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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 1 Registered provider: Coastal Quality 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 run by a private organisation. The home is registered to care for 2 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Both children were present during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in the home. An interim manager has been in post from May 2026.

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 20 January 2026

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/01/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/06/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 3

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Summary of findings

Children are encouraged to learn and engage in positive activities and to see people who are important to them.

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Summary of findings

Changes in management and a high turnover of staff have affected the stability and continuity of care for children.

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Summary of findings

Staff do not record information consistently. This limits the manager’s ability to evaluate incidents effectively and identify learning from practice to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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Summary of findings

The condition of the home does not create a consistently warm and welcoming home environment for children.

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improvement to be good

The same children continue to live in the home since the last inspection. This has provided some stability for the children. However, there has been a high turnover of staff, which has affected children’s ability to form and maintain secure and trusting relationships. As a result, children have not experienced positive or well-supported endings when familiar staff have left, impacting on their sense of security.

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improvement to be good

The home is not being maintained to a good standard. Although the children’s basic needs are met, the overall condition of the home does not reflect a space that is cared for. This impacts on children experiencing a warm and welcoming home environment.

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improvement to be good

There are plans in place to ensure that children remain in contact with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk to children about the importance of education; however, this has not supported children to re-engage in formal learning. This impacts on the children’s ability to benefit from predictable daily routines and structure. Staff understand barriers while encouraging them to develop life skills and to consider other learning opportunities.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s health needs. When concerns relating to children’s mental health arise, managers seek appropriate advice and support from relevant professionals to promote children’s wellbeing. Staff encourage children to attend appointments even when they are reluctant to do so.

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improvement to be good

Children are consulted about aspects of their daily lives, including activities and meal choices as well as discussions relating to their future care plan. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 4

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used as a last resort to manage incidents and keep children safe. However, staff do not consistently use de-escalation strategies effectively at an earlier stage. As a result, opportunities to prevent situations from escalating are sometimes missed. Furthermore, children are not always spoken with afterwards, which limits the manager’s ability to fully understand and evaluate the effectiveness of responses.

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improvement to be good

When children raise concerns, these are taken seriously and are shared with appropriate agencies, including the local authority designated officer. However, on one occasion, management oversight has not been sufficiently robust. In addition, children have not been informed of any outcome. This limits opportunities for children to feel listened to.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from the home. Children remain in communication with staff when they are out with friends. Staff are aware of how to respond if a child does go missing.

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improvement to be good

The quality of recording on children’s files is not consistent. Records relating to incidents are variable, with key information missing relating to action taken by staff. Additionally, risk assessments do not consistently reflect children’s known risks and vulnerabilities. As a result, they are not fully personalised and do not equip staff with the information and guidance needed to manage some risks effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk to children about important topics such as mental health and the risks associated with vaping and drugs, and seek external support from agencies when appropriate. These conversations help children to make informed choices and understand the potential risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager stepped into a new leadership role in the organisation in January 2026. During this period, a newly appointed interim manager left the home unexpectedly, resulting in the leadership team resuming oversight responsibilities until a new permanent manager could be appointed. The absence of a suitably experienced and registered manager has affected the stability, oversight and overall management of the home, subsequently impacting on the children’s experiences and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers and leaders have not ensured that staff receive regular supervision sessions. As a result, opportunities to support staff practice, monitor performance and identify training and development needs are limited. This also impacts the manager’s ability to monitor and improve the quality of care afforded to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 5 There have been frequent changes in staffing, and the manager relies on staff from other homes within the organisation, and agency staff, to work alongside core staff members to maintain safe staffing levels. This has impacted on feelings of stability for staff and children. In addition, rotas do not clearly identify which staff were on duty.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have access to appropriate training, and the manager encourages additional training aligned to the children’s needs. Staff complete the training required of them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not ensured that the regulation 45 report is submitted to the regulator in the required timescale. This reduces opportunities to monitor and evaluate the quality of care and identify areas for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 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 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 staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 5 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 7 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have systems in place so that all staff receive regular supervision sessions that allow them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that significant incidents are evaluated with scrutiny, taking into consideration any possible learning outcomes that can be implemented within children’s risk management plans, or to support the development of staff.

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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 is managed without compromising the continuity of care for children.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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 5 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 8 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have a clear and consistent understanding of when physical intervention is necessary and proportionate and apply this consistently and safely to safeguard children from harm.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, following all significant incidents, debriefs with children are consistently undertaken and clearly recorded.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that allegations or concerns related to staff practice are investigated thoroughly. Furthermore, children should be provided with feedback regarding the outcome of concerns they have raised.

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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 throughout. Repairs and painting must be carried out in a timely manner. 5 June 2026

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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. 5 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 9 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that copies of the staff rota of persons working at the home are accurate.

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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

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. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)) 5 June 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child is not participating in full-time education, they are supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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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: 2775641 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 Melanie Cotterill, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2775641 11 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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