Children's Home run by Coastal Quality Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 1 Registered provider: Coastal Quality 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

A private provider runs this home. The home provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

During the inspection the child spoke to inspectors.

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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 widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2024 Full Good 21/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite the child making some progress, inconsistent and inappropriate responses from staff have placed the child at risk of harm. Furthermore, the manager has not demonstrated a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures, especially when responding to allegations against staff. This weakens the home’s safeguarding culture and places children at risk.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved from the home in line with their care plan and one child has moved in. The manager assessed the child’s needs prior to them moving in, which supported a positive transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There was a lack of professional curiosity from the manager and staff regarding the circumstances in which a child was going with a staff member to perform tasks such as landscaping and unpaid work. No formal assessments were conducted to determine whether these activities were safe, appropriate, or in the best interests of the child. Furthermore, there were no systems in place to monitor or safeguard the child during these tasks, raising concerns about the manager’s oversight and duty of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Not all children have positive relationships with staff. When concerns are raised about staff conduct or practices, these are often downplayed or disregarded, rather than being addressed constructively. This undermines efforts to create a supportive and nurturing environment where children feel heard, valued and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is not being maintained to an acceptable standard. Although the child’s basic needs are met, the overall condition of the property reflects poor upkeep and fails to offer a warm, nurturing environment conducive to the child’s well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite the shortfalls in practice, staff and the manager support the child to have family time in line with their care plan. This supports the child to maintain relationships with important people in their lives. Furthermore, this contributes to the child’s emotional stability and supports their sense of identity.

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

There are serious shortfalls regarding the management of allegations made by children. Leaders and managers do not follow safeguarding procedures when allegations are made. Subsequently, concerns are not escalated and relevant safeguarding agencies are not always informed. This has prevented independent oversight and scrutiny. As a result, opportunities to protect children from harm have been missed.

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

Safer recruitment practice is not robust. On occasion, recruitment checks do not fully explore the applicant’s employment history in sufficient detail. This limits the manager’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 4 ability to assess each staff member’s suitability for working with children and weakens safeguarding practice.

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

Physical intervention is not routinely used in the home. However, on one occasion when a physical intervention was used, the record does not provide sufficient detail to demonstrate if this level of intervention was proportionate. Furthermore, allegations made after the use of the physical intervention are not followed up.

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

Risk assessments in place do not always include specific information relating to the child’s needs. The assessments do not provide staff with the information needed to manage some risks effectively. For example, risk assessments addressing self-harm do not fully identify the child’s specific needs. This compromises staff’s ability to manage the risks effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been in post since March 2025. A lack of experience and oversight has contributed to shortfalls in the home. This has impacted on safeguarding practices and the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff movement in and out of the home outside of scheduled shifts is not consistently monitored by the manager. As a result, there is a lack of clarity and accountability regarding which staff members are actively working with the child. On occasion, the child has met up with staff in the community who were not rostered to work at the time, raising significant concerns about the maintenance of professional boundaries and safeguarding protocols.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision sessions and team meetings do not provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice or professional development. Consequently, staff are not encouraged or supported to critically consider how their daily interactions and decisions impact on the lived experiences of children in their care. Additionally, supervision records are not stored securely, compromising confidentiality and failing to uphold expected standards of privacy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The views of children are not routinely included in the manager’s review of the quality of care. This limits the manager’s ability to fully evaluate the effectiveness of care provided from the child’s perspective and their lived experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are provided with general training to support the development of their skills and knowledge. However, there is a lack of targeted training opportunities that align with the evolving needs of the children in their care. As a result, not all staff possess the specific competencies required to deliver care in accordance with the child’s individual care plan, potentially impacting the quality and consistency of support provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 5 When safeguarding concerns were raised during this inspection, the senior leadership team provided reassurance to the regulator about the immediate actions taken to ensure that the child was appropriately safeguarded. Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 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, 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

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that leaders, managers and staff understand and follow the processes when an allegation is made by a child. This must include notifying relevant safeguarding and regulatory bodies.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with accurate and up-to-date information and guidance about how to manage any known or emerging risks. 28 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 7 *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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that recruitment processes are safe. They must ensure that full employment histories are obtained and verified, as well as confirming the reasons for leaving a previous role.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that robust systems are implemented to monitor effectively both the quality of care provided and the daily operations of the home. Additionally, it is essential that all staff possess a clear and comprehensive understanding of the conditions outlined in the child’s Deprivation of Liberty Order, to ensure that care is delivered in accordance with legal and ethical requirements . 28 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child); or 28 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 8 serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that physical intervention is only used when there is an immediate risk of harm and when no less restrictive alternative measure is available.

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is maintained to an acceptable standard of cleanliness, including the child’s bedroom. Repairs and redecoration must be carried out in a timely manner. 12 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2737844 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Coastal Quality Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Scott House, Clarke Street, Poulton Industrial Estate, Poulton-Le-Fylde FY6 8JW

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Inspectors

Shauna Morley, Social Care Inspector Slyvia Eboigbe, Regulator Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2737844 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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