Children's Home run by Appletree Treatment Centre Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032838 1 SC032838 Registered provider: Appletree Treatment Centre Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. The home is registered to care for up to eight boys, aged between six and 12 years, who have suffered early childhood trauma and are likely to experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2014.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC032838 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/08/2021 Full Outstanding 12/02/2020 Full Outstanding 30/05/2018 Full Outstanding 27/06/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC032838 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Seven young children were living in the home at the time of the inspection and were making good progress. The home is a stable and settled environment, and many of the children have lived here for several years. This provides children with stability and belonging, which improves their feelings of being secure in this home. Children are observed to have good attachments with staff, who provide a high level of care. A child told the inspectors: ‘I love living here.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children receive therapy. Effective partnership working between therapists and staff supports improvements in the children’s emotional well-being, through therapy sessions and staff consultations. This integrated approach means that therapists and staff use the same therapeutic model, resulting in children receiving consistent care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children lead healthy lifestyles. The staff provide a healthy, nutritious diet, with a wide range of food choices. Children have structured daily routines, which provides children with safe and predictable care. While children’s health needs are generally promoted well, on one occasion, staff did not seek medical guidance in relation to a child’s injury.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children arrive in the home with a history of educational disruption. Children are now attending education full time, with 100% attendance. A child, who prior to coming to the home was unable to read, is now reading freely without support. Another child has made progress in being able to study independently for longer periods. Children also learn skills they need for study, work and relationships. This demonstrates that children are being supported to make significant progress from their starting points.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive play experiences while living in the home. Through play, the children learn about the world and themselves, for example from den building, playing in their fairy garden and caring for their pet guinea pigs. They are also given opportunities to experience a wide range of activities in the community, including swimming, football and trampolining. This helps children to develop their social skills and expand their friendship networks.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have also been on holidays. These holiday experiences have been captured on video for the children, which are set to music. This careful and sensitive record means that children leave the home with creative memories of their experiences.

p.3

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

Children have developed trust in the people who care for them. They can identify a range of staff that they can speak with to share any worries or fears. As a result, children feel safe and well protected in their home. Children enjoy spending time Inspection report for children’s home: SC032838 4 with each other and any disagreements are dealt with effectively to maintain and restore positive relationships.

p.3

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

Assessments for the management of risk clearly describe behaviours affecting the children when they are in and out of the home. They detail management of risks and levels of risk. Risks are predominantly low and continue to remain low while children are living in the home. Strategies are brief, but relevant, child-friendly and clear. These support staff to manage children’s individual risks effectively.

p.4

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

Praise and rewards are used regularly to celebrate and promote positive behaviour. The staff do not agree with punitive measures which do not fit in with their therapeutic ethos. Children are educated about their choices and responses, and what the natural consequences may be. Reflective discussions are used to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on others. These help children to develop their skills in relation to self-awareness and being able to understand others’ feelings.

p.4

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

Staff know children well and use their positive relationships with children to de- escalate incidents. When staff have had to physically hold children, restraint records are detailed and provide appropriate review following incidents. This allows the manager to use lessons learned to improve the care provided to children and reduce further incidents. However, records would benefit from clarity and improved wording to demonstrate the extent of the measures used.

p.4

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

Medication is stored safely. However, children were not administered medication in line with medication guidance on one occasion. This has a negative effect on children’s health and safety.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is dedicated, resolute and committed to providing a good standard of quality care to children. She leads by example, is qualified and experienced, and has worked in the home for many years. She has effective leadership skills and provides staff with a high level of support. This has created a stable staff team, which in turn provides consistent care for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervisions and annual appraisals which are effective in promoting ongoing development of the staff team. Staff are committed to ongoing learning and are up to date with mandatory training. The training package is extensive and bespoke to the young children’s presenting needs. However, a small number of staff need to update their knowledge in epilepsy training.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff understand, and are skilled in responding to, young children’s needs. Young children report that staff have time for them, care about them and help them through challenging situations. Children understand, and feel proud of, the progress they have made. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032838 5 The manager and staff work collaboratively with a range of agencies, professionals and birth families to meet the needs of the children. A parent said: ‘I have brilliant communication with staff, who support family time and are respectful of my family. They understand my child’s needs well, which is why he is making such good progress.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managerial oversight of the home is good. There are strong monitoring and auditing systems in place, which ensures that all documentation is completed to a good standard.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff are strong advocates for young children. They are committed to supporting young children to develop the skills and resilience they will need to have positive futures. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032838 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children access medical attention after an accident in a timely manner. 22 December

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff safely administer medication in accordance with administration guidance. 22 December

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that physical intervention records provide sufficient detail and clarity so that they can be understood by children and for the Inspection report for children’s home: SC032838 7 purpose of internal and external review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to meet children’s needs. In particular, ensure that the staff receive any bespoke training to support children who have epilepsy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)

p.6

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: SC032838 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Appletree Treatment Centre Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Meathop Park, Meathop, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 6RF

p.8

Inspectors

Nicola Clements, Social Care Inspector Natalie Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032838 9 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.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9