Children's Home run by Parallel Parents Ltd in Blackburn with Darwen

Inspection report for children’s home: 2775794 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 organisation. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection since the home was re-registered in March 2025.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a registered school attached to the home. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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 manager registered with Ofsted in March 2025.

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: 2775794 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children living in the home are making progress. Moves into the home are well planned. Staff spend time with children during visits to the home before they move in. This helps children to develop relationships with the staff and familiarise themselves with the home environment. Children are supported to personalise their bedrooms when moving in. This helps children settle into the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, staff remain in contact with them to help them settle into their new homes. Children who no longer live in the home, and their families, speak positively of their time there. However, during the inspection, some of the records of children who have moved out of the home were not available.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the school on the home’s grounds, which provides education that meets their individual needs. Children are proud of their educational achievements. Staff support children to overcome barriers to learning or to attending school. This helps children to make good progress from their starting points.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and promote children’s individual interests, such as trips to working farms. This provides children with opportunities to care for animals.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their family members and people who are important to them. One family member said, ‘They supported me, not just [name of child]. It is the most progress he has ever made in education.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is maintained to a good standard. The manager ensures that ongoing internal decoration provides a consistently comfortable home environment. Children’s bedrooms are nicely furnished and personalised in line with the children’s wishes, including with regard to games consoles, photos, and pets.

p.2

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

Staff understand the risks to children. They know what action to take to safeguard children. Children’s risk management plans are kept under review and updated following incidents. This provides staff with clear guidance on how to respond effectively to meet the children’s needs.

p.2

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

Staff consult with children on how they can best support them. Children have developed good relationships with staff, which helps them to share their feelings about past experiences and how staff can help them in times of distress. This helps staff to have a greater knowledge of how to support children’s needs.

p.2

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

Staff implement clear boundaries to support the children’s relationships with each other. Staff take appropriate action to safeguard children from the risks of harm and from Inspection report for children’s home: 2775794 3 encouraging each other to participate in unsafe behaviours. However, one child spoke of the impact on them of witnessing their peers’ distress.

p.2

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

Staff support children to develop their understanding of risks. Leaders and managers have focused on ensuring that children develop their independence skills and ability to take age-appropriate risks for when they move on from the home. This includes spending more time in the community unsupervised and having a mobile phone. This prepares children for having more freedom and living independently.

p.3

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

Children do not receive a consistent approach from staff in respect of how they promote positive behaviour or challenge difficult behaviour. Staff do not follow the guidance from the manager in respect of how they record any consequences and the reasons as to why they are used. In addition, the manager does not always have oversight of this. This is a missed opportunity by the manager to consider and review the effectiveness of any measures being used.

p.3

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

The manager responds appropriately when children raise concerns about staff. The manager investigates concerns thoroughly, and information is shared with safeguarding professionals to ensure children’s safety. Additional work is carried out with children to ensure that they feel safe to voice their concerns.

p.3

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

There have been incidents where staff have held children to keep them safe. Physical holds of children are used as a last resort to keep children and others safe. The manager has good oversight of incidents and ensures that staff are suitably trained to hold children safely.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager leading the home. The manager is supported by an operational manager who deputises for them. Between them, they have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The manager has a clear vision for the home and plans are in place to implement the changes needed.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are nurturing in their approach to supporting both children and staff. In a short period of time, they have built strong relationships with the children, which has helped them to settle well into the home. Their supportive leadership style ensures that both children and staff feel valued and well supported.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Changes to the staff and management team mean that children are cared for by a relatively new staff team. Leaders and managers are ambitious to provide consistent care from an enthusiastic and dedicated staff team. They are committed to ensuring that the staff team members feel supported in their roles.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are monitoring systems in place to support managers in their review of the quality of care that is provided to children. However, these systems are not always Inspection report for children’s home: 2775794 4 effective, such as in the lack of oversight on the use of consequences and the lack of documentation for the children who have moved on from the home.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works flexible hours to ensure that he is present in the home to oversee all aspects of the children’s day-to-day care. However, the staff roster did not contain all the information required by regulation to show when the manager is in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775794 5

p.4

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.

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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.

p.5

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)(f)(h))

p.5

Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that there is oversight of all care being provided in the home and that action is taken to address gaps in staff’s knowledge and understanding. Additionally, leaders and managers must ensure that there are systems in place to address further developments they intend to embed in the home. 2 July 2025

p.5

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.5

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

that staff— 2 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775794 6 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(iii)(v))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that consequences used to support children’s behaviour are understood by staff and children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the staff roster should include the manager’s working hours. 2 July 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child.

p.6

Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a) (2)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager must ensure that children’s documents are stored safely and are accessible. 2 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775794 7

p.6

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: 2775794 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parallel Parents Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2775794 9 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.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9