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

Inspection report for children's home: 2752994 1 Registered provider: Coastal Path Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and operated by a small private provider. It is registered for up to 2 children who may have social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The inspector spent time with the child.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2752994 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/06/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2752994 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has experienced a well-planned move out of the home. Staff advocated effectively to ensure that the child's new home met their needs. Staff remain in touch with the child as part of their ‘lifelong links’ plan. This ongoing support provides the child with additional emotional security as they move towards semi-independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that all relevant information is received prior to new children moving into the home. Staff take part in reflective sessions to identify any additional resources needed to meet children's needs prior to them moving in. This approach helps staff to feel confident in providing care and supports children to settle, as staff have a clear understanding of the child's needs and associated risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with education providers and encourage children to attend school. As a result, children make good progress from their starting points. The manager ensures that education, health and care plans are considered when there is an identified need. One child has achieved formal qualifications, while another child has been supported to gain valuable work experience. These opportunities help children to explore future career aspirations and develop independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's health needs are generally well met. They are registered with health services, and staff support children to attend health appointments. However, for one child, staff have not fully explored the risks associated with vaping. This limits the child's ability to make safer and more informed choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see family members. For one child, staff have worked closely with the local authority and family to rebuild relationships. As a result, family time has resumed for the child. Staff take a proactive and creative approach to supporting risk reduction. One social worker said, 'Staff listen to the child and work out how family time can be achieved safely.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to take part in activities and try new experiences. These include theme parks, go karting and Christmas markets. When there are barriers to children accessing activities, the staff team works hard to overcome these. For example, when a child felt unable to attend a local firework display, the staff team arranged fire safety training for the child and held their own event in the garden.

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

The manager and staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. They are confident in raising concerns and know how to escalate issues when necessary, including using the whistleblowing process. Inspection report for children's home: 2752994 4 When children raise concerns about staff, these are taken seriously. Managers share information appropriately and work closely with other professionals to ensure that concerns are thoroughly investigated. This approach promotes children's safety and welfare.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children's risks and talk to them about these. For example, staff discuss the dangers of going missing from home and substance misuse. These conversations help children to make safer choices. A social worker said, 'Safety is always at the forefront of staff practice.'

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

Children's voices are reflected in their care plans, giving staff clear guidance on how to respond when children are unhappy or go missing. However, the plans do not identify the process for staff to follow when children are under the influence of substances. This could have an impact on staff's ability to respond appropriately and keep children safe.

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

When children are missing, the staff team searches local areas and contacts family members. Staff work closely with external professionals to support locating the child. However, on one occasion, there was a delay in reporting a child missing. The manager identified the shortfalls in staff practice, and appropriate measures were implemented to prevent a reoccurrence. For one child, there has been a significant reduction in their missing-from-home risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. The manager is committed to embedding trauma-informed practice throughout the home. One staff member said, 'She is highly child-centred and always prioritises what is best for the children.'

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Learning and development for staff is a priority. The manager ensures that staff remain up to date with mandatory training and identifies further learning when needed. The staff team has completed bespoke training relevant to the children's needs. One staff member said, 'Training is informative, practical and supports staff to feel confident in providing the highest standard of care.'

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from the manager undertaking monthly practice observations. These sessions are reflective, highlight good practice and identify areas for development. This strengthens staff skills and confidence. Additionally, this provides the manager with additional oversight of the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place monthly and are used to reflect on incidents and identify areas for improvement. The manager communicates effectively, sharing good practice, research and relevant theories with the staff team to strengthen their knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. The manager uses this as a forum to test staff knowledge on key safeguarding processes and their understanding of any updated risk Inspection report for children's home: 2752994 5 reduction measures or safety plans. This ensures that staff remain confident and competent in keeping children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective systems in place to monitor and review practice. These systems help her to understand the home's strengths and areas for improvement. As a result, children's records are kept up to date, and staff have the most relevant information to meet children's needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2752994 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to help children understand, and where necessary work to change, negative behaviours in key areas of health and wellbeing. This specifically relates to vaping. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 35, paragraph 7.18).  The registered person should ensure that staff follow the correct procedures when a child is at risk of going missing from care. These procedures must clearly set out steps to be taken and the roles and responsibilities of staff so that they are aware of the child's whereabouts. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 45, paragraph 9.28).  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This relates specifically

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Recommendations

to substance misuse. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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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: 2752994 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Coastal Path Care Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Whitegate Accountants, 49 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool FY3 9DG

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Inspector

Kitty Wiper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2752994 8 regulates 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 children looked after, 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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