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 Full inspection 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

At the time of this inspection, there were no children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and Ofsted is currently assessing if this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following an inadequate judgement at the last full inspection on 17 April 2025, the home was suspended. Ofsted decided to immediately suspend accommodation at the home under section 14A of the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557064 2 An unannounced monitoring visit took place on 25 June 2025, and it was determined that insufficient action had been taken to address all the shortfalls identified at the full inspection.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A further monitoring visit was completed on 11 July 2025. A case review was held following this visit. It was agreed that the provider had met the actions required to end the suspension. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557064 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/04/2025 Full Inadequate 14/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2024 Full Good 23/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2557064 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child moved into the home on a short-term placement and has since moved out. They were welcomed sensitively with the best possible planning based on their individual needs and circumstances. The manager assessed the suitability of the home, the location and staff’s skills and experience to make an informed and child-centred decision about whether they could meet the needs of the child prior to them moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the child moved out, the manager and staff supported them in preparing for the transition. They worked closely with the placing authority and relevant people from the new placement to share information, ensuring that the move was as smooth and positive as possible for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Due to the short time the child lived at the home, it was not possible to enrol them in a local, suitable school. The manager and staff worked closely with the child’s current school and placing authority to support their education needs. Staff supported the child with daily learning activities at the home and encouraged educational activities to support their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff supported the child’s health needs by ensuring that they were registered with all necessary health professionals and that routine appointments were arranged. When required, staff ensured that the child had access to emergency health and well-being support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encouraged and supported the child to take part in activities that they enjoyed and introduced them to new activities, such as ice skating and karaoke. Alongside this, staff supported the child to engage in activities that promote life skills, including cooking and shopping.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff held frequent support sessions with the child. These sessions were meaningful and child-focused, helping them to prepare for upcoming events, understand safety and risks and to develop skills to prepare for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Arrangements were in place to ensure that the child could express their views and wishes and explore their emotions. This approach empowered the child to make decisions about their day-to-day care and helped them to feel valued.

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

There have been no safeguarding concerns, allegations or disclosures since the last inspection. Staff are suitably trained in safeguarding children, and this remains a standing agenda item during team meetings and supervision sessions, where staff discuss scenarios and the correct procedures to follow. Staff spoken to were able to Inspection report for children’s home: 2557064 5 clearly explain the procedure they would implement if they had any safeguarding concerns.

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

The child’s support plans and risk assessments are detailed documents that were frequently updated with new information as staff got to know the child and learned more about them. These documents include clear guidance and strategies that helped staff to provide consistent care in line with the child’s identified risks and behaviours. However, some wording within the documents may not have been helpful to the child.

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

When it was necessary to hold the child to keep them safe, interventions were reasonable and proportionate. Staff are trained to carry out physical interventions safely. Children and staff are supported to reflect on incidents. The manager maintains detailed oversight of each physical intervention report to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the measure used, identify any triggers, update support plans as needed and support staff development.

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

When significant incidents have occurred at the home, they have been managed appropriately. Staff follow strategies detailed in the child’s support plans and use their relationship with the child to de-escalate situations. The manager ensures that the child and staff are supported to reflect on the incident afterwards.

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

When the child has run away from staff, appropriate action has been taken to follow and locate them quickly. Staff have worked with emergency services when necessary and ensured the child’s emotional well-being and safety throughout these incidents. The manager has identified learning points following incidents and used them to inform updates to support plans. Staff demonstrate professional curiosity by exploring the reasons behind the child’s actions and consider the strategies to help the child if they feel this way in the future.

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

On occasion, where the child has caused harm to themselves, staff provided first aid and emotional support. The child felt able to speak openly to staff about these incidents due to the positive and trusting relationships they had built with staff.

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

There are systems in place for the safer recruitment of staff. However, these systems are not effective in ensuring that all pre-employment checks are completed prior to some staff starting in their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a new registered manager in post. Since taking on the role, she has made positive improvements to the leadership and management of the home, providing stability and consistency to the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has implemented systems to maintain effective oversight of the home and to drive improvements. She makes use of external monitoring to provide additional scrutiny. However, the quality of care review does not accurately reflect the reporting Inspection report for children’s home: 2557064 6 period, which limits the manager’s ability to evaluate and reflect effectively to ensure continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the staff team has experienced significant instability, with a high turnover of staff leaving and new staff joining. However, there is now a stable staff team and morale at the home is positive. When it is necessary to use agency staff, the manager aims to use regular agency staff where possible to maintain consistency for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have completed extensive training, including specific training to meet the child’s individual needs. Training is refreshed regularly and revisited during team meetings to review staff knowledge and understanding. New staff complete an in-depth induction process to prepare them for their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and well attended, and staff understand their value. They are used as an opportunity for staff to come together and share information and discuss operational matters in the home. They are also used as training and development sessions for staff. 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 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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) 92)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 1 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 1 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2557064 8 After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the quality of care review report is a true reflection of the service over the reporting period and that it evaluates the quality of care provided.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations’, Page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A-Triangle Care Ltd

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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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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2557064 10 and 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 looked- after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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