Children's home run by Paramount Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2646248 1 Registered provider: Paramount Children’s Services 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

This home is privately owned and managed. The home is registered to care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties. Three children were living in the home at the time of this inspection. Two children were spoken too.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2646248 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/05/2024 Full Good 18/05/2023 Full Good 18/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2646248 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, five children have moved in and out of the home. Two children moved to semi-independent accommodation and three children moved to other homes. A social worker said about a child who had lived in the home for two years: ‘Since admission, they have shown clear improvements in self-care, engagement with staff and emotional regulation. They formed positive and trusting relationships.’ A child said, ‘I like it because it feels like home. It’s fun, cosy and safe.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. They benefit from well-planned care that effectively promotes their needs. Children enjoy good relationships with staff and sustain positive attachments. A child said, ‘The staff are great. They’re legends.’ A social worker said, ‘Trauma-informed practice, communication and consistency are strong features of the placement.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support children’s education. Two children recently stopped attending college courses. Staff are exploring other training and employment opportunities for the children and recently, one child has secured a job interview. In the absence of formal education children are actively encouraged to engage in alternative learning activities with staff, such as visiting museums and libraries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child attends a local housing project where they are learning to develop their independent living skills with other children. All three children are now eligible care leavers. However, only one child has a pathway plan to guide staff and promote their readiness for independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are in good health and that they have access to the services they need to be healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their families. Consequently, they sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with positive activities, such as indoor rock climbing, holidays, theme parks, music concerts and archery. A child said, ‘I am going to London for the first time ever.’

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

Staff prioritise children’s safety. The use of detailed risks management plans ensures that staff have a clear understanding of the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children. Consequently, staff know what action to take to support children to protect them from harm. Inspection report for children's home: 2646248 4 Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with the police and other agencies to promote the safety of children. A social worker said, ‘We have excellent communication and partnership working with professionals.’

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

Children are protected when they are absent or go missing from the home. Staff actively look for children and follow the homes missing from home protocols. Staff work with the police to secure the children’s safe return. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities to ensure that children are protected from harm.

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

The use of negative consequences are kept to an absolute minimum and children are routinely rewarded and praised for positive behaviour. Staff consistently promote positive behaviour and safely manage the behaviours of children.

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

Staff ensure that the use of physical intervention is always a last resort. It is only ever used to protect children from harm.

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

Allegations of abuse are handled professionally and there have been no complaints since the last inspection. A child said, ‘Staff want what’s best for you. The best thing is being heard.’

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

Staff ensure that children benefit from a physically safe, comfortable and homely living environment. Children’s bedrooms are clean and tidy, nicely furnished and personalised. However, a water leak and needs repairing.

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

Staff are recruited and vetted carefully to protect children from unsuitable staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively by an experienced, permanent and qualified registered manager. The manager exercises effective leadership of the day-to-day operations of the home and is a strong and visible presence in the lives of children. Children have good relationships with the manager and find them supportive and approachable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are looked after by a stable and consistent staff team who provide them with consistency and stability in their lives. There has been no use of any agency staff since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings. This forum enables them to reflect on their practice and performance in meeting the specific needs of children. Staff benefit from good quality, practice-related supervision and receive good support from the manager and other senior leaders. Staff are managed effectively and feel well supported in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the specific training needs of staff are met. They ensure that staff benefit from relevant training that enables them to meet the specific needs of Inspection report for children's home: 2646248 5 children. Staff are trained in self-injurious behaviour and are scheduled to attend training on sexually harmful behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited on a regular basis by an independent person who scrutinises the quality of the children’s care. These external monitoring activities assist staff, leaders and managers to have a positive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the care provided for children. As a result, the manager tackles any shortfalls to secure improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed a detailed six-monthly quality-of-care review, in which they evaluate the progress and experiences of children and consider the feedback obtained from staff, children and stakeholders. Inspection report for children's home: 2646248 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, 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to supporting children’s improved educational attendance and access to training or employment. 24 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should work closely with the placing authority to ensure that all eligible care leavers have a pathway plan in place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 17, paragraph 3.28)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the leak in the showroom is repaired. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children's home: 2646248 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 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: 2646248 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Paramount Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 89 Briony Avenue, Hale, Altrincham WA15 8PZ

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2646248 9 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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