Children's home run by Parallel Parents Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2626293 1 Registered provider: Parallel Parents Ltd

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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. It provides care for up to 4 children with social and emotional difficulties. Four children were living at the home at the time of the inspection and were spoken to by the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently 2 registered managers. One registered in February 2022 and the second registered in November 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

Date of last inspection: 28 January 2025

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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: 2626293 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2025 Full Good 05/02/2024 Full Good 21/02/2023 Full Good 25/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2626293 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with children that are characterised by consistency, warmth and unconditional positive regard. These positive and stable relationships help ensure that children feel secure and cared for. Children say they are happy living at the home; one child rated the home 10 out of 10 and said the staff are lovely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with people who are important to them, such as family and carers. Staff promote and support safe and meaningful time together. As a result, these relationships have significantly improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

With encouragement and support from staff, all children attend school or college and are making good progress. One child has struggled to attend college. The manager has successfully advocated for appropriate changes to their timetable. Gaps in identifying and assessing the child’s educational needs mean that support is not yet sufficiently targeted, restricting current achievement and potentially hindering future progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported children to develop a range of practical independence skills, such as shopping, cooking, budgeting and using public transport. Their progress is documented to show areas where they require further support. For another child who will soon reach 18, staff acknowledge the need to develop their confidence and resilience to independently access the community. However, due to the child’s vulnerabilities, no progress has been made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are captured naturally by staff through daily interactions and during weekly meetings with children. Staff spend time getting to know children well, show genuine interest in their lives and support them to reflect on their experiences. As a result, children feel confident to share their views and contribute to decisions relating to their care and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer children a broad range of activities and experiences that support their individual interests. One child has attended a concert; another child has visited London, and the staff have taken all the children abroad on holiday. The staff are currently exploring music lessons for another child who enjoys playing the guitar.

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

Children say they feel safe living at the home and can identify a trusted adult they can talk to. Children feel that staff listen to them and help them.

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

Risks for children are identified. Plans to address these risks are regularly reviewed. Clear guidance is in place for staff on how to support the children. The manager ensures that support is sought from multi-agency professionals and specialist services to further help children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2626293 4 One child currently vapes. The staff have regular conversations with the child about the health risks associated with vaping. Effective measures are in place to try and stop the child being able to access vapes and to minimise the impact on the other children.

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

Overall, there has been a reduction in incidents for children living at the home. This reflects the positive relationships staff have developed with children and how settled and happy the children are. When incidents have occurred, staff respond well to these, and use agreed strategies to provide support. Managers ensure there is good oversight of incidents and that children and staff are spoken to.

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

When concerns about children’s online safety are identified, staff take immediate action to protect children. Staff support children to reflect on what happened and the concerns are shared with the relevant professionals.

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

Staff use consequences in response to negative behaviours from children. Managers review the effectiveness of the consequences used. On some occasions, consequences lack a restorative approach and as such do not help children to reflect on the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others.

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

Staff respond well to concerns relating to a child’s time in the community. When the child is away from the home, staff regularly check in with them and use curiosity to explore what the child has been doing during this time. However, there is a lack of understanding of the contextual risks associated with where the child spends their time and who they spend time with. This means that staff cannot make informed judgements about the risk to the child and determine any additional safeguards needed.

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

Children know how to complain. The manager treats complaints seriously and staff support children to understand what has happened because of their complaint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are confident and committed to high-quality care and support for children. The managers know the children well and are responsive to their needs, ensuring that they receive a high standard of individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers understand the progress children are making in all areas of their lives. This progress is recognised by professionals, staff and family members. The managers are currently exploring alternative ways to measure progress to further tailor the support for each child to meet their individual goals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff say they are happy in their roles and feel supported. One staff member described the manager as ‘kind, caring, honest and an amazing role model for the children’. The managers provide a supportive environment for staff. As a result, the home has an experienced and qualified team of staff that provides stability for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2626293 5 Staff receive regular and reflective supervision that prioritises their wellbeing and professional development. There is a focus on safeguarding and the care and support for the children. Team meetings take place regularly, which are reflective and well attended. They have a clear agenda for discussion that focuses on key areas of children’s day-to- day care and safeguarding. This helps ensure consistency of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training, workshops and webinars are identified by the managers for staff to complete. This ensures they have the skills and knowledge to care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of development. They have clear systems in place for monitoring and reviewing the care provided and place a strong focus on developing staff in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers are strong advocates for children. They understand the importance of children knowing who they are and where they come from. An example of this is where the managers have advocated that life-story work be completed with one child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The environment is homely and comfortable; it offers ample spaces for children to spend time alone or with others. The children have personalised their bedrooms and are proud of these spaces.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from one professional said that the home is one of the best they have worked with. They felt the staff understand their child and go above and beyond to support their needs. Family and carers also praise the support from staff and credit this as being instrumental in promoting the positive relationships they have developed with their child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2626293 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs that staff act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. This should include considering the use of an independent advocate if necessary to ensure that a child’s educational needs are understood and that they receive the right support. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. This should include taking reasonable steps to enable them to make professional judgement about the potential risks to children in the areas where they spend time away from the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves on from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, practical life skills, such as safely accessing the community, in line with their individual needs and abilities. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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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: 2626293 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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Angela Davies Zoe Brewer

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Inspector

Carly Parry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2626293 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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Inspector

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