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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC386003 1 SC386003 Registered provider: Appletree Treatment Centre Limited

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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 private organisation. It provides care for up to five children between the ages of six and 12 years. The home’s statement of purpose states that it offers care to children who may have social and emotional or mental health difficulties and associated or specific learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Five children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: SC386003 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2023 Full Good 27/09/2022 Full Good 20/05/2021 Full Good 09/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC386003 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children settle quickly when they come to live at this home. They are provided with a strong sense of stability from a nurturing, knowledgeable team. Children make good progress from their starting points, helped by the positive and trusting relationships they build with staff. A social work professional described one child’s progress as ‘remarkable’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before a child moves into the home, the manager carries out detailed discussions with other professionals to assess the ability of staff to meet the child’s needs. Children are well prepared for the move, including those already living in the home. However, there should be more assessment of the effect the move will have on individual children’s behaviours and risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care is well coordinated and plans are detailed, considering the child’s individual needs, and include aspirational targets to help children progress. The language in records related to incidents sometimes uses jargon, which would make it difficult for a child or professional to understand exactly what had taken place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend the provider’s school nearby and have high attendance. One child described the school as ‘awesome’. There is effective communication and joint strategies for managing behaviour across both settings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have good health and they attend medical appointments, supported by staff. This helps children to develop confidence in health professionals and increases the likelihood of them attending appointments and taking advice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop individual hobbies, such as swimming and joining football clubs. There are a good range of toys and books available in the home to develop play and children enjoy a range of activities chosen by them according to their likes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have positive relationships with family and those important to them, where it is safe to do so. When necessary, staff accompany children to family time and remain with them for support and to ensure family time is a positive experience.

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

Children’s risks are reduced and managed. Children’s individual risk management plans are detailed, with clear strategies to help staff respond and reduce the risk. These are updated regularly and overseen by the management team.

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

Incidents are well managed and everyone involved is spoken to afterwards to help them reflect on the experience and prevent further occurrence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC386003 4 Children benefit from individual therapeutic support. This is planned and discussed with input from staff who know the children well. Children attend sessions and staff are supported to manage emotions in the home following the sessions.

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

Staff understand the risks posed to children when using technology. The issues are discussed with children in key-work sessions and there are appropriate restrictions on content children can access in line with the age of the child.

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

Children are held by staff after de-escalation techniques have been tried. Records show that all relevant information is recorded and the whole incident, after debriefs have taken place, is signed off by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is effective and has strong relationships with the children. He is valued and trusted by his staff team, and he is supported by an experienced deputy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider’s model of care is well embedded in practice. Staff can talk about the model, both in general and when discussing individual children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective systems in place to monitor practice. He evaluates incidents when children have been held, to look for patterns each month. This is to ensure the safety of children and to measure the effectiveness of the use of the hold.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision of staff is carried out monthly. However, the records show that sessions consist of a series of questions that concentrate on the well-being of staff. While this is good practice, they do not expand to include how staff are supported to work with children to progress their plans and targets, the development of staff practice or challenges to individual practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC386003 5

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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 ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 1 September 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: SC386003 6

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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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Inspector

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC386003 7 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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