Children's home run by Parkwood Care Limited

Inspection report for the children’s home: 2820162 1 Registered provider: Parkwood Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private organisation. It can provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the first inspection since the home and manager were registered with Ofsted on the 7 February 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke to all three children about their experiences of living in the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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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 the children’s home: 2820162 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children say they enjoy living in the home. They speak positively about the relationships they have with staff, and they describe them as ‘kind and caring’. Children like spending time with the staff chatting, laughing and taking part in activities. Children feel safe and happy, which provides them with a firm foundation for their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children receiving education. Two children have high attendance levels at school. When children do struggle to access formal education, staff explore alternative education options for them that will meet their individual needs. This ensures that children are provided with the crucial educational skills they need for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Managers and staff have close communication links with children’s families. The manager has implemented strategies to overcome the language barrier between one child’s parent and staff. As a result, the parent is beginning to have a greater understanding of the child’s wishes and needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of experiences, which supports them to develop their own interests and builds their self-confidence. Staff involve children in the planning of activities outside of the home, which encourages them to take part. One child has developed a passion for go karting and is excitedly planning a summer holiday. Two children regularly attend their local youth centre, where they have made new friends. This supports their development of social skills and helps them to connect with positive peers in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff record information about children in a way that is child centred. Managers support staff to develop these skills through regular coaching and feedback. Staff ensure that children’s thoughts and views are recorded, as well as the response they have received from staff. The therapeutic ethos of the home is being firmly embedded.

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

Staff know how to respond when children go missing from the home. One child has had a significant number of missing from home incidents since they moved in. Staff work persistently to locate the child and ensure that they return home safely. As a result, the number of incidents is beginning to reduce for the child.

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

Staff are skilled at holding conversations with children about their risks. Staff are professionally curious, and children feel comfortable to speak openly with them about their vulnerabilities. This helps children to understand their risks and develop strategies to keep themselves safe. Inspection report for the children’s home: 2820162 3 Managers and staff use the expertise of external professionals. One child has begun working with a mentor to help to reduce the risk of them becoming involved in gang culture. When children do not wish to speak to professionals external to the home, the manager requests their consultation and resources to develop the skills of staff. This means that staff are using effective strategies to reduce the risks for children.

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

Leaders and managers provide staff with risk plans for children, which are regularly updated. Children also have their own individual ‘worry plans’ to help them to keep themselves safe. However, children’s risk plans do not always provide staff with the specific guidance they need to keep children safe. Although this has not impacted negatively on staff practice, it plays a vital role in underpinning consistent and effective action taken by staff.

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

Staff complete daily bedroom checks for children. This helps the children to keep their rooms clean and tidy. However, staff do not always understand their responsibilities in identifying and removing hazards from children’s bedrooms. One child had several scorch marks on their bedroom carpet, and hair straighteners used by another child had been left switched on in their bedroom. The manager was not aware of this until the inspector raised these concerns. This has not resulted in any incidents of fire, and leaders and managers took immediate action to address these issues during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home and say they feel valued. Leaders and managers are proactive in gathering feedback from staff to understand their areas of development. Leaders and managers are developing a culture of continuous feedback in the home to ensure their care is always improving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff understand the ethos of the home and have a strong sense of belonging. There have been several new members of staff that have started working in the home since its registration. However, no members of staff have left. This helps the children to settle into the home as they are cared for by adults they know.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are dedicated advocates for children. When decisions are made by external professionals that are not in the children’s best interests, managers challenge them effectively. They ensure that children’s rights are upheld while also securing strong working relationships with professionals. This ensures that children’s care planning is led by their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers support staff to reflect on their practice through regular supervisions. In addition to this, a therapist commissioned by the provider also meets with individual staff members once a month. Staff use these opportunities to develop their strategies of support for children in a safe and productive way. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff members have completed the mandatory training outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. Staff have not always been provided with opportunities to take part in training specific to the children’s needs, for Inspection report for the children’s home: 2820162 4 example training on asthma and the role of the responsible adult. This limits the development of the staff’s skills in caring for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have begun to develop systems of monitoring within the home. They have been able to identify some patterns and trends to help them to prevent incidents for children more effectively. However, oversight of staff practice by managers is not consistently robust. Shortfalls in staff practice are not always identified early or addressed quickly. Although this has not resulted in a serious incident, this is a missed opportunity to ensure that children’s needs and risks are being managed effectively. Inspection report for the children’s home: 2820162 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2) (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with clear guidance to ensure that they can identify risks to children and take effective action.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to managing risks for children, particularly when there is a risk of fire. 26 September 2025 Inspection report for the children’s home: 2820162 6 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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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)(b)(c)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that management oversight is robust and can identify and address shortfalls in staff practice at the earliest opportunity.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff are provided with training opportunities to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to safeguard children and meet their individual needs. 26 September 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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 the children’s home: 2820162 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parkwood Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 5, Level 4, Arrive, Tomorrow Building, Media City, Salford, Greater Manchester M50 2AB

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for the children’s home: 2820162 8 and 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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