual plans. As a result, children feel heard and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences living in the home are positive overall, however, one child was involved in a serious incident that has affected their experience. This is currently being investigated.

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

Children can identify trusted staff they can speak with. This creates an environment where children can talk to staff about their feelings or any worries they may have. Inspection report for children’s home: 2765175 4 Children’s risks have reduced since living in the home. For example, one child’s self- harming behaviour has reduced. They have been supported to identify strategies to help them manage their emotions, such as asking staff for a hug when upset. Staff understand risks to children and spend time talking to children about them. For example, staff have spoken to one child about appropriate boundaries and vehicle safety. This enables children to learn about risks and encourages them to make safer choices.

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

Children have individual incentive reward charts. This gives them the opportunity to earn extra money for their achievements and promotes positive behaviour. When consequences are used, these are restorative in nature. Staff talk to the child and work with them to understand the reasons for the consequence given.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from home. Children have not experienced bullying or been subject to exploitation.

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

Physical intervention is used by staff who are trained. Children are provided with an opportunity to share their views and reflect on their feelings after an incident. Staff help them to identify techniques to help them in the future to prevent recurrence of the need for intervention. Managers review incidents. However, they do not always consider the effectiveness of the hold used. These are missed opportunities to identify learning that can influence future practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have monitoring systems in place to help them review the quality of care in the home. However, following a serious incident, the provider has not coordinated a detailed response using information available to them to identify any learning and act on this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some staff are qualified, and others are working towards achieving a relevant qualification. The manager ensures that staff attend training that supports them to carry out their roles and to understand the specific needs of children who live in the home. However, managers and staff do not always apply knowledge from training in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff attend regular team meetings and receive supervision. Team meetings provide staff with opportunities to come together to reflect and plan. Records of discussions held during supervision are not always clearly recorded, as they do not always reflect the staff member’s contribution to the session.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has a good understanding of children’s needs and progress. Children receive care from a consistent team of staff who they know well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

External professionals and family members speak positively about the home and manager. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] is able to regulate their emotions better and is more resilient.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2765175 5

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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 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received.

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must review, identify and implement learning using information available to them now, following a serious incident that remains under investigation. 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2765175 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when restraint involves the use of force, the force used must not be more than is necessary and should be applied in a way that is proportionate, using the minimum amount of force necessary to avert injury or serious damage to property for the shortest possible time. In particular, the nominated person who reviews incidents of restraint should evaluate the effectiveness of the hold used and identify learning from practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 48, paragraph 9.50)

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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: 2765175 7

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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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Inspectors

Kirsty Truesdale, Social Care Inspector Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2765175 8 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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