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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 1 SC033268 Registered provider: Appletree Treatment Centre Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to 12 children, irrespective of gender. Children living at this home may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This company also runs a school, which is registered with the Department for Education, within the same grounds as the children’s home. All children from the home currently attend this school.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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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

Date of last inspection: 22 November 2022

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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: SC033268 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good 04/06/2019 Full Good 17/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points, having experienced adverse childhood experiences. The home provides children with a safe and nurturing environment in which children’s needs are consistently met. One professional said, ‘My child has made massive progress in terms of his confidence and self-esteem and social interaction with peers and adults.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before children move into the home, the manager thoroughly reviews the information provided to assess whether the home can meet the child’s needs. The manager also ensures that the needs of the child are compatible with those of the children already living in the home. This results in a stable and settled environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children receive weekly therapy. The therapeutic model provided by the home promotes the children’s emotional well-being. Staff work with a therapist and complete the company’s therapeutic diploma. This ensures that staff understand trauma-informed behaviour and have the relevant skills to support the children therapeutically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have family time with the people that are important to them. Staff travel some considerable distances to support and facilitate family time. This maintains and supports children’s identities. Professionals were complimentary about how the home promotes and supports family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive play experiences while living in the home. For example, they have a mud kitchen and den in their garden, which supports their learning and creativity. One child was proud to show inspectors all the books they had read. Children are also provided with the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities in the community as well as holidays. This develops children’s social experiences and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Excellent transition plans support children to move to foster families successfully. Thorough detailed plans of the move are communicated effectively between everyone involved and are recorded robustly. These plans are reviewed regularly to ensure that the child is moving to the foster family at the child’s pace.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised. However, the manager and staff need to ensure that bedrooms are cleaned to an acceptable standard and are kept clean, tidy and uncluttered.

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

The management of children’s risks remains effective. Risk assessments are clear and succinct and provide effective strategies for managing risks to individual Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 4 children. These are also supported by behaviour support plans, which consider ways to support children based on their opinions and their input to help them feel safe.

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

Children said they feel safe. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] feels safe, and this is a new experience for them.’ Children showed inspectors where the telephone numbers were for the independent person and other helpline services should they want to use them. Children receive support and guidance from staff in developing personal safety skills that are age-appropriate.

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

Consistent boundaries are in place, which children respond well to. Children have clear expectations of what is expected of them in relation to behaviour. Praise and rewards are used regularly to celebrate and promote positive behaviour. Consequences are not used in this home. Children benefit from receiving safe and predictable care.

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

Physical interventions in the home have significantly reduced. The manager completes effective monthly monitoring and analysis of all physical interventions. The manager demonstrates learning from incidents, and regular training is provided to staff. This supports staff in having and understanding techniques to de-escalate behaviour.

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

The home has had some health and safety concerns. A smoke alarm was covered, and the cupboard that holds dangerous substances was unlocked and the contents were accessible to children. Furthermore, some broken furniture had not been removed from a child’s bedroom. A requirement has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run by a well-qualified and experienced manager. The manager is committed to providing a high standard of care to the children and has excellent oversight of their individual needs. The manager is supported by a committed responsible individual who shares the same child-centred ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are regular, meaningful and detailed, with clear action plans for staff development. Team meetings are well attended and are held regularly. They provide a forum for discussion and learning. This supports staff’s ongoing learning and professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home also invests in staff’s health and emotional well-being. One staff member said, ‘Staff have access to a counsellor as well as gym membership.’ This creates an environment where staff feel valued, and it has a positive impact on the home. Some staff have worked in the home for many years.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home and knows the strengths and areas for development. The manager actively and regularly monitors the quality of care provided. The manager should ensure that all records relating to any incidents of control, discipline and restraint are reviewed in line with the company’s policy and threshold for recording physical interventions. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 5 Case records reflect children’s everyday lives. Children’s journeys are captured in their records. This is beneficial for children who choose to review their journey when they are older and read their case records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff build effective relationships with professionals who are external to the home, and there is good multi-agency parentship work. This has been evidenced by the positive feedback from many professionals who were spoken with, who were all complimentary of the care provided to the children they work with. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 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 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that cupboards that hold dangerous substances are locked and not accessible to children. Ensure that any broken bedroom furniture is removed and replaced. 18 October 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the children’s needs. In particular, they should ensure that all parts of the home are cleaned to an acceptable standard and that all children’s bedrooms are clean and tidy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that all records relating to any incidents of control, discipline and restraint are reviewed in line with the company’s policy and threshold for recording physical interventions. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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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) Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 7 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Appletree Treatment Centre Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Nicola Clements, Social Care Inspector Sarah Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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