Chester Road is a private residential family centre which was opened by Kaleidoscope Assessment Services in 2014.

Chester Road is based in a residential area of Stretford, Manchester. The property is situated within walking distance of many services inclusive of shops, schools, doctors, and children’s centres. Chester Road is situated close to the town centre which hosts services such as a college, university, Metro station, bus station, children’s hospital and a large shopping centre.

Chester Road is a semi-detached house which is tastefully decorated and includes a large garden to the rear of the property. 

Chester Road is able to provide accommodation to three families, with a family in this context consisting of one or two parents, and one or two children aged up to 5 years old. The house is set up so that each family has access to their own bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen to enable and encourage independence. Residents are welcome to bring small items of personal possessions such as pictures and ornaments to personalise their rooms. Unfortunately due to the size of the rooms, residents will be unable to bring large items of furniture. We are also unable to accommodate pets.

We are able to provide residential parenting assessments for families, parents aged 16 years and upwards, of any gender, families with learning disabilities, families with a history of abuse, neglect, drug or alcohol addiction/behaviour, families with who have experienced domestic violence, and / or where there are protection concerns as a result of a history of mental health. For families with a physical impairment, we are able to offer a placement if the person is able to climb stairs unaided.

There is a meeting room/staff room for staff to take their breaks and keep their belongings in safely and also for any private meetings that need to take place away from the CCTV.

At the rear of the building there is a large garden, and a sheltered smoking area. Whilst smoking cessation will be promoted to all parents who smoke, we recognise that some parents may continue to do so, and this allocated area is the only part of the property where residents are permitted to smoke.

Chester Road operates a service with staff available 24-hours of the day, to ensure parents are supported throughout the day and night.

Chester Road also has the facility of portable CCTV footage through the use of an iPad, to enable staff to continuously monitor families. This is to ensure that when situations occur when staff are away from the office, CCTV monitoring can continue to be upheld at all times. All staff are trained during their induction, and understand the requirements and restrictions imposed around the use of electronic monitoring.

The CCTV cameras are in constant use externally at the entrance, exit and to the side of the building, in order to protect the safety of all residents, staff and visitors. Appropriate signs are displayed where CCTV footage is used in communal areas. All CCTV footage, including monitors, are held in a private area in the staff office.

CCTV footage can be requested by the local authority, guardians and the court for viewing. The CCTV system holds footage for a month before the system reboots. If there is a concern, and / or should footage be required, a request should be made within this timescale, prior to the system rebooting. All footage requested would need to be funded by the local authority. This would include any devices and transportation of the footage required.

Guidance and Information for Residents

Kaleidoscope recognises that living in a communal environment away from home and undertaking a parenting assessments can be an unsettling and anxious time for all families. We therefore aim to make placements as comfortable as possible, and the process of the assessment an empowering and supportive process for all residents. We have prepared a Parent’s Guide which will be given to each parent prior to their admission to Chester Road. The Parent’s Guide provides families with as much information as possible about Kaleidoscope, and is designed for residents to keep and reflect back on throughout their stay. 

Should there be any questions from a resident that are not contained in the Parent’s Guide, staff will be available to answer these at any time during their stay.