Children's Home run by A-Triangle Care Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 1 Registered provider: A-Triangle Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties and have learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in August 2020. The registered manager post and the responsible individual post are vacant.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. However, one child had been moved to another property, reported to be a holiday let.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that a serious child protection allegation was being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 2

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was judged ‘requires improvement to be good’ at the full inspection on 14 August 2024. At an assurance inspection on 7 January 2025, the inspector found further serious and widespread concerns, and compliance notices were raised under regulation 13 and regulation 12. A further monitoring visit was completed on 26 February 2025. The notices were met. Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2024 Full Good 23/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/05/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children living in the home do not experience consistent or nurturing care. There have been several changes in the staff team and the staff who are covering shortfalls in the rotas are not consistent. This undermines the development of secure relationships and has a detrimental impact on children’s emotional well-being and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Not all Children’s educational needs are not all met. There is little evidence that staff actively engage with education providers or advocate for children’s right to attend, participate in and benefit from learning. Managers do not ensure that plans are in place to help children achieve educational success. They allow children to remain in their bedrooms throughout the school day. There is no clear link between children’s care planning and their educational progress, resulting in missed opportunities for achievement and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health needs are not consistently promoted, and children are not encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle. Health records do not show that all appointments, treatments or emotional well-being services are being accessed. or that healthy diets are promoted. There is insufficient evidence of key health outcomes being monitored or promoted, including support for mental health and emotional resilience. This is particularly concerning for children with known or emerging health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The compatibility of children was not carefully considered before children moved in. Managers did not carefully consider how the known risks could be minimised with an unstable staff team. This led to one child moving out of the home after a short time, following a significant safeguarding incident.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff provide support for children to spend time with their family and friends. However, records do not demonstrate how this is managed safely in line with court-directed orders and local authority care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s behaviour support plans are ineffective and fail to provide meaningful strategies to manage risk. Consequences for behaviour are inconsistently applied and poorly recorded. In one instance, a child was not allowed to be in the home’s car for four weeks. There was no written rationale, reflection or monitoring regarding this. This example reflects the lack of structure, professional oversight and therapeutic thinking in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home environment was poorly kept, and bathrooms did not contain cleaning products or clean towels. Managers took action during the inspection to improve the cleanliness of the environment. Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 5

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

Safeguarding arrangements in this home are unsafe. Safeguarding incidents are poorly managed and recorded. Key information, including the names of involved staff, the action taken and outcomes, do not correlate with other care records, making it impossible to determine whether children have been appropriately protected or supported.

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

During the inspection, information was received that a child living in the home was at immediate risk of harm. Staff failed to act appropriately, requiring inspectors to intervene to ensure the child’s safety. This failure is representative of a wider safeguarding culture in which staff do not demonstrate an understanding of their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm.

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

Staff were not vigilant when allowing inspectors into the home. They did not ensure that identification was verified and the visitors book was not provided to sign on arrival and departure. The staff team also failed to explain the fire procedures, and confidential information and the keys to access confidential information were left unattended in the living room. This does not demonstrate that staff understand their role in safeguarding children.

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

Behaviour management is inconsistent and ineffective. Staff fail to de-escalate situations, and there is clear evidence that not all physical interventions are recorded. Those that are recorded are not subject to meaningful review and lack sufficient detail to ensure that children are supported to keep themselves safe. Managers and staff acknowledged fear of a particular child and admitted that this was why certain behaviours were not challenged. This does not ensure that risks are minimised, and leaves children exposed to potential harm.

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

The home’s staffing arrangements are unsafe. Staff are working excessively long shifts, including on one occasion a 24-hour period from 8am to 8am the following day, including a waking night shift. This raises concerns about staff welfare, judgment and capacity to care for children safely. Furthermore, rotas do not reflect the staff present in the home, making it impossible to monitor staff involvement in key incidents or provide accurate records to show the staff working in the home to protect children.

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

Records relating to serious incidents are incomplete or missing. This lack of accountability compromises children’s progress and the home’s ability to learn from serious incidents. Furthermore, staff handovers are of poor quality, and actions are not consistently followed up, which results in a fragmented approach to care. Staff do not receive regular supervision or attend team meetings, which further contributes to the lack of consistency and shared understanding of children’s needs.

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

Information about safeguarding concerns is not shared appropriately with all safeguarding professionals. This does not promote transparency and fails to enable all professionals to be aware of incidents that have taken place at the home. It also fails to demonstrate the actions taken by staff to protect children from harm. Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management of the home are poor and ineffective. At the time of the inspection, there was no registered manager or responsible individual in post. As a result, there is no clear leadership or accountability for the running of the home or the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Several managers in the organisation are involved in the decision-making process, yet they do not have a sufficient understanding of the children or their needs. This confusion around roles and poor oversight significantly hinders leaders and managers’ ability to protect and support children. Leaders and managers are not demonstrating professional curiosity or critical thinking when serious incidents occur, nor are they ensuring that records are accurate, complete or reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff recruitment processes are unsafe, with key safer recruitment checks not being completed. This failure further compromises children’s safety. Rotas are inaccurate and do not reflect who is working in the home, which raises concerns about the accuracy of records and a lack of accountability for staff presence and actions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is no evidence of routine team meetings or staff supervision being held. This results in a lack of reflection, professional development and communication among staff, all of which are critical in providing safe and consistent care. The absence of meaningful leadership, management oversight and good governance is leaving children vulnerable and unsupported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

External monitoring visits are crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of the children living in the home. These visits are an opportunity for the independent visitor to scrutinise safeguarding practices, assess risks and verify the effectiveness of child protection policies. They should also provide a critical review of the home’s overall quality and compliance with regulations. However, visits do not focus on the safety of children and recommendations are unclear, despite identified risks for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 7

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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—

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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

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)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 30 May 2025

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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—

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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 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 8 registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are suitably experienced and competent to work with children and that they are given responsibilities in line with their experience. This includes ensuring there is adequate staffing to fulfil the requirements of the children’s placement plans and court- directed orders.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who-

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to-

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the registered person ensuring that the home is well maintained to a high standard and any damage or maintenance issues are identified and rectified in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 30 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 9 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 10 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)((c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 30 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 30 May 2025

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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

that staff— 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 11 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 30 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(d)) 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 12 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 30 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 30 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the records include a copy of the staff duty roster of people working at the home, a record of the actual rotas worked and a record of any person who works at any time at the home, including any managers covering shifts. 30 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)) 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 13 In particular, the independent visitor report must provide a clear statement of opinion and provide robust evaluation of practice in the home.

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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: 2557064 14

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A-Triangle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Crescent East, Hardhorn Road, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 3LJ

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Inspectors

Michelle Edge, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector Stacey Ilaboya, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2557064 15 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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