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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 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

The home is operated by a private organisation and registered with Ofsted in 2023. The home is registered to care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of inspection. Both children spoke to inspectors.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 15 October 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2024 Full Good 04/06/2024 Full Inadequate 05/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 3

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improvement to be good

One child has moved from the home and two children have moved in since the last inspection. The manager considered the children’s needs alongside the skills of the staff team. However, on one occasion, a child moved into the home sooner than expected, which limited the opportunity to fully prepare the child already living in the home. The manager worked closely with the placing authority when notice was given for another child, to support a planned and positive transition.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend and engage in education. When a child was out of school, educational activities were provided in the interim to support the child’s continued learning. The manager advocated effectively for the child, liaising with education professionals to identify a suitable school. The child has now successfully returned to full-time education as a result.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain contact with their families and friends, recognising the importance of these relationships. This helps children to develop a strong sense of identity and belonging.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to express their views and opinions about their daily experiences in the home and matters that are important to them. They know how to raise concerns or make a complaint. As a result, children feel listened to and are involved in decisions that affect them.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s health needs. When children are struggling to manage their emotions, timely referrals are progressed to the relevant mental health professionals and additional therapeutic support is explored for when they are ready to engage. This supports increased emotional stability and resilience for children.

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improvement to be good

Staff spend time with children and encourage them to develop interests and engage in activities and trips out. One child has recently been on holiday with staff and talked about day trips to theme parks. This is supporting children to build relationships with staff and other children and make lasting memories.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practice is not sufficiently robust. Recruitment checks do not fully explore the applicant’s employment history, and previous cautions are not consistently explored. Disclosure and Barring Service checks are missing from one staff file. Additionally, risk assessments are not effective. These concerns are particularly relevant for senior members of staff who are responsible for directing staff practice. Despite concerns Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 4 regarding safer recruitment being raised within the organisation, these issues remain unaddressed, which significantly weakens safeguarding practice.

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improvement to be good

When children raise concerns about staff conduct, the manager takes concerns seriously and refers them to the relevant professionals, including the local safeguarding designated officer. However, there is one allegation where the manager only partly explored the concerns. There has not been sufficient professional curiosity regarding the events leading up to the incident or the language used by the member of staff. This means that important factors may not be fully understood or addressed.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that risk management plans for children are in place and are regularly reviewed. They identify the relevant risks; however, guidance for staff on how to manage these risks is not clear. Despite this, staff responses to incidents show appropriate and effective practice to safely support children.

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improvement to be good

When staff have used physical intervention, this has been appropriate and proportionate. Physical intervention has only been used as a last resort and to keep children safe. The manager and staff ensure that there is a clear and detailed recording of each incident. Children are spoken to afterwards to ensure that their feelings are understood and to strengthen relationships between staff and children.

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improvement to be good

Staff regularly engage children in discussions about important health and safety topics, including risks associated with vaping, drugs and alcohol. These conversations help children to make informed choices and understand the potential risks. When staff have been concerned that a child may be under the influence of substances, they have remained with the child throughout the night to monitor their well-being and ensure their safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has been in post since January 2025 and is completing the relevant leadership and management qualification. Her practice is child centred, and she knows the children well. Staff say that they feel well supported. One member of staff said, ‘She [manager] has been a great manager and is always ready to support or offer guidance when needed.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been staffing issues due to sickness. The manager does not often use agency staff; however, there has been a great deal of use of staff from other homes in the provider network. This has caused feelings of instability for children and staff. The manager has tried to mitigate the impact of this for one child by involving them in staffing decisions and trying to accommodate their preferences where possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a high proportion of unqualified staff in the home and, sometimes, there are shifts with no qualified staff. However, the manager considers the strengths of the staff on the rota and tries to balance the level of skill and experience. Staff are enrolled on training for their qualifications in a timely way and are working towards the required qualifications. Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 5 Staff have access to appropriate training, and the manager encourages additional training aligned to the children’s individual needs, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and managing allegations. This means that staff have the knowledge to provide good care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have regular supervision sessions, which provide opportunities for reflection on practice and allow the manager to review and test staff knowledge. In addition, team meetings are held, which provide a forum for sharing updates about children, discussing practice and engaging in further learning to upskill staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has systems in place to allow them to monitor the quality of care in the home. However, these systems have not consistently identified shortfalls, such as those relating to safer recruitment and investigations into allegations. Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 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 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, 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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of 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)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that recruitment processes are safe. They must ensure that staff’s full employment histories are obtained and scrutinised and evidence of this is recorded.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that any concerns in relation to the suitability of staff members for their role are fully explored and assessed. 11 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when incidents are evaluated, they take into account any learning outcomes that can be put in place to support the development of staff and service development.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff working in the home are suitably qualified, experienced and competent to carry out their roles effectively and lead a team to deliver high-quality care for children.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must take effective steps to ensure that staffing arrangements are stable and consistent, and that absence through sickness or other reasons are managed without compromising the continuity of care for children. 9 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that reactive strategies for managing children's presenting behaviours are clearly outlined within risk management plans and behaviour support plans to inform staff practice. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 9

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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: 2716515 10

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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 Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2716515 11 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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